USC's Donte Williams is promoted to associate head coach - Los Angeles Times
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USC’s Donte Williams is promoted to associate head coach

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When Donte Williams was hired away from Oregon last January, his arrival as USC’s cornerbacks coach was hailed as a huge victory for a staff that struggled on the recruiting trail.

A year later, a retooled operation has the Trojans competing again for top talent, and Williams has a new title to show for it, reflective of how instrumental USC sees him to its success.

Williams was promoted to associate head coach, USC announced on Thursday after a season in which the program surged 50 spots up the national recruiting rankings and its pass defense improved significantly.

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“This promotion reflects the immediate impact that Donte has made and the respect he has earned since joining our program,” USC coach Clay Helton said in a statement. “We have seen that impact both with the improved performance of the players he has coached and in his recruiting accomplishments.”

USC safety Talanoa Hufanga, the Pac-12 defensive player of the year, announces he’ll go to the NFL. He was the Trojans’ first All-American since 2017.

Dec. 30, 2020

The promotion should help keep the Trojans’ top recruiter from leaving in the near future. Williams, currently ranked second among Pac-12 recruiters according to 247 Sports, was credited with being the lead recruiter on seven of USC’s 12 four-star signees in the 2021 class.

His work as USC’s cornerbacks coach hasn’t received the same plaudits, but the Trojans took a major leap forward in that regard in 2020. USC allowed just 216 passing yards per game this past season, improving from 96th nationally in yards allowed per game to 43rd.

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While Williams will return in 2021, the fate of the rest of USC’s staff remains up in the air. No staff changes have been announced following a season in which the Trojans (5-1) fell just short of a Pac-12 title. But no assurances, outside of Williams’ promotion, have been publicly offered either.

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