Tag: Matt Entz

USC loses out to Notre Dame for top linebacker target — again

The recruitment of Madden Faraimo might sound familiar. This marks another loss of a linebacker recruit to Notre Dame, following Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.

On Saturday, Notre Dame defeated USC on the football field. On Wednesday, the Irish once again bested the Trojans, this time on the recruiting trail. Heading into signing day, USC football was the favorite to land San Diego four-star linebacker Madden Faraimo. On Wednesday morning, however, Faraimo instead picked Notre Dame.

According to the On3 Consensus rankings, Faraimo is the No. 77 overall player in the class of 2024. He is also the No. 4 linebacker and the No. 6 player in the state of California.

Faraimo spurning the Trojans was likely related to the departure of USC linebackers coach Matt Entz. With Entz accepting the head coaching job at Fresno State Wednesday morning, there was major uncertainty as to who would have been Faraimo’s position coach had he picked USC.

Not all was lost for USC on Wednesday. The Trojans did make a huge splash with the addition of five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, while also flipping cornerback Alex Graham from Colorado.

Yet, any time you lose out on a recruit to your most hated rival, it is not pleasant. This marks another loss of a linebacker recruit to Notre Dame, a prominent recent example being Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.

The loss of Faraimo, to go along with Entz’s departure, will dampen what was a promising day for the Trojans, but not as complete a conquest as the program hoped.

USC flips 2025 four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte from Georgia

USC hits back at Georgia and brings in a very highly-rated player.

A day after having 2026 cornerback Dominick Kelly flip to Georgia, USC returned the favor with four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte decommitting from the Bulldogs and giving his commitment to the Trojans.

Perlotte is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound linebacker who will add speed and toughness to a future USC defense. The value of landing Perlotte is significant in and of itself, but there’s a layer of meaning beyond the addition of a highly-rated player. The Trojans have been hit hard by Kirby Smart, Donte Williams, and the rest of the Georgia football coaching staff on the recruiting trail, and the loss of commits to Georgia has raised fresh questions about USC’s NIL operation. However, USC — instead of wilting in the face of Kirby’s Georgia juggernaut — has continued to go back into the belly of the beast and win some recruitments, including some flips. The Trojans are trying, and in some cases they are succeeding. Don’t think that won’t turn some heads on the recruiting trail. Don’t think that won’t underscore some truths about the quality of this new defensive coaching staff Lincoln Riley has assembled. These guys have real credibility in a way Alex Grinch never had. It matters.

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Pundits are not optimistic about 2024 USC defense even with new staff

USC might not have the depth it needs on defense, but its frontline quality seems to be good.

This is a recurring theme in the world of college football commentary and analysis in the 2024 offseason: Everyone knows that USC and Lincoln Riley overhauled their defensive coaching staff. Everyone knows Alex Grinch won’t coach these players in 2024. Everyone knows there will be different voices in the room. Everyone knows D’Anton Lynn did a tremendous job of whipping a previously mediocre UCLA defense into shape in one year last season. Everyone knows USC has defensive coaches who are highly credentialed. Yet, it still isn’t translating into high ratings and strongly positive evaluations of the 2024 USC defense.

To be fair to the pundits, USC does have questions about its depth. The Trojans have not accumulated the number of quality players which can withstand attrition if it hits hard this year. The Big Ten figures to be physically punishing in such a way that USC’s depth probably will be tested at some point. However, USC’s starting 11 on defense might be underrated. The Trojans’ frontline talent might be getting underestimated a little by analysts such as Phil Steele. We talked about this on The Voice of College Football:

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Linebackers need to take the next step in their evolution at USC

There is room to grow for the USC linebackers in 2024.

It’s the time of year when college football fans read preseason magazines from publishers such as Phil Steele. If you have read the legendary college football analyst and magazine architect, you know that Steele views the USC linebackers as the No. 32 linebacker room in the country heading into the 2024 season. That’s good, but there’s certainly room for growth and evolution.

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2023 at Oregon State. Mascarenas-Arnold racked up 106 tackles and 11 of them were TFLs.  He will likely play alongside Mason Cobb, who was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection in 2022 at Oklahoma State.  Eric Gentry was a Freshman All-American at Arizona State  before back-to-back injury-filled seasons at USC. Can Matt Entz and Lynn bring Cobb back to his 96 tackles and 13 TFLs before he played in the dysfunction that was USC’s defense last year? Can Gentry stay healthy and consistently be the disruptive force we have seen when he is 100%?

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Some USC fans are worried about negative recruiting toward coaching staff

Are other schools telling recruits that USC’s defensive coaches will leave at the first possible opportunity?

On our recent USC football call-in show at The Voice of College Football, an interesting discussion came up at 21:50 in the broadcast. A caller brought up a great point about Matt Entz, Doug Belk and D’Anton Lynn and their plans to move on from USC. Is this hurting recruiting?

Matt Entz, the linebacker coach, made it very clear that he is at USC to pick up FBS experience in recruiting and team operations — two holes in his resume that have limited his attempts to move up to the FBS level after a very successful run at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State.

Doug Belk also was a defensive coordinator who has stepped down in terms of status and overall job title to coach the secondary at USC. He has sacrificed something to come here.

D’Anton Lynn is an NFL guy with the Baltimore Ravens. He did go to UCLA, but he was in the NFL and wanted to test himself at the collegiate level before he eventually returns back to the pro game at some point in the future.

