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USC graduate assistant Will Johnson named North Dakota State cornerbacks coach

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•01/26/24•

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Will Johnson
USC graduate assistant Will Johnson on his way to a practice with the Trojans (Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)

The defensive coaching staff for the USC Trojans continues to shift this offseason. On Friday, North Dakota State announced the hiring of former USC defensive graduate assistant Will Johnson.

Johnson spent two seasons at USC as a graduate assistant working with the cornerbacks under position coach Donte Williams. When Williams left for Georgia, Johnson took over that position for USC’s impressive Holiday Bowl win against Louisville.

Johnson was well thought of during his time with the Trojans, both for what he brought on the field and to recruiting. But graduate assistant positions typically last just two years and now Johnson begins his assistant coaching career. Previously, Johnson served as a graduate assistant for two seasons at Oklahoma under head coach Lincoln Riley.

North Dakota State will have a new head coach this season as former head coach Matt Entz is now with the Trojans as the linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense. The new head coach for the Bison is Tim Polasek, who previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Wyoming.

Teams are allowed four graduate assistants and now USC will likely be looking to fill two spots on defense. Johnson (cornerbacks) and Peyton Pelluer (linebackers) both served two years in that capacity. It will be interesting to see which positions get those assistants and if they come from previous relationships the new defensive coaches had at their prior stops.

Just to recap the USC defensive staff changes this season, the Trojans brought in defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn from UCLA. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson was a huge splash coming in from the Los Angeles Rams. Entz brings head coaching experience to the linebacker room. And new defensive backs coach Doug Belk brings five years of defensive coordinator experience with him at Houston to the cornerbacks and safeties at USC.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz