USC Football: Kiffin's 5 Biggest Challenges for Trojans in 2013

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

Whether you love him or hate him—or are somewhere in between—one thing is for certain: 2013 is a "make or break" year for USC head coach Lane Kiffin.

Coming off of the resounding disappointment of 2012, Kiffin has used up whatever goodwill he may have had, and now only a return to past glory for USC will garner a return gig for the embattled head man.

But it won't be easy.

USC is far from the dominant program that was widely considered elite in the last decade when former head coach Pete Carroll was perched atop of the college football world.

For Kiffin to return to USC in 2014, he will have had to remedy a variety of issues that many

UCLA holds off USC

Source: Orange County Register

Eric Filia's three-run double highlighted a five-run seventh inning and closer David Berg quelled a late-inning rally by USC as UCLA hung on for a 7-6 Pac-12 victory over the Trojans on Saturday at Dedeaux Field. The Bruins (36-15,19-7 Pac-12) opened...

USC Athletics All-Sports Highlight

Source: Conquest Chronicles by Paragon SC

A great video from this past seasons sports highlights.

FIGHT ON!

2011 Tax Returns show high salaries for Haden and Kiffin

Source: Conquest Chronicles by Paragon SC

In a world of coaches making big time money I am not really surprised that Lane Kiffin is reported making 2.6 million based on a report in USAToday.

Southern California athletic director Pat Haden received more than $2.2 million in compensation in the 2011 calendar year, according to the university's latest federal tax return. The total makes Haden the nation's highest paid AD.

[...]

This is the first time that Haden's compensation has appeared on USC's tax return. Haden replaced Mike Garrett as AD in August 2010. Non-profit organizations must provide calendar-year reporting of their most highly

USC errs to give UCLA victory

Source: Orange County Register

No. 8 UCLA scored the winning run on an error in the top of the ninth inning, and closer David Berg cut down USC in the bottom of the ninth as the Bruins escaped with a 2-1 Pac-12 baseball victory Friday night at Dedeaux Field. UCLA (35-15, 18-7)...

Hitting it out of the park - USC (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

John Martinez was one of the 17 USC football Student-Athlete grads Thursday at Galen Center.

Photo Gallery: McGillen's Greatest Hits

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

Graduation Day is bittersweet for those of us that get to know the students and student-athletes over their four years.  John McGillen has been an invaluable member of the Rips It team since signing on as a sophomore photography student.

His work has grown immeasurably, and the good news is that he will continue to contribute to the athletic department as a professional photographer.  But to celebrate his final day of amateurism and to give thanks for all the hard work, here are his favorite 20 shots from his time as a USC student.

Mailbag: Colorado blues

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Another healthy mailbag. Settle in. As always, follow the Pac-12 blog on Twitter. To the notes! Ex-Buff fan in Pac-12 dungeon writes: I am so sick of Colorado being the loser on the block. We were two points away from having ZERO wins last year. I was pumped about our new coach until I hear that he can't even hang on to the few good players we have. Not to mention we have? you guessed it ZERO quality recruits for 2014. Give it to me straight doc: how bad will this year be in terms of win total?

Most important player: WSU Cougars

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. That's the basis of our Most Important Player series. First off, quarterbacks are excluded to make things more interesting. It goes without saying, for example, that Oregon's Marcus Mariota is the Ducks' most important player. And most important doesn't necessarily have to be "best." An All-American's backup can be pretty darn good, too. Our most important guys are players who could swing a win total one way or the other, based on their living up to expectations.

Baseball Closes the Calendar

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

The 2012-13 USC athletics calendar will come to a close this weekend as baseball hosts UCLA for a three-game series.  Several Trojan teams are still alive for Pac-12 and NCAA Championships, but this is the final home event for the school year.

Click here for the series preview.

No official date yet on when the 2013-14 athletics calendar will kickoff, but usually, we can count on women's soccer and women's volleyball to drop the curtain in mid-August before football starts its season in Hawaii (August 29) and then at the Coliseum vs. Washington State (September 7).

