USC Trojans running back makes decision on future

USC Trojans running back Keaontay Ingram has been mulling on whether or not to return to Los Angeles for a fourth college season. With Lincoln Riley taking over as the head coach, his NFL Draft stock could go up a couple of ticks.

However, on Wednesday, Ingram officially accepted an NFLPA Bowl invitation, ruling out any possibility of him returning to USC. The bowl game takes place in Pasadena, CA, and will allow the running back to show off his talents in front of NFL scouts.

Ingram has been with the Trojans for one season, rushing for a career 911 yards and tacked on five touchdowns. The former Texas running back will now be taking a step to the next level.

As a recruit, Ingram was ranked a four-star prospect on the On3 Consensus. Coming out of Carthage, TX, the running back ranked at No. 11 for his position and snuck into a top 20 in-state guy at No. 18.

USC Trojans to hire Michigan assistant

As the 2021-22 coaching carousel continues turning, Lincoln Riley is making a new splash hire for his defensive line. The USC Trojans are hiring Michigan defensive line coach Shaun Nua for the same role, according to Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel.

The Michigan assistant coached two of the top defensive line players in the country this season in Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo. Both Wolverines pass rushers have declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and both could go in the first round.

The shift from Michigan to USC in the same role seems like a lateral move but the former NFL player has a history coaching out West.

Shaun Nua is in his third season as defensive line coach at Michigan. Hired on Jan. 17, 2019, Nua came to Ann Arbor after spending the 2018 season as defensive line coach at Arizona State.

Nua spent six seasons coaching the defensive line at the U.S. Naval Academy (2012-17) prior to his time in Tempe. He began his coaching career at BYU. He was an intern with the program in 2009 and became a graduate assistant coach during the 2010-11 seasons.

Nua played defensive end at BYU from 2002-04, earning second-team All-Mountain West Conference honors as a senior. He appeared in 23 games, playing in 12 contests as a junior and 11 games as a senior. Nua recorded 54 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 10 sacks during his final two seasons. He graduated from BYU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in youth and family recreation and later earned his master’s degree in recreation management in 2013.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report