We address these concerns in the video below (at 21:50), noting how other schools are naturally inclined to negatively recruit against the possible flight risks for this USC football coaching staff:

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One comment made by Matt Entz lingers as USC moves into summer

Matt Entz would probably tell you that toughness more than scheme has to be fixed at USC.

When Matt Entz initially addressed the Los Angeles media in a press conference this past winter, he said a lot of different things to people interested in USC football. One comment seemed to stand out from the rest, however.

“You have to be great against the run … you’ll die a slow death,” Entz said, if that does not happen. Entz emphasized the need for sound tacklers and the creation of effective leverage drills which instill better habits and more toughness. Entz followed up with the comment that “initial contact was made and then the ball would travel downfield” in 2023, based on what he saw of USC on film.

When we consider whether Alex Grinch’s worst quality as USC defensive coordinator was the scheme or the toughness, Entz said plenty of things this past winter which point in both directions, not just one. However, it was undeniable that the 2023 Trojans were soft on defense. Scheme matters, but no scheme will work if toughness isn’t there. Entz’s words merit thought and reflection as the Trojans try to get it right on defense in 2023.

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USC’s Matt Entz drops possible clues on plans for the linebacker room

Matt Entz talked about Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Eric Gentry after a recent USC practice.

USC’s defense struggled last year. Poor linebacker play was a significant part of the problem. Lincoln Riley brought in Matt Entz to solve those problems. Entz talked about the personnel in the room and what he thinks he can do about it.

“Easton (Mascarenas-Arnold) is kind of a prototypical MIKE in what we’re looking to do very, very smart,” Entz told the media after practice on Thursday. “[He] was All-Pac-12 last year at Oregon State and is a perfectionist. Then you got you know a guy like Eric, who plays multiple spots. Eric is all about the next play is the most important one, so they complement each other.”

If you were looking for hints on how certain USC players might be deployed in the linebacker room, Entz just dropped some bread crumbs hinting at the shape of this unit. Obviously it’s still early, and the April 20 spring football game is still two weeks away, but if you are paying attention to initial observations, they can point to future realities. Coaches don’t say these kinds of things by accident. Everything is said for a reason.

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Lincoln Riley has much more than a linebacker coach in Matt Entz

Matt Entz told reporters, “I’ve really enjoyed my first three months here” at USC.

Matt Entz won two national championships as the head coach for the North Dakota State Bison football team. Entz has made it no secret that he desires a head coaching position in the FBS or NFL, and chose to take a position coach spot at USC under Lincoln Riley to get there.

“It has been a good thing for me,” Entz replied when he was asked about the move to assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach by Marc Kulkin after practice on Thursday. “I know you know, when you’re a head coach you’re worried about everybody. Now I get to worry about a room and and a little bit the defense overall. I kind of smile at times when coach has those moments or has those issues — like that’s on you, now you know — but now he’s allowed me to interject and to ask questions. He’s come and asked me, so (it) probably allows me to still at times put that head coaching hat on or how we have done things differently, or if I have any thoughts on how we can adjust practice, but it’s been good. I’ve really enjoyed my first three months here.”

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Four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i commits to USC football

This newest USC commit is a versatile player who can play multiple positions with his size and quickness.

As predicted earlier last week, Matai Tagoa’i, the bluechip linebacker from San Clemente, California, has verbally committed to the Trojans. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Tagoa’i is rated the No. 11 linebacker and the No. 80 prospect overall in the  247Sports Composite. In his junior season, Tagoa’i had 73 tackles, six of them for a loss, in 10 games as a sophomore. He recorded an interception and nine pass deflections.

Tagoa’i listed offers from 25 schools, including Texas, Utah, Washington, Alabama, Washington, Auburn, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, and UCLA

Matt Entz might have found a clone for Eric Gentry in Tagoa’i.  He is a versatile player who can play multiple positions with his size and quickness, the prototype player for a D’Anton Lynn defense.  He played safety, linebacker, and rush end in high school.  He is projected as a linebacker in college and would most likely fit the WILL linebacker position with his speed and athleticism.  He can drop back in coverage to use his size to be disruptive underneath, causing issues with passing lanes for the quarterback.

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Top 100 2025 recruit Matai Tagoa’i is predicted to commit to the USC Trojans

Matt Entz could be on the verge of landing a big commitment at USC.

National recruiting services predict that four-star linebacker Matai Tagoa’i will commit to USC. Both Scott Schrader of WeAreSC and Greg Biggins from 247Sports have both predicted that Tagoa’i will commit to the Trojans.

Biggins believes Tagoa’i is one of the top linebackers in the country. He added that “At 6-4, 195 pounds, he has a projectable frame and does a little of everything well. He’s an explosive athlete with a quick get-off and can really get around the edge.  He has very good closing speed and can run down plays from behind. He’s a fluid athlete and looks natural dropping in coverage and plays with a nice edge in his game as well.”

Tagoa’i had an unofficial visit to USC last weekend. He returned to campus Thursday to check out practice. He has official visits lined up for Washington in May and two more in June with Utah and Texas.

Doug Belk and Eric Henderson made a significant impact last weekend by securing five commitments from Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Now, it seems that Matt Entz wants to join in by securing the first California commitment for the class.

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