Stature and coaches, 1936–2026
The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.
Run↔pass identity, by season
Every coach
Big movers show how many stature points they built or lost against what they inherited; steadier tenures show the tier they reached instead. A small blue arrow marks a real System Shift at that changeover — how hard the offense’s run/pass identity flipped.
10th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Donte Williams (2021).
| Season | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||
| Record | 11-3 | 8-5 | 7-6 | 9-4 | 7-2 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | |
| Recruiting rank | #70 | #8 | #17 | #14 | #1 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||
| Pass rate | 52.1 | 56.0 | 59.8 | 49.8 | 51.1 | |
| Coordinators | ||||||
| OC | Josh Henson | Josh Henson | Josh Henson | Luke Huard | Luke Huard | |
| DC | Alex Grinch | Alex Grinch / Brian Odom / Shaun Nua | D'Anton Lynn / Eric Henderson | D'Anton Lynn / Eric Henderson | Gary Patterson | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||
| Offense | 99 | 97 | 71 | 91 | 89 | |
| Defense | 0 | 10 | 40 | 33 | 31 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||
| 1st-down pass% | 48.9 | 51.6 | 52.5 | 43.9 | 44.5 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 48.3 | 44.1 | 53.0 | 42.3 | 46.7 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 39.5 | 36.7 | 31.1 | 45.5 | 42.9 | |
Outperforms his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
A typical amount of portal roster-building.
Typical size for position, once adjusted for position mix.
Recruits older, more experienced transfers than most.
17 NFL Draft picks: Jordan Addison (2023), Tuli Tuipulotu (2023), Mekhi Blackmon (2023), Andrew Vorhees (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), Calen Bullock (2024), MarShawn Lloyd (2024), Jarrett Kingston (2024) + 9 more
7 player-seasons honored (All-America / national award): Caleb Williams (2022), Tuli Tuipulotu (2022), Andrew Vorhees (2022), Zachariah Branch (2023), Eddie Czaplicki (2024), Bishop Fitzgerald (2025), Makai Lemon (2025)
AI Narratives — “USC's Offseason Rebuild” and 3 more on the team page.
6th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Steve Sarkisian (2014–2015) · succeeded by Donte Williams (2021).
| Season | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||
| Record | 1-0 | 5-4 | 10-3 | 11-3 | 5-7 | 8-5 | 5-1 | 1-1 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | L bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | #2 | #10 | #4 | #4 | #20 | #55 | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||
| Pass rate | — | 46.8 | 47.8 | 47.5 | 50.4 | 56.8 | 58.8 | — | |
| Coordinators | |||||||||
| OC | — | Clay Helton / Tee Martin | Tee Martin | Tee Martin | Tee Martin | Graham Harrell | Graham Harrell | — | |
| DC | — | Justin Wilcox | Clancy Pendergast | Clancy Pendergast | Clancy Pendergast | Clancy Pendergast | Todd Orlando | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||
| Offense | — | 72 | 87 | 79 | 46 | 84 | 48 | — | |
| Defense | — | 65 | 59 | 57 | 51 | 18 | 59 | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | 45.6 | 44.6 | 40.0 | 42.4 | 57.2 | 59.9 | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | 38.8 | 48.1 | 36.8 | 52.6 | 57.0 | 50.0 | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | 50.0 | 21.6 | 39.1 | 32.5 | 20.0 | 50.0 | — | |
Performs about as expected for his recruiting talent on offense and underperforms his recruiting talent on defense.
24 NFL Draft picks: Su'a Cravens (2016), Max Tuerk (2016), Cody Kessler (2016), Kevon Seymour (2016), Adoree' Jackson (2017), JuJu Smith-Schuster (2017), Zach Banner (2017), Leon McQuay III (2017) + 16 more
1 player-season honored (All-America / national award): Talanoa Hufanga (2020)
4th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Pete Carroll (2001–2009) · succeeded by Ed Orgeron (2013).
| Season | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 8-5 | 10-2 | 7-6 | 3-2 | |
| Postseason | — | — | L bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | #3 | #3 | #8 | #13 | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | 48.7 | 53.3 | 54.0 | 42.1 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | 59 | 87 | 19 | 83 | |
| Defense | 18 | 30 | 54 | 97 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | 50.7 | 55.6 | 53.5 | 36.4 | |
| Red-zone pass% | 50.8 | 50.4 | 48.4 | 34.6 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | 48.8 | 27.0 | 45.5 | 19.6 | |
19 NFL Draft picks: Tyron Smith (2011), Jurrell Casey (2011), Shareece Wright (2011), Jordan Cameron (2011), Ronald Johnson (2011), Allen Bradford (2011), Stanley Havili (2011), David Ausberry (2011) + 11 more
1st-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Paul Hackett (1998–2000) · succeeded by Lane Kiffin (2010–2013).
