USC Football: 3 early storylines heading into 2020 season

3. Will the new defensive staff fix the defensive woes?

USC has not fielded an elite defensive unit in quite some time.

During Clancy Pendergast’s tenure, USC fans became used to a defense that was not very good at tackling and struggled rushing the pass rusher. The Trojans ranked 78th in total defense last season and are bringing in Todd Orlando to help fix the defense. While he was successful as the defensive coordinator at Houston, he struggled at Texas to consistently yield a good unit.

The big prize in my opinion was getting Donte Williams to come over from Oregon and be the defensive backs coach. He is regarded as one of the top recruiters in the entire country and will look to make an impact both on the field as a coach and on the recruiting trail, which was an area that USC shockingly struggled in last year, bringing in one of the worst classes in the Pac-12. That should never ever happen at USC and is one of the reasons that Clay Helton is back on the hot seat.

If the defense can get back to a higher level of play, USC could be dangerous, especially if the offense lives up to the potential it has.