Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans moved quickly on naming a new offensive line coach after it was announced just yesterday that Josh Henson would be taking the Offensive Coordinator position at Purdue.
The team announced that they would be transitioning the current Assistant Head Coach for Offense/Tight Ends Coach Zach Hanson to Offensive Line Coach.
USC Trojans Transition Zach Hanson To Offensive Line Coach
Coach Riley said of Hanson in a statement:
“In addition to coaching our tight ends and being an outstanding recruiter, Zach has been instrumental in working with our offensive linemen at USC,” said Riley. “He’s had extensive experience coaching the offensive line at Tulsa and Kansas State. We’re excited to have Zach lead this unit and develop our offensive line.”
This feels like the absolute right move as Hanson is regarded as one of the game’s top young coaches, and has produced 2 offensive line NFL Draft picks, including a first-rounder, and 7 All-American Athletic Conference offensive line selections.
Hanson joined Lincoln Riley as USC’s tight ends coach for the last three seasons (2022-24).
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In 2024, he worked with a skilled group of Trojan tight ends, contributing to a solid offensive season for USC. The team topped the Big Ten in the regular season and ranked 11th nationally in passing offense, averaging 291.7 yards per game. They also ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in all-purpose yards (121.17), third in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally in total offense (440.3), and fourth in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in first downs (287).
Not only has Hanson proven to be a great recruiter and tight end coach, but he will maintain some stability and continuity in the room. One of the most important things right now is keeping the room intact that has already seen three starters leave (Monheim and Pregnon to the NFL Draft, Murphy to the transfer portal).
Hanson had a role in the recruitment of the 2025 class and has had a hand in coaching the current linemen on the roster.
This was a move that was smart to keep in-house. Hanson will now be tasked with filling out the rest of the room in the portal. The Trojans need quite a few bodies to create healthy competition for the three open starting spots.