Come enjoy a final night at the

Trojans Leading Walk to Africa

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

Lane Kiffin and his family will lead a group of USC football players in support of the 5th annual "Walk to Africa" event this Saturday in Santa Monica.  The organization raises money to send doctors and volunteers on short term medical relief trips, build schools, clean water projects and restore thousands of lives.

Click here for more.

The Trojans will lead walk participants in a warmup at the starting line and spend the morning meeting and greeting the fans who came out for this great cause.

Kiffin encourages his players to be leaders in the community as well as on the field.

Lunch links: Cal's greatest RB?

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Happy Friday. As noted yesterday, Arizona's Jake Fischer was named to the Lott IMPACT watch list. Here's some more on the linebacker. A spring exit interview with ASU defensive line coach Jackie Shipp. In honor of the passing of Chuck Muncie, the San Jose Mercury News asks who is Cal's greatest running back? Details of the Webb-Lewis case continue to emerge. Chip Kelly bringing a "spark" to the Eagles. Oregon State loses a defensive tackle to a medical retirement.

Academic All-District Trio

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

The aquatic trio of men's water polo senior Matt Burton, senior swimmer Alex Lendrum and women's water polo junior Flora Bolonyai were named to CoSIDA's Capital One Academic All-District 8 at-large team.

Click here for the full story.

Lendrum, graduating today at USC, boasts a 3.76 GPA in bio-chemistry while Burton has a 3.69 as he pursues as master's degree in communication management. Bolonyai has a 3.39 GPA in economics and mathematics.

All three are now in the running for Academic All-American distinction.

While Burton won another national championship in the fall, Bolonyai took home her first

Fight On for Ol' SC

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

From all of us here at the USC Athletic Department, a big thank you, good luck and Fight On to Andie Hagemann who is graduating today.  Here is her farewell column:

Written by Andie Hagemann, USC blog contributor

Over the past year, I have contributed to the Rips It Blog. Among my duties, I was fortunate enough to interview dozens of student-athletes, coaches, and alumni. After telling the remarkable stories of my fellow Trojans, I thought I would share one last story about another extraordinary Trojan.

Since I was four years old, I knew I wanted to attend USC. Though in preschool and without any conception of what college truly was, I had the strong desire to be a Trojan. This

Slammin' Sammy

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

USC men's golf senior Sam Smith fired a loud opening salvo at the NCAA Regionals by shooting 62 to tie the school record en route to the first round lead.  The Trojans are in fourth place as a team, seven strokes off the lead after day one of three.

Click here for the complete recap.

Smith's round featured eight birdies, an eagle and no bogeys.  He tied the school record twice set by former All-American Rory Hie in 2008.

The Trojans need to finish in the top five as a team to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Ranking the TE, LB and OLB 2014 prospects

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Continuing with his look at the top prospects for the 2014 draft by position, ESPN's Mel Kiper ranked the tight ends , outside linebackers and inside linebackers . The Pac-12 is well-represented at all three position groups. Three of the top five tight ends are from the Pac-12, headlined by Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins at No. 1. Oregon's Colt Lyerla is No. 2 on the list followed by USC's Xavier Grimble at No. 5. Kiper on Seferian-Jenkins: This is the definition of a matchup problem: a tight end with the size (6-foot-6, 265 pounds) to block and the hands and athleticism to be split out, where he can overwhelm smaller corners.

Video: Pac-12 official visit

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Erik McKinney and Phil Murphy preview today’s Elite 11 camp in San Francisco by discussing a few quarterbacks they’re looking forward to seeing. They also take a look at Sunday’s Nike Football Training Camp that is also in San Francisco.

USC Football Recruiting: Profiling the 2014 Defensive Line Offers (Part 1)

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

After last year's mass defection of defensive line prospects when it came time to sign their letters of intent for USC, the coaching staff has made that unit a primary focus for this year's effort in recruiting.

To that end, recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron and his department have extended scholarship offers to 13 prospects according to Scout.com, including 10 defensive ends that fit into defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast's 5-2 scheme as hybrid linebackers.

This slide show will look at some of these high-profile recruits as USC attempts to re-stock a unit in desperate need of replenishing.

