USC Adding Former Rams DL Assistant Skyler Jones to Staff
Skyler Jones will become the newest defensive addition this offseason for the USC Trojans as head coach Lincoln Riley continues to emphasize building that side of the ball. Jones will join the Trojans as a defensive analyst, working with the defensive line.
The connection to USC for Jones is with new USC defensive line coach Eric Henderson. In 2022, Henderson was the defensive line coach for the Los Angeles Rams and Jones served as an assistant defensive line coach.
Jones spent last season as a defensive analyst for the Oregon Ducks, working with defensive line coach Tony Tuioti. Oregon finished the season No. 11 in rushing defense and No. 29 in sacks.
Other coaching stops for Jones include three years as a graduate assistant at Southern University and then three years as the defensive line coach there. He then moved to Norfolk State as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator and put together a really good showing in 2021. Jones guided a defensive front that helped Norfolk State tie for first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 27 sacks. Defensive lineman De’Shaan Dixon had a conference-high 9.5 sacks. Defensive lineman Chris Myers finished second in the conference with 5.5.
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A native of New Orleans, Jones moved to Dallas following Hurricane Katrina and graduated from Richardson High School in 2010. He then played defensive end at Bethany College, where he was a team captain.
The Trojans will have plenty of new faces among the defensive coaching staff when spring ball arrives. Henderson was a big hire for the defensive line, but he’s not the only one. Former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz is now coaching linebackers for the Trojans. Former Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk is now the defensive backs coach at USC. And former UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is calling the shots for the USC defense this season as the Trojans look for the same kind of impressive one-year turnaround Lynn was able to achieve with the Bruins in 2023.
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