Tag: Anthony Jones Jr.

USC lands running back transfer commit from New Mexico

USC gets its transfer running back, and this time, it is not from the SEC.

With Woody Marks off to the NFL and Quinten Joyner in the transfer portal, USC was in desperate need of depth at the running back position. On Wednesday, the Trojans got just that. Wednesday morning, former New Mexico running back Eli Sanders announced his commitment to USC. Sanders will have one season of eligibility left with the Trojans.

After starting his career at Iowa State, Sanders transferred to New Mexico ahead of this season. In his lone year with the Lobos, he rushed for 1,063 yards and nine touchdowns.

Riley has had success with transfer running backs at USC. The likes of Travis Dye, Austin Jones, Marshawn Lloyd, and Marks have all thrived in Riley’s offense.

Now, Sanders will look to be next in line. USC’s track record at this particular position has been very solid. If there is one position on the roster fans should not be overly concerned about, it’s running back.

Highly-touted transfer running back cancels USC visit

USC has been good about finding transfer portal running backs, but one candidate withdrew from consideration.

With Woody Marks off to the NFL and Quinten Joyner in the transfer portal, USC football has a significant need at the running back position.

One transfer option that the Trojans were pursuing to fill their hole at running back was Washington State’s Wayshawn Parker. After entering the portal, Parker scheduled visits to four schools, including USC.

However, according to 247 Sports, Parker has decided on Monday to cancel his visits to both the Trojans and UCLA. Instead, he will now only visit Utah and Arizona.

Parker was one of the top freshmen backs in the country with Washington State this season. He carried the ball 137 times for 735 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, he caught 11 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

With Parker no longer an option, USC will need to look elsewhere to fill its running back need. The Trojans have been good about finding quality running backs in the transfer portal. Now that search will take a little longer.

USC football gets commitment from 2024 Texas running back

USC added a running back to a future class, creating needed depth.

Riley Wormley is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound running back from Southlake Carroll High School in Texas. He committed to USC football over the weekend. He held scholarship offers from over 20 schools, including Texas, Purdue, Oregon, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Baylor, SMU, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Ole Miss, and TCU. It was at TCU where Wormley had established a relationship with Anthony Jones. Jones was hired by Lincoln Riley as USC’s new running back coach when Kiel McDonald left for the Los Angeles Chargers job.

“Me and him are pretty close,” Wormley shared with 247Sports. “He was a real good mentor and someone I knew. I’ve been going to TCU camps for a long time and I’ve learned from him there. Going out to California and seeing what they had to offer, it was just something I couldn’t pass up on.”

Among the recent commitments to the Trojans’ 2025 recruiting class, Wormley is the seventh player overall and only the second player committed to the offensive side of the ball. Wormley joins quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, who committed in August of 2023. Lewis made an unofficial visit to USC this weekend.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

2025 running back gets USC football offer from Anthony Jones Jr.

Anthony Jones Jr. offered his first running back as USC’s new running back coach. Let’s see what happens here.

Newly-hired USC Trojans running back coach Anthony Jones Jr. has made his first offer in his new position. That offer went to Murfeesboro, Tennessee, native Daune Morris from Oakland High School.

The 2025 running back originally is from Chattanooga, where Jones got his start with the Mocs at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (UTC).

Morris is a 5-9, 190-pound tailback. He is on his third high school in three years but has been productive throughout his career. Morris had a monster season as a junior, rushing for 1,913 yards with 28 TDs on a 9.8 yards per carry average. He also caught 46 passed for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

USC joins an offer list that includes Auburn, Missouri, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Tennessee,  and Wake Forest among many others.

Morris is rated the No. 428 overall prospect and the No. 23 athlete, according to the 247Sports Composite. He is the No. 63 athlete in the 247Sports rankings as he also plays safety. We will see if Anthony Jones Jr. can win this first recruitment at USC.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

USC football hires TCU’s Anthony Jones as new running back coach

USC fills the vacancy left by Kiel McDonald’s departure to the Chargers.

The USC football program filled a staff vacancy. The Trojans have hired Anthony Jones Jr. as their new running back coach. Jones will replace Kiel McDonald, who departed a month ago to coach the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones had been at TCU since 2022.

Jones coached under Lincoln Riley’s younger brother, Garrett Riley, who was TCU’s offensive coordinator for the Horned Frogs’ memorable run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game two seasons ago. In his first year with the Horned Frogs, he had an immediate effect according to the USC press release published on Monday:

“He tutored Kendre Miller, who was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Miller earned 2022 First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was a Doak Walker Award Semifinalist. His 1,399 yards made him TCU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2016. It was also the most by a Horned Frog since LaDainian Tomlinson led the nation with 2,158 in 2000. Jones also coached Emari Demercado to a career-best season with 681 yards rushing, including 150 yards in the CFP Semifinal win over Michigan.”

In alignment with the theme of this current coaching staff, it’s all about development and preparation for the NFL.  Before joining the Horned Frogs, Jones had similar success with developing running backs for the pros at Memphis, having four players drafted in three years (Darrell Henderson and Antonio Gibson in the third round, Tony Pollard in the fourth round, and Kenneth Gainwell in the fifth round).

Jones has a room full of talented backs in Quinten Joyner, A’marion Petersen, Bryan Jackson, and Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks to work with as the Trojans head into the Big Ten.  It will be interesting to hear the new running back coach discuss the room at spring camp later this month.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.