It is also worth noting that Orgeron

No Drama at USC This Year? That's Up to Lane Kiffin

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

Lane Kiffin has thought about being a high school football coach. He wasn't serious about that career path, according to the Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo: 

I wonder if there's something to that peace of mind. Maybe it's something I can go back and do when I get older. I'm going to go coach high school.

It's just the game. It's the game in its realest sense and it's fun. Working with the kids and not all this other stuff. You go back and have fun.

College coaching is a grueling job. That's why the best coaches

USC Football Recruiting: Breaking Down 2014 Offers by the Numbers

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

As the USC recruiting department attempts to craft the 2014 class, it is illustrative to see where the coaches themselves feel the Trojans need help going forward next year and beyond.

At least early on, there are specific units that are being targeted for re-stocking and in looking at the 2013 roster; it is easy to see how graduation and reduced numbers to start with are mandating increased attention in these areas.

Obvious units of need—such as defensive line—are receiving increased attention while others, well, not so much.

In looking at a list of offers to 4- and 5-star recruits (as supplied by Scout.com) the efforts of the

Video: One good thing -- Washington

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

The Huskies have good experience and depth across the offensive line.

USC sports figures are highly compensated

Source: LA Times

In 2011, Pat Haden earned $2.2 million, Lane Kiffin $2.6 million and Monte Kiffin $1.8 million.

Pat Haden took on a challenging job when he was hired to oversee a USC athletic program that had been hit hard with NCAA sanctions.

Rowing Pursuing Pac-12

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

No. 1 USC women's rowing is headed up to Lake Natoma (Gold River, CA) this Sunday for the Pac-12 Championships after an undefeated regular season.

Here is a Pac-12.com preview with coxswain Jennah Blau:

Poll: Pac-12's best front seven?

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

The recent selections of Will Sutton, Shayne Skov, Anthony Barr and Devon Kennard in our "Most Important Player" series has given rise to a very interesting question posed to me in the mailbag. As always, mailbags come out Friday afternoons, but Jerry in San Jose offered this: Kevin, we know Stanford has the best front seven in the league. Which team has the next best? I won't be answering this question in tomorrow's mailbag for a very simple reason.

ASU commit on USC's radar - USC [$$] (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

Most important player: Washington Huskies

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. That's the basis of our Most Important Player series. First off, quarterbacks are excluded to make things more interesting. It goes without saying, for example, that Oregon's Marcus Mariota is the Ducks' most important player. And most important doesn't necessarily have to be "best." An All-American's backup can be pretty darn good, too. Our most important guys are players who could swing a win total one way or the other, based on their living up to expectations.

2013 Student-Athlete Graduation

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

The annual USC Student-Athlete Graduation Ceremony is today at 2 p.m. PT inside Galen Center.  You can watch the event live below!

Football linebacker Frankie Telfort, who was forced to give up the game due to a heart ailment, and sand volleyball's Erin Kaupp, who battled cancer, are the featured student-athlete speakers.  Also, the Legend of Troy awards will be given to Gayle and Ed Roski as well as Director of Track and Field Ron Allice.

Lott IMPACT watch list announced

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

The Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for 2013 has been announced and the Pac-12 is well-represented. Of the 42 players on the watch list, 11 hail from the Pac-12 with a wide range of players from all levels of defense. The award, named in honor of USC and San Francisco 49ers great Ronnie Lott, goes to the country's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year (IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) and, per its website "is unique because it represents the first trophy to give equal weight to personal character as well as athletic performance from a defensive college player and is the first national college football award based on the West Coast.

Lunch links: Who replaces John White?

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

I just want to tell you both good luck. We're all counting on you. BYU's offensive coordinator gets a strong endorsement from Rich Rodriguez. Arizona State is still fighting to get the Notre Dame game in Tempe. Brady Hoke rumored to arbitrate. Cal hired a new strength and conditioning coach. Colorado's defensive linemen are trimming up. Five of the most influential Oregon plays of the past 10 seasons. The Oregon State spring tour continues with USC.

