USC set to hire Utah Utes assistant coach

Lincoln Riley is not done yet building his coaching staff for the USC Trojans. On3’s Matt Zenitz has officially confirmed that the Trojans will officially hire Utah’s Kiel McDonald as their running backs coach.

Behind McDonald, the Utes had the Pac-12’s top-ranked rushing attack in 2021. ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg had previously reported that he was being targeted for the job with the Trojans.

McDonald is currently the Utes running back coach and will assume the same position with the Trojans. He has spent his last five seasons at Utah and is known for creating multiple all Pac-12 backs. Prior to his five-year stint at Utah, McDonald has worked at Eastern Washington and spent his 2011 season in Arizona with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

USC loses running back coach to LSU

According to Pete Thamel, sources close to the program have said that LSU is hiring USC’s Jamar Cain as the school’s new defensive line coach and running game coordinator.

Cain served as the outside linebackers coach and defensive ends coach for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2020 and 2021. And while he was at the helm of those units, they ranked third and first respectively for the Big 12 conference. Before that, he spent one season in the Pac-12 with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Cain was one of the coaches who would follow former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles and join his coaching staff. However, it appears that the LSU Tigers have given him an offer he simply could not pass up.

Lincoln Riley on USC turnaround

Lincoln Riley left Oklahoma for the new challenge of turning around the USC Trojans. Many before him have tried and failed, but Riley believes he can get the job done — and get it done quicker than you might imagine.

Last month on Breaking the Huddle with Joel Klatt, Riley was asked how soon he can make USC a contender.

“I think it can happen quickly. That’s my confidence in this place, and the staff that we’re bringing in,” stated Riley. “A lot of these recruits and potential players are going to see what me and my family saw. They’re going to see the potential.”

“Everybody knows the logo, everyone knows the history. But they’re going to see the current investment. They’re going to see that USC is going all in on this football program. And I think when they see that, then they start to see the vision of what this can be — I think we’re going to have a lot of people that want to come play ball here. This staff has a track record of success, being able to compete consistently at a high level….it’s going to be a great combination. I can’t wait to get started.”

USC brought Lincoln Riley in to change the culture. Evidently, Riley hit the ground running — he has no reservations about the timeline of turning the Trojans around. He believes he’s the guy to do it, and do it in the immediate future.

On3’s Justin Rudolph also contributed to this report.