Who saw this one coming? USC running back coach Kiel McDonald is leaving to join Jim Harbaugh with the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL. McDonald has done a really good job with USC’s running backs, cultivating MarShawn Lloyd this past season after a strong 2022 season in which Travis Dye was a star for the Trojans and a central reason the Men of Troy won 11 regular-season games.
USC’s running backs played well under McDonald’s guidance and teaching. Austin Jones filled in admirably for Dye after the latter suffered an injury late in the 2022 season. Other running backs such as Darwin Barlow and Quinten Joyner looked good in the limited action they received behind the top running backs in the room. USC’s story at running back could be summed up this way under McDonald: The starters were so good that the talented backups just didn’t get as many carries as they would like. The quality of coaching and player development was high. It’s just that there were so many mouths to feed that not everyone got enough carries. Barlow transferred to North Carolina precisely to get more touches at another school, an entirely reasonable move on his part.
It will be interesting to see where USC and Lincoln Riley turn to for McDonald’s replacement for the 2024 season.
Chargers are finalizing a deal to hire USC RB coach Kiel McDonald as their running back coach. McDonald had chances to become a college offensive coordinator but opted to become Jim Harbaugh’s RB coach. At Utah and USC, McDonald worked with backs such as Zack Moss and Marshawn…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 22, 2024
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.