The Scholar-Athlete Ideal

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

At this afternoon's Student-Athlete Graduation, USC and faculty representative Clare Pastore will be presented with a commemorative plaque and $5,000 by the National Football Foundation for promoting the scholar-athlete ideal as exemplified by NFF National Scholar-Athlete Matt Barkley.

Click the link for the complete release: USC NFF Fidelity Plaque and Check Release Release FINAL.pdf

"Clare Pastore has been a critical liaison between academics and athletics at USC," said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. "We are proud to join with Fidelity Investments in highlighting her role in

Kennard Draws First Watch

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

Watch list season has officially begun. USC senior OLB Devon Kennard is one of 42 defensive players that the Lott IMPACT Trophy has on its radar for the award given to the player that effects his team the most on and off the field.

Click here for the Lott website.

The award is of course named for legendary Trojan safety Ronnie Lott, but no USC player has won it since its inception in 2004.

Kennard is returning from a torn pec which cost him the 2012 season.

USC Football Recruiting: Profiling the 2014 Defensive Line Offers (Part 1)

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

After last year's mass defection of defensive line prospects when it came time to sign their letters of intent for USC, the coaching staff has made that unit a primary focus for this year's effort in recruiting.

To that end, recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron and his department have extended scholarship offers to 13 prospects according to Scout.com, including 10 defensive ends that fit into defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast's 5-2 scheme as hybrid linebackers.

This slide show will look at some of these high-profile recruits as USC attempts to re-stock a unit in desperate need of replenishing.

It is also worth noting that Orgeron

Kiper, Haney talk QBs and CBs

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Continuing to look ahead to the top prospects of the 2014 draft, Mel Kiper looks at the top quarterback and cornerback prospects. Unlike yesterday's post, which enjoyed a wealth of Pac-12 players on the running backs and safeties list, there is only one name each for the QBs and CBs. Both are from Oregon. Starting off with the slingers, Kiper has Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota currently tabbed as the No. 4 prospect . Here's Kiper's take: You watch the Oregon offense and you're not just seeing Mariota play pitch and catch on short routes, or simply flinging it across the line of scrimmage as the Ducks stretch out tired defenses and force them to tackle.

Video: One Good Thing -- Washington St.

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

The Washington State wide receiving corps had a very strong spring.

Old Faces in New Places

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

The latest USC alums to enter the NFL got a chance to don their new practice uniforms at rookie camp.  For those of us accustomed to seeing them in the Cardinal and Gold, the new colors and logos are a bit jarring.

Click here to see a Madden simulation of Matt Barkley in Philly green.

Here are Khaled Holmes (Colts), Curtis McNeal (Steelers) and Robert Woods (Bills)...

Banner Bearing Down

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

USC RT Zach Banner played both football and basketball as a freshman, but the 6-foot-9, 335 pound athlete has decided to focus solely on football going forward, he announced via his Instagram account.  Banner redshirted on the gridiron, so he still has four years of eligibility remaining.

Most important player: Utah Utes

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. That's the basis of our Most Important Player series. First off, quarterbacks are excluded to make things more interesting. It goes without saying, for example, that Oregon's Marcus Mariota is the Ducks' most important player. And most important doesn't necessarily have to be "best." An All-American's backup can be pretty darn good, too. Our most important guys are players who could swing a win total one way or the other, based on their living up to expectations.

UW secondary looking to build off of 2012

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

Unlike last year, there aren't nearly as many questions surrounding the Washington defense as the Huskies head into the final stretch before fall camp. Last year a new scheme and new coaches were being installed, headlined by new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. The Huskies' defense was abysmal in 2011 -- so head coach Steve Sarkisian blew it up and started from scratch. Now the Huskies are looking to build off of the momentum they gained in 2012 when they made huge strides in one year under Wilcox & Co.

Sabrina Leads Sweep

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

No. 5 USC women's tennis won the Pac-12 title outright this season, and now the Women of Troy have the conference hardware to show for it led by sophomore Sabrina Santamaria who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.  Santamaria added Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year with partner Kaitlyn Christian, and Richard Gallien was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

Click here for the complete release.

