Andy Enfield’s effect on USC’s future recruiting classes must be addressed by new coach, incoming staff

Roster construction is task No. 1 for the incoming coach. It’s also why Jen Cohen must move quickly to hire the new coach.

Andy Enfield has left the USC Trojan hoops program to join the SMU Mustangs in Dallas. The Trojans were a dismal 15-18 this season with two top-25 recruits in National Gatorade Player of The Year Isaiah Collier and Bronny James. The Trojans’ sub-.500 season ended a run of four consecutive years winning more than 20 games.

Enfield is known as an elite recruiter. He had a top-10 class in 2023 with the prospects mentioned above. The 2024 cycle was no different with a class led by Trent Perry, Liam Campbell and Brady Kozlowski.

Andy Enfield spent 10 seasons at USC after a two-year run at Florida Gulf Coast, also known as “Dunk City.” He came to USC in 2013 after FGCU made a run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

In his overall tenure the Trojans made the tournament in five of his 11 seasons, and USC would have made the tournament in 2020 as well had the event not been canceled by the pandemic. The Trojans were 220-147 in his tenure with seven 20-win seasons.

The 54-year-old coach began his career as an assistant with the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. He was also an assistant coach at Florida State for five seasons from 2006-11, a time when the Seminoles made the NCAA Tournament three years in a row.

“I am so excited to join the SMU family,” Enfield said in a statement. ”It is an incredible time for the university as we enter the ACC. The investments SMU has made in athletics, the support and alignment from leadership … as well as the passion of the SMU fan base and community made this an incredibly attractive opportunity. We will make Mustang fans and the city of Dallas proud and cannot wait to get started.”

How well the incoming coach can retain talent is a big question. Replacing departures with transfer portal prospects figures to be both significant and necessary for USC.

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