Tag: Matt Entz

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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North Dakota State defensive tackle Javier Derritt offered by Matt Entz and USC

Matt Entz hopes to make a big difference on the USC staff in this case.

The USC Trojans have offered North Dakota State defensive tackle Javier Derritt.

Derritt had 90 tackles and 11 sacks in five years with the Bison, including two sacks in the team’s 31-29 double-overtime loss to Montana in the FCS semifinals. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound lineman has one year of eligibility remaining.

According to his personal account on social media, Derritt has also received offers from UTEP, Coastal Carolina, New Mexico State, Minnesota, Colorado State and Cal.

The Trojans will have an advantage in Derritt’s recruitment, with former North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz being the new linebackers coach at USC. The Trojans have to like their chances in this pursuit, given the connection they have with Derritt.

D’Anton Lynn, USC’s new defensive coordinator, has brought in the Arnold brothers from Oregon State and two UCLA defensive backs. That’s four players who have come to USC from other Pac-12 schools due to Lynn’s presence and football knowledge. It would be very exciting if Entz could bring a defensive player to USC and continue building the 2024 roster on this side of the ball. USC’s new defensive coaches are viewed as great tacticians. If they can be great accumulators of talent, they will only add value to the Trojans for the coming season.

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Matt Entz is USC’s attempt to cultivate missing accountability, particularly on defense

We talked more about Matt Entz. There’s a lot to go over.

We have talked in recent days about the need for Lincoln Riley to have an enforcer on his staff at USC. When one thinks of an “enforcer,” the inclination might be to have someone who inspires a little bit of fear, someone who becomes that guy in the locker room no player wants to disappoint. That’s certainly true. That is part of an enforcer’s identity.

However, it’s not just about inspiring a little fear. It’s more about generating accountability and making sure players are held to a standard of performance which will win championships and, beyond that, get those players to the NFL in a good position to be productive professionals who produce lucrative careers.

Creating fear isn’t the main goal. Getting the most out of players is the main goal.

We talked more about Matt Entz’s role on the USC staff and why he could be the answer to the problems which were never truly addressed under Alex Grinch. Our discussion was part of a Friday night call-in show on the USC YouTube channel at The Voice of College Football:

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Matt Entz could be the Marv Goux, Ed Orgeron-style enforcer Lincoln Riley needs

Will Matt Entz become the New Goux?

The USC football program needs a lot of things. One is an enforcer, the guy on the coaching staff who ensures that players do things right and that they play with the requisite amount of toughness befitting a USC Trojan. When you put on that helmet and you wear the Cardinal and Gold, you are expected to fight on. You’re expected to be great. You’re expected to be physical. You’re expected to be a leader.

This is what John McKay and John Robinson did in the 1960s and 1970s. This is what Pete Carroll did in the early 2000s. This is what Howard Jones did in building USC football in the 1920s and 1930s.

All of those great USC football coaches had enforcers, men who commanded respect in the locker room and wouldn’t allow standards to slide. Enforcers maintain mindsets and serve as quality control staffers. They make sure everyone stays on task, remains mentally fresh, and plays winning football.

Pete Carroll had Ed Orgeron as his enforcer. Orgeron is not an X-and-O guy, but he definitely gets players to play with passion. That is his best skill as a football coach. It’s an important one. USC’s defenses were hungry with Coach O on the sideline. Carroll was a genius with his second-half corner blitzes and other tactical maneuvers, and he definitely related well to the young, modern athlete, but Orgeron was in the mix as a guy players didn’t want to let down. That presence on a coaching staff is so crucial. The enforcer goes a long way toward helping the head coach create and maintain the right culture.

For McKay and Robinson, that guy was Marv Goux, one of the greatest Trojans of all time. Goux was as tough as they come. He simply wouldn’t accept anything less than a player’s very best effort. He made sure USC football players always brought their A-game to the practice field and to game day. USC’s dynasty from 1967 through 1979 — a period in which the Trojans won four national titles, finished No. 2 in the rankings multiple other times, and won seven Rose Bowls — doesn’t happen without Marv Goux, USC’s greatest enforcer ever.

As we consider what new linebacker coach Matt Entz brings to USC, the biggest benefit he might bring to Los Angeles is his insistence on toughness. Entz has a chance to become the New Goux, the enforcer Lincoln Riley has long needed but never had up to now. If Entz does indeed become the New Goux, USC football will be playing for national championships before too long.