The sizzling Santamaria has won 21 consecutive singles matches heading into the NCAA Sweet 16 this week, and she was undefeated in dual match play, including 9-0 in the Pac-12.  Alongside Christian, Santamaria is a perfect 32-0 this

Podcast and academic football powers

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

On this week's ESPNU College Football podcast, Ivan Maisel chats about the latest College Football Hall of Fame class, among other topics. He's joined by former Arizona great Tedy Bruschi -- one of the 12 newest members of the Hall. Bruschi talks about his time with the Wildcats and his thoughts on the current state of Arizona football. I went to the University of Arizona and I knew there were better facilities at UCLA and USC and all those other places.

Not Sports, But Still Cool

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

Musical luminaries Andre Young (a.k.a. Dr. Dre) and Jimmy Iovine have pledged $70 million to start a new academy at USC to help launch the careers of Trojans into all facets of the music industry.  The USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation will be a four-year elite undergraduate program focusing on entrepreneurship and bridge entertainment, engineering, computer science, fine arts, graphic design, business and leadership training.

Click here for the full story in the LA Times.

Iovine, the co-founder of Interscope records and Beats By Dr.

Lunch links: 2013 all-league teams?

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

The name's Dangerously. Johnny Dangerously. Did you know your last name is an adverb? Can Rich Rodriguez lead Arizona to a major bowl game in five years? One writer says yes. (But no to Washington and California). A post-spring exit interview with ASU linebackers coach Paul Randolph. Sad news for the Cal family with the passing of Chuck Muncie. Mike MacIntyre is waiting for all the facts before passing judgment on Jordan Webb. An analysis of Oregon's special teams.

No Drama at USC This Year? That's Up to Lane Kiffin

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

Lane Kiffin has thought about being a high school football coach. He wasn't serious about that career path, according to the Associated Press' Ralph D. Russo: 

I wonder if there's something to that peace of mind. Maybe it's something I can go back and do when I get older. I'm going to go coach high school.

It's just the game. It's the game in its realest sense and it's fun. Working with the kids and not all this other stuff. You go back and have fun.

College coaching is a grueling job. That's why the best coaches

Pac-12 boasts top RBs, safeties

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

It's a Pac back attack! Continuing with his look at the best NFL prospects by position in 2014, ESPN's Mel Kiper projects that four of the top 10 running backs hail from the Pac-12. Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas is No. 1, which is understandable, but also a little bit surprising simply because he doesn't fit into any one category. I could see traditionalists arguing this point. But Kiper strongly supports his claim. Kiper on Thomas: Is he a running back?

Recruiting notebook - Texas A&M (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

Indianapolis WR Dominique Booth is on Texas A&M's radar, but he's not the only big name wideout looking at the Aggies.

Video: UCLA's Jim Mora

Source: Pac-12 Football Blog

UCLA coach Jim Mora talks about Brett Hundley's progress, holes at running back and the secondary and his thoughts on the College Football Playoff.

Dr. Dre, Iovine give $70 mil for new academy

Source: Daily Trojan by Rachel Bracker

A new type of undergraduate experience will be added to the university as music icons Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are together giving $70 million to establish the Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation, according to a statement made by the university. Longtime friends Dre, born Andre [...]

WeAreSC: Austin Maloata interview

Source: ESPN YouTube

Erik McKinney interviews new USC commit Austin Maloata of Centennial (Corona, Calif.). Maloata moved to the U.S. in March and committed to the Trojans at the beginning of May.

All eyes on Plattenburg - USC [$$] (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

The Wizard of Water Polo

Source: The Ripsit Blog by Jordan Moore

With his 12th national championship, Jovan Vavic is quickly cementing his spot in the pantheon of USC's greatest coaches of all-time.  The head coach of men's and women's water polo is now tied with Dean Cromwell for the most national team titles in Trojan history.

The USC list is as follows: Vavic (12), Cromwell (12), Rod Dedeaux (11), George Toley (10) and Peter Daland (9).

And while the future holds unlimited variables, Vavic's teams are well positioned to keep the dynasty rolling.  Recently crowned women's water polo returns its entire All-MPSF core next season, while the men's team is built around four returning All-MPSF First Team talents.