USC hires Clay McGuire as offensive line coach

USC has discovered a brand new offensive line coach who shouldn’t have any challenge becoming in with its Air Raid offense.

Texas State offensive line coach Clay McGuire, who spent a decade on two completely different staffs beneath Air Raid aficionado Mike Leach, has been employed to steer the Trojans’ offensive line, reiterating USC’s dedication to a system of offense that usually has been criticized over the past two seasons.

USC has actually discovered a disciple of that system in McGuire. The offensive line coach performed for Leach as an H-back from 2000-04 earlier than spending 4 seasons on Leach’s employees at Texas Tech whereas USC’s present offensive coordinator, Graham Harrell, set information because the Crimson Raiders’ quarterback.

When Harrell joined Washington State’s employees for 2 seasons as outdoors receivers coach beneath Leach, McGuire was the offensive line coach. He served in that place for six seasons, all of which completed with Washington State’s offense rating within the high three nationally in passing yards.

That familiarity with the Air Raid offense — and the coordinator of that offense —- was clearly on the forefront of USC’s search to exchange Tim Drevno, who spent the earlier three seasons teaching the Trojans’ offensive line. Drevno was not retained largely due to his imperfect match within the Air Raid after a profession spent teaching in largely pro-style schemes.

Nonetheless, Drevno managed to develop a first-round draft decide in offensive sort out Austin Jackson in 2020 and one other possible destined for the primary spherical of the 2021 draft in Alijah Vera-Tucker. At Washington State, McGuire usually had much less expertise to work with however nonetheless produced a two-time All-American in Cody O’Connell in 2016 and 2017, in addition to a 2019 first-round draft decide in left sort out Andre Dillard.

McGuire briefly returned to Texas Tech as operating backs coach in 2018, the place he presided over a run recreation that ranked 109th within the nation. It was not instantly clear Tuesday if McGuire would even be chargeable for coordinating the Trojans’ run recreation, which was beforehand Drevno’s accountability.

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USC struggled mightily in that regard final season, dashing for a paltry 97 yards per recreation throughout a shortened, six-game season. Texas State, the place McGuire spent the final two seasons, wasn’t a lot better at simply 131 yards per recreation.

“Coach Drev is a good man, and his intensive expertise within the NFL and his information is undoubtable,” operating backs coach Mike Jinks mentioned final week. “However on the finish of the day, it’s being in there with somebody who’s acquired expertise with what we wish to do from a schematic standpoint that’s the mesh we’re making an attempt to get proper now.”

USC is hoping that mesh will enhance beneath McGuire to unlock an offense that had its share of points up entrance. These questions aren’t anticipated to go away with a brand new coach, because the Trojans will probably be tasked with filling the void left by Vera-Tucker at left sort out, with no apparent alternative.

After one other season of employees upheaval, McGuire’s rent will spherical out a USC employees that changed two assistants from its 2020 employees. USC not too long ago employed Notre Dame’s Robert Stiner to steer its power and conditioning program after the contract of Aaron Ausmus was not renewed.

This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.