After a major coaching shakeup at USC, losing coaches like DC D’Anton Lynn, Lincoln Riley’s team is finally gaining momentum. As they prepare for the upcoming season, Riley made two major coaching additions to the team.

Lincoln Riley has been under tremendous pressure as the USC head coach due to persistent defensive issues. But he’s been sorting things out, having hired ST assistant Noah Knoell. Riley is banking on the established chemistry between Ekeler and Knoell, who worked together at Nebraska, to immediately overhaul a special teams unit that has been a persistent weakness for the Trojans.

Ekeler’s units were consistently among the nation’s elite, with his Nebraska special teams ranking 12th in kick return defense. Riley is betting that this discipline will be a game-changer for a USC squad that has often been let down by special teams miscues.

Ekeler’s Tennessee units looked quite dangerous, especially in the return game, where they finished either in the first or second position in the SEC in punt return average over the four seasons he held the coaching role.

They also averaged more than 15 yards per punt return in both 2022 and 2024, with the Volunteers leading the nation in yards per return. Ekeler and Knoell will now work closely with kicker Ryon Sayeri, alongside transfer punter Lachlan Carrigan and long snapper Dylan Black, to replicate the same level of success or maybe get even better.

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Before the recent additions, Riley also promoted from within to shore up the defensive line. Former analyst Skyler Jones was promoted to defensive tackles coach for the 2026 season. This move comes after Eric Henderson moved from USC to join the Washington Commanders’ coaching staff. Now, Jones’s presence brings familiarity, as he spent two seasons at USC.

Jones served as a defensive analyst at Oregon in 2023, and before that, he was a defensive line coach at the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. This way, the team also gets an NFL-level coach. What works in their favor is his relationship with the players.

Jones already has strong ties with defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, as both share Louisiana roots. Now, with that experience, he is all set to replace Henderson. Besides the major coaching additions, Lincoln Riley also received a huge update before the 2026 season.

Lincoln Riley gets major news

While external pressure to deliver a playoff berth is mounting, Riley appears to have the full backing of the university, which has provided him with significant resources to succeed. Besides bringing in-state players to the program, Riley’s 2026 class is a major success with elite players like freshman DL Jakeen Stewart and wide receiver Tanook Hines.

Riley filled the wide receiver group with Trent Mosley and Ethan Feaster to make an early impact. The other factor that works in Lincoln Riley’s favor is getting Gary Patterson as their defensive coordinator. He boasts 21 seasons of coaching experience and a defensive resume that has five No. 1 total defenses at TCU, and his talent will push USC’s fate.

Despite that promise of success and entering the 2026 season with the No. 1 recruiting class, analyst JD PicKell didn’t place USC among the top 10 programs over the next three years.

“To define what we’re looking at here in this list…one is stability,” PicKell said. “Is your head coach who’s there right now going to be there over the course of the next three years? Is your roster in a good place stability-wise?”

While Riley has aggressively retooled his coaching staff and continues to stack talent, the pressure is mounting. With analysts still skeptical and the clock ticking on his tenure, these moves are a clear signal that for USC, the time to win is now.