| Season | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||||||||
| Record | 6-6 | 11-2 | 12-1 | 13-0 | 12-1 | 11-2 | 11-2 | 12-1 | 9-4 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | #2 | #1 | #1 | #2 | #4 | #2 | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | 46.5 | 48.0 | 51.8 | 47.1 | 43.5 | 46.4 | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | 79 | 100 | 85 | 86 | 97 | 76 | |
| Defense | — | — | — | 86 | 16 | 74 | 98 | 99 | 36 | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | 50.3 | 57.5 | 61.2 | 49.1 | 53.1 | 45.7 | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | 43.4 | 45.3 | 58.7 | 51.3 | 51.3 | 43.0 | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | 34.4 | 55.2 | 52.1 | 33.3 | 32.4 | 27.0 | |
60 NFL Draft picks: Kris Richard (2002), Chris Cash (2002), Carson Palmer (2003), Troy Polamalu (2003), Justin Fargas (2003), Kareem Kelly (2003), Malaefou MacKenzie (2003), Kenechi Udeze (2004) + 52 more
9th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed John Robinson (1993–1997) · succeeded by Pete Carroll (2001–2009).
| Season | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | ||||
| Record | 8-5 | 6-6 | 5-7 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | ||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | ||||
| Offense | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | ||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | |
13 NFL Draft picks: Chris Claiborne (1999), Daylon McCutcheon (1999), Larry Parker (1999), Rashard Cook (1999), Billy Miller (1999), R. Jay Soward (2000), Travis Claridge (2000), Windrell Hayes (2000) + 5 more
3rd-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed John McKay (1960–1975) · succeeded by Ted Tollner (1983–1986) · returned in 1993, succeeding Larry Smith (1987–1992) · succeeded by Paul Hackett (1998–2000).
| Season | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||||||
| Record | 11-1 | 8-4 | 12-1 | 11-0-1 | 8-2-1 | 9-3 | 8-3 | 8-5 | 8-3-1 | 9-2-1 | 6-6 | 6-5 | |
| Postseason | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | — | L bowl | — | W bowl | W bowl | W bowl | — | — | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
64 NFL Draft picks: Ricky Bell (1977), Marvin Powell (1977), Gary Jeter (1977), Dave Lewis (1977), Shelton Diggs (1977), Donnie Hickman (1977), Vince Evans (1977), Mike Burns (1977) + 56 more
7th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Ted Tollner (1983–1986) · succeeded by John Robinson (1993–1997).
| Season | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||
| Record | 8-4 | 10-2 | 9-2-1 | 8-4-1 | 3-8 | 6-5-1 | |
| Postseason | L bowl | L bowl | W bowl | L bowl | — | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
20 NFL Draft picks: Erik Affholter (1989), Rodney Peete (1989), Chris Hale (1989), Junior Seau (1990), Mark Carrier (1990), Dan Owens (1990), Tim Ryan (1990), Bill Schultz (1990) + 12 more
5th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed John Robinson (1976–1982) · succeeded by Larry Smith (1987–1992).
| Season | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||
| Record | 4-6-1 | 9-3 | 6-6 | 7-5 | |
| Postseason | — | W bowl | L bowl | L bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | |
14 NFL Draft picks: Keith Browner (1984), Fred Cornwell (1984), Tony Slaton (1984), Duane Bickett (1985), Ken Ruettgers (1985), Jack Del Rio (1985), Brian Luft (1985), James Fitzpatrick (1986) + 6 more
2nd-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Don Clark (1957–1959) · succeeded by John Robinson (1976–1982).
| Season | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record & result | |||||||||||||||||
| Record | 4-6 | 4-5-1 | 11-0 | 7-3 | 7-3 | 7-2-1 | 7-4 | 10-1 | 9-1-1 | 10-0-1 | 6-4-1 | 6-4-1 | 12-0 | 9-2-1 | 10-1-1 | 8-4 | |
| Postseason | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W bowl | L bowl | W bowl | W bowl | |
| Recruiting rank | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Style — pass rate | |||||||||||||||||
| Pass rate | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Outcome — opponent-adjusted efficiency percentile | |||||||||||||||||
| Offense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Defense | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Tendencies — play-by-play, neutral script | |||||||||||||||||
| 1st-down pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Red-zone pass% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th-down go%opp. territory | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
13th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Jess Hill (1951–1956) · succeeded by John McKay (1960–1975).
12th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Jeff Cravath (1942–1950) · succeeded by Don Clark (1957–1959).
11th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Followed Sam Barry (1941) · succeeded by Jess Hill (1951–1956).
8th-best USC tenure of 13 by the numbers.
Succeeded by Sam Barry (1941).