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Trojans Wire discusses the Matt Entz hire and much more on weekly YouTube show

We talked about the Matt Entz hire and what the new linebacker coach brings to USC.

The big news at USC football this week came on Sunday afternoon, right as Bronny James was making his USC basketball debut. The Trojans, Lincoln Riley, and D’Anton Lynn hired North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz as a linebacker coach and defensive assistant.

There is so much to love about this hire. The North Dakota State dynasty has been built on a foundation of toughness and physicality. NDSU has owned FCS college football because it owns the line of scrimmage. Physically superior football is winning football. Matt Entz, who has won multiple national championships at North Dakota State, is a preacher of toughness. He is exactly what USC needs more of on its coaching staff.

Entz also represents a seasoned, experienced coach who will help 34-year-old D’Anton Lynn find his footing. Putting an experienced guy in the room will balance out the defensive coaching staff and give Lynn a good sounding board as he game plans and strategizes each week.

Entz, having coached in North Dakota, seems like a natural fit for the Big Ten and USC’s future games in Iowa and Wisconsin and Minnesota and elsewhere.

There’s so much to discuss about Matt Entz. We did that with Mark Rogers and Tim Prangley at The Voice of College Football:

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New linebacker coach Matt Entz pours glowing praise on the USC football program

Matt Entz really believes in USC.

The fact that a head coach with multiple national championships at a dynastic college sports program would leave to become a linebacker coach at another program is a striking story in itself. Being a national champion coach brings a certain amount of stature and prominence, even if that program is not at a high-profile school on par with Alabama or Ohio State. Being elite anywhere — even in North Dakota — is a special feeling and a unique experience.

Some people might laugh at being the king of Fargo, but let’s remember: It’s still a monarchy. Being a king anywhere — not having to pay for a meal or a drink because of championship success — is not something one easily leaves for something else. One has to be really impressed, and perceive a rich, profound opportunity, to leave a kingship for something else at a lower tier of employment. Going from head coach at North Dakota State to a linebacker coach anywhere else is not an upward move. It isn’t even a lateral move. It’s a downward move. That’s not a reflection on the program being joined; it’s a reflection of the movement from national championship head coach to a linebacker coach.

Matt Entz obviously perceived something really special at USC. Now we know why. Entz views USC as one of the top five college football programs in America. He said so himself. It’s a glowing review of the program and a great show of trust in Lincoln Riley. Entz is a man who truly believes in what USC can bring to him and his career. It’s quite a vote of confidence.

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USC hire of North Dakota State coach Matt Entz is hugely important for many reasons

This latest move by USC should relieve a lot of worries about the direction of the program.

Actions, not words. Deeds, not statements. Coaches can talk all they want about making changes and having a new philosophy. What matters is that they act on what they say and deliver real results.

The fact that USC has hired a national champion college football coach to teach linebackers and develop the defense is impressive in itself. The hire of North Dakota State’s Matt Entz is hugely important for that reason, but also for many other reasons.

Chiefly, this move is so vital to the development of USC football for one central reason: It alleviates any worries that Lincoln Riley was going to retain the previously existing defensive staff and limit D’Anton Lynn’s ability to get his people on board.

It always seemed unlikely that the defensive staff would be retained. After all, it never made sense that D’Anton Lynn would take this defensive coordinator job at USC without being empowered to hire his own assistants. No self-respecting defensive coordinator would have worked with such constraints. Yet, when Lynn made a home visit last week with holdover assistant Roy Manning — a Riley loyalist — fresh questions emerged about whether this defensive staff was going to be retained.

We all know that the portal is open and that the early signing period is not that far away. Staff changes needed to be made quickly. USC needed to continue to show it was serious about remaking its defense and giving players — particularly 2024 prospects at Southern California high schools — fresh reason to become Trojans, not Ohio State Buckeyes or Michigan Wolverines.

The lack of movement last week on a defensive staff created a lot of legitimate worries throughout the USC fan base.

The Matt Entz hire relieves those fears of stagnation and delay. The fact that Entz has won national titles as part of a dynastic North Dakota State program adds an additional point: Not only is USC remaking its defensive staff and giving D’Anton Lynn his preferred personnel; this guy is a really good coach on his own merits.

You can all breathe a lot more easily, Trojan fans. This was exactly the kind of move which needed to happen. Actions are beginning to match the rhetoric in terms of USC being serious about defense.

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