USC assistant coach stepping away from program

USC Trojans inside wide receivers coach Dave Nichol is stepping away from the program, head coach Lincoln Riley announced on Monday. A “private medical matter” is the reason cited, with Nichol expected to rejoin the Trojans at some point in the future.

“Luke Huard, who joined the USC football staff in February as an offensive analyst, will serve indefinitely as the interim inside wide receivers coach while Dave Nichol, USC’s inside wide receivers coach and Associate Head Coach for Offense since December, focuses on a private medical matter,” Riley said in a statement.

Nichol was hired away from Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, joining Riley’s first staff in Los Angeles. Besides being the inside receivers coach, Nichol is listed as the Associate Head Coach for Offense on the official USC website.

Riley and Nichol have worked together in the past, being on staff together at East Carolina and Texas Tech. Nichol served as the East Carolina offensive coordinator during the 2015 season before moving onto Washington State as the outside receivers coach. His experience within the Pac-12 will certainly help Riley who will be brand new to the conference with USC.

As for Huard, he was hired away from the Texas A&M Aggies, where he was an offensive analyst for head coach Jimbo Fisher. Before then, he coached in the FCS, most recently being the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Sacramento State.

USC Trojans running back enters the transfer portal

Brandon Campbell is headed to the transfer portal after a freshman season at USC that saw the former four-star recruit ride the bench for the majority of the Trojan’s offensive series.

“USC second-year running back Brandon Campbell has entered the transfer portal, @on3sports has learned,” On3’s Matt Zenitz confirmed. “Former four-star recruit from Houston who was part of the Trojans’ 2021 recruiting class.”

Campbell had 12 carries throughout the 2021 season, rushing for 53 yards and caught one pass for 16 yards as well. He never had the opportunity to find the end zone during his lone season in Los Angeles. The Houston, Texas native appeared in three games against the Cal Golden Bears, BYU Cougars, and UCLA Bruins, respectively — the Trojans lost all three.

It should be noted that after Campbell committed to the Trojans in March of 2020, he went on a visit to Vanderbilt later in the year. It’s unknown if Campbell will pursue a move to Nashville, but nothing is off the table when it comes to the transfer portal.

On3’s Barkley Truax contributed to this report