USC Trojans officially announce two new staff additions

(The following is a USC press release)

LOS ANGELES–USC has announced the addition of Zaire Turner and Dre Brown to the football personnel staff, head coach Lincoln Riley announced today (Jan. 30). 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Zaire and Dre to USC,” said Riley. “They are both highly successful and impactful people who will make a big difference for Trojan Football. With these new hires, our administration continues its commitment to the growth of our program. We’re also excited to announce the promotion of three current personnel staff members because of their outstanding work. The future is bright here at USC!”

Turner will take on the role of Assistant AD of Recruiting Operations, while Brown will hold the title of Executive Director of Scouting and Personnel. 

Turner arrives at Troy from Notre Dame where she previously served as the Fighting Irish Director of Player Personnel. In 2024, she was named a 247Sports 30 Under 30 for advancing Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts. A trailblazer in the industry, she was the second-ever female to hold a Director of Player Personnel role in college football. 

During her three seasons at Notre Dame (2022-24), Turner helped construct three unanimously ranked Top 12 recruiting classes from 2023-2025. To conclude the 2024 season, the Fighting Irish advanced to the College Football Playoff championship game. 

Prior to Notre Dame, she was a part of the Virginia Tech football recruiting staff from 2018-20. 

Brown previously served as Director of Player Personnel at Illinois. He helped the Fighting Illini tie the program’s single-season wins record with 10 in 2024. Illinois was ranked by the CFP selection committee for a program-record four straight weeks, appeared in 12 AP Top 25 polls and tied the program record for ranked wins with four. 

He began as a football recruiting coordinator at Tennessee before moving on to Notre Dame, where he was hired as an offensive recruiting coordinator in 2021. Brown served as a defensive analyst in 2022 and then became a recruiting analyst focusing on high school relations in 2023. In March 2024, he was promoted to director of recruiting. 
 
From 2021-23, Brown helped Notre Dame land a Top 12 recruiting class in three straight seasons. The Irish recruited the No. 6 class in the nation in 2022 according to On3 and Rivals. 
 
As a player, Brown rushed for 902 yards and 7 TDs during his career at Illinois from 2015-19, including 584 rushing yards and 5 TDs as a senior in 2019. He was also a standout kick returner, ranking 21^st in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten in kickoff return average in 2019 (25.3) on his way to leading the Illini in all-purpose yards (1,299). 
 
Additionally, three current personnel staff have been promoted. Weston Zernechel has been elevated to Director of Recruiting, Drew Fox has been promoted to NFL Pro Liaison / High School Relations and Skylar Phan has advanced to Director of Recruiting Strategy. 
 
Turner and Brown’s hirings are contingent upon completion of a successful University background screening.