Already prepared to deliver most of his offensive line, USC Now he will also have to replace his offensive coach.
Josh Henson, who spent the past three seasons leading USC’s offensive line, is leaving to become Purdue’s offensive coordinator, a person familiar with the decision told The Times. While he technically had the same title at USC, at Purdue he will take on a larger play-calling role for new Boilermakers coach Barry Odom, who previously coached alongside Henson at Missouri.
Henson’s three seasons make him the longest-tenured offensive line coach at USC in a decade. But his tenure leading the Trojan front will be remembered as largely uneven. After a solid performance in 2022 behind a veteran line, USC’s frontcourt took a step back in 2023, then struggled to start the 2024 season, before stabilizing in the second half of the season.
His departure leaves USC’s offensive line in an even more uncertain state, with three starters to replace and not much depth to choose their replacements. Left guard Emmanuel Pregnon and center Jonah Monheim are leaving for the NFL, while right tackle Mason Murphy He has already signed with Auburn as a transfer. Two key reserves in the interior, Gino Quiñones and Amos TalaleleThey have also already entered the transfer portal, along with rookie Kalolo Ta’aga.
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More could potentially follow in light of Henson’s departure, which would put USC in a precarious position heading into its bowl game on Dec. 27, with only a few backups available behind a ragged line. Aside from their two returning starters, Elijah Paige and Alani Noa, their entire returning offensive line corps has just 161 snaps between them, more than half of which belong to offensive tackle Tobias Raymond (86).
Paige, whose presence is now vitally important, said last week that she planned to stay at USC. But that was before Henson’s departure on Tuesday.
“I committed here because I see Coach Riley’s vision,” Paige said. “I believe in it. I trust it. “I am part of it.”
Those plans were already put to the test over the past week, when 18 players, four of them linemen, hit the transfer portal. USC will be getting some reinforcements soon, after signing four offensive linemen during the early signing window, including two top-150 tackles. But the Trojans are also expected to target several linemen in the transfer portal.
That wasn’t the path Riley and Henson expected to follow when they outlined their plans for the offensive line last fall. Both then made it clear that they hoped to rely on recruiting high school students as their main focus from the beginning.
But since then plans have changed. Henson is now on his way to Purdue. And Riley needs to hire an offensive line coach, and there’s still an entire offensive line to rebuild after that.
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.