With football’s Spring Camp quickly approaching, a majority of USC’s assistant coaches held roughly 15-minute news conferences Feb. 20 at the University’s assistant coach media day, discussing offseason staff changes, player development and incoming recruits. 

The session was also an introduction to three new Trojan assistants, whose hirings were announced Tuesday: special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Mike Ekeler, safeties coach and defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzales, and defensive tackles coach Skyler Jones.

USC’s assistant coaches, outside of its defensive coordinator, rarely hold news conferences during the season, so new and returning coaches alike fielded questions about incoming players in USC’s consensus No. 1 recruiting class, its solid transfer group, the hiring of Defensive Coordinator Gary Patterson and more.

Here are six takeaways from the 11 available coaches’ media day interviews.

Patterson hire well-received

When Patterson, a TCU legend and College Football Hall of Fame coach, was announced as USC’s new DC, the move left very few skeptics. Patterson’s staff members interviewed Feb. 20 are certainly not among the few.

All five of Patterson’s assistants made available Feb. 20 praised the defensive coordinator, with multiple referencing his Hall of Fame status and accomplishments during his 21-year stint as the Horned Frogs’ head coach.

“You’re gonna see a very disciplined and aggressive [defense],” said Gonzales, who coached under Patterson for 13 years at TCU. “There’s a very fine line between being over-aggressive and also not being aggressive enough. We’re going to walk that.”

Patterson emphasized adaptability at multiple points in the news conference, saying he has had to constantly evolve his defensive scheme over the years, which he said he will continue to do by incorporating pieces of last year’s Trojan defense and being willing to move players to new positions if needed.

“The only person I don’t try to change is my wife,” Patterson said.

Though it initially seemed like Patterson might retain much of former DC D’Anton Lynn’s staff, several changes followed: Secondary coach Doug Belk’s contract was not renewed, defensive line coach Eric Henderson left for the NFL and linebackers coach Rob Ryan was reportedly demoted to analyst.

After only being on staff for about seven weeks, accounting for Spring Camp — roughly five for some of his recently hired assistants — Patterson will likely have to adjust the “last piece of the puzzle” strategy he touted at his introductory news conference in January. However, after working with Patterson through many staff changes at TCU, Gonzales said he isn’t worried about the transition period.

“One of his strengths is bringing people together, giving guys one voice, one heartbeat,” Gonzales said.

Ekeler as energetic as promised

When Ekeler was last at USC as linebackers coach in 2013, the Lane-Kiffin-led Trojans won 10 games before Ekeler was fired — more than all but one of the Trojans’ four seasons under Head Coach Lincoln Riley. He then helped lead Georgia to 20 wins in two seasons and got fired once more. That’s when Ekeler decided to try coaching special teams.

“There’s this saying, ‘My ass, my hands,’” Ekeler said about looking for job security based on his own successes or failures rather than relying on a group or team of coaches. “I like that.”

However, Ekeler said he missed coaching defense — and specifically linebackers, where he played in college at Kansas State — which led to him accepting the job at USC after serving solely as special teams coordinator at Nebraska.

“I don’t like feeling comfortable, and I could have sat back and been comfortable, and I didn’t like that,” Ekeler said. “I wanted another challenge.” 

Ekeler praised Ryan’s coaching ability, saying the linebacker room is “very talented” and that he wants to build on the foundation that is already there. He said both Desman Stephens II and Jadyn Walker, both presumed starters heading into the season, “act like pros” and praised their leadership on top of their on-field skills.

“Ray Charles can see that we have a talented linebacker room here,” Ekeler said. “This has got to be, if not the most talented, one of the most talented teams I’ve ever been in.”

Jones ready to assume Henny’s role

Jones, previously an analyst under Henderson, said when Riley called to ask him to take over as defensive tackles coach, he cried for about two minutes, as the promotion symbolized a culmination of years of hard work to rise up the ranks.

“It’s just a blessing to be in this position,” Jones said. “I have the best and the most talented group in the country.”

Both being from New Orleans, Jones said his close relationship with Henderson goes back to when the now-Washington Commanders assistant was with the Los Angeles Rams in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Jones said his mom partially paid for a flight he couldn’t afford at the time to visit Henderson, who later recommended Jones apply for an analyst role, which he got.

“Dawgwork is alive. Dawgwork not going anywhere,” Jones said, referencing Henderson’s signature phrase. “Dawgwork is in me.”

Before Patterson was hired, multiple key players like star freshman defensive tackles Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard expressed support for Henderson’s bid for DC via social media, leading to speculation that some of Henderson’s top recruits would leave USC if he wasn’t picked. Jones’ promotion, as someone who was active in the recruiting of many of these key players and had been around the program for multiple years, may have been key to retaining the young stars.

“Relationships are important for retention,” Jones said. “Anytime that you can retain someone with the group that’s been with this group as long as I’ve been with this group, I think it helped with the transition going forward.”

O-Line will be a battle

Last year’s offensive line group, led by offensive line coach Zach Hanson, came in with low expectations and lost multiple starters to various injuries along the way. Yet, the group proved to be among USC’s most successful in spite of the constantly shifting starting lineups.

While the Trojans retained their entire starting five — Elijah Paige, Alani Noa, Kilian O’Connor, Tobias Raymond and Justin Tauanuu — Hanson said he expects stiff competition for the starting spots. USC also returned redshirt freshman standout Kaylon Miller and highly-touted recruit Elijah Vaikona, and will add five-star tackle Keenyi Pepe, the No. 1 offensive tackle in his recruiting class, per 247Sports.

“There’s no set roster. Every year, you find the best five guys,” Hanson said. “Having that depth to compete with each other and to push those guys that were the starters this year, I think it’s going to make everybody better. A little iron sharpens iron.”

Though O’Connor narrowly won the starting job last season, Hanson floated the idea of Raymond, who played all over USC’s line last season, moving to center as well as Miller. Hanson didn’t count out Raymond starting at center to begin the season, where some project he may play in the NFL, and said he will work out there to begin the spring.

Miller and Jordan will ‘complement each other’

Returning redshirt freshman walk-on phenom King Miller — undoubtedly one of USC’s biggest stories last season — and week-one starter Waymond Jordan — who missed the end of the season with an injury — have left running backs coach Anthony Jones Jr. with what may appear to be a significant pickle: Who is going to be USC’s starter?

However, Jones Jr. called the problem a “very good” one to have, and said Miller, a nearly 1,000-yard rusher last season known for breaking for big touchdown runs, and Jordan, who reached nearly 600 yards in six games last season, will play off each other.

“Those guys complement each other well. They’re really best friends off the field,” Jones Jr. said. “Waymond won’t have to carry the load by himself; King won’t have to carry the load by himself.” 

Jones Jr. said Miller has been working to transform his body in the offseason to become a “more complete” running back, while Jordan has focused on recovery, which Jones Jr. said has gone well.

Maiava has stepped into leadership role

After deciding to return to USC for his redshirt senior season despite much speculation that he would declare for the NFL Draft, quarterback Jayden Maiava has a “tremendous sense of urgency,” according to Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Luke Huard.

Huard said that while Maiava developed as a leader after starting for USC all of last season, he has taken another step forward this offseason, meeting with players one on one to watch film, walk through plays and build relationships.

“He’s taken a huge leadership jump,” Huard said of Maiava. “Every single day that we’re in this building, we have an opportunity to grow and get better. He’s done a really good job thus far of getting to know some of these new teammates … and continuing to unify.”

Huard said Maiava will continue to work on limiting turnovers after throwing seven of his 10 interceptions in USC’s four losses last season.