The 2015 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. USC played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and were members of the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference. On November 30, 2015, Clay Helton was named USC's permanent head coach.

Personnel

Coaching staff Name Position Seasons atUSC Alma mater Before USCClay Helton Head Coach 5Houston (1994) Memphis – OC Coordinator (2009)Tee Martin Offensive coordinator / wide receivers coach / pass game coordinator 4Tennessee (2000) Kentucky – WR Coach (2011)Johnny NansenTailbacks Coach / special teams coach / assistant head coach 2 Washington State (1997) Washington – ST Coordinator / RB Coach (2013)Peter SirmonLinebackers coach / recruiting coordinator / associate head coach defense 2Oregon (1999) Washington – LB Coach (2013)Marques TuiasosopoQuarterbacks coach / associate head coach offense 2Washington (2001) Washington – QB Coach (2013)Lenny Vandermade Tight ends coach 1 USC (2003) San Diego – TE Coach (2015)Ivan LewisStrength and conditioning2 San Diego (2003) Washington – Strength and Conditioning (2013)Mike Goff Offensive line coach 1 Iowa (1998) Hilltop High School – Assistant Coach (2014)Kenechi Udeze Defensive line coach / assistant strength and conditioning coach 1 USC (2004) PITT – Assistant strength and conditioning coach (2015)Ricky Brown Linebackers coach 1 Boston College (2006) Baltimore Ravens – LB (Player) (2012)Patrick Henderson Safeties Coach 1 Oregon State (2010) Contra Costa College – DB Coach / defensive coordinator (2013)Drew Pearson Cornerbacks coach 1 Utah State (2008) Child and Family Specialist at Five Acres in Altadena, California (2008–2014)Mike Tuiasosopo Defensive line coach 1 University of the Pacific (1991) UCLA – OLB Coach (2015)Jaron Fairman Offensive assistant2 Fresno State (2007) Crespi Carmelite High School – WR Coach / ST Coordinator (2013)

Roster 2015 USC Trojans FootballQuarterback  4 Max Browne – sophomore (6'5, 220)  6 Cody Kessler – senior (6'1, 215) 14 Sam Darnold – freshman (6'4, 215) * 15 Michael Bowman – freshman (6'4, 210) 19 Conner Sullivan – junior (6'0, 195) (+H)

Tailback 16 Dominic Davis – freshman (5'10, 175) (+WR)* 22 Justin Davis – junior (6'1, 195) 23 Tre Madden – senior (6'1, 225) 24 Stefan Smith – freshman (6'0, 195) 25 Ronald Jones II – freshman (6'0, 185) * 26 James Toland IV – sophomore (5'11, 185) 27 Lance Mudd – sophomore (6'1, 200) 28 Aca'Cedric Ware – freshman (6'0, 200) *

Fullback 31 Soma Vainuku – senior (6'0, 255) 38 Jahleel Pinner – senior (5'11, 240)

Wide receiver  1 Darreus Rogers – junior (6'1, 215)  7 Steven Mitchell – sophomore (5'10, 190)  9 JuJu Smith-Schuster – sophomore (6'2, 215) 10 Jalen Greene – freshman (6'1, 195) (+QB) 15 Isaac Whitney – junior (6'3, 205) * 18 Ajene Harris – sophomore (5'11, 185) 29 Christian Tober – junior (5'8, 175) 34 Yoofi Quansah – sophomore (5'8, 165) 41 Bo St. Geme – freshman (6'0, 170) 44 Jake Russell – freshman (5'11, 170) 80 Deontay Burnett – freshman (6'0, 170) (Blueshirt) 83 George Katrib – senior (6'0, 185) 84 Jackson Boyer – sophomore (6'3, 195) 85 David Mellstrom – senior (6'0, 180) 86 Robby Kolanz – junior (5'10, 175) 89 De'Quan Hampton – junior (6'4, 220) *

Tight end 47 Cyrus Hobbi – senior (6'3, 245) 48 Taylor McNamara – junior (6'5, 245) (Blueshirt) 49 Daniel Imatorbhebhe – freshman (6'4, 225) (Blueshirt) 81 Conner Spears – Sophomore (6'6, 245) 82 Tyler Petite – freshman (6'6, 235) 87 Caleb Wilson – freshman (6'5, 225) * 

Offensive lineman 50 Toa Lobendahn – OG-OT – sophomore (6'3, 290) 51 Damien Mama – OG – sophomore (6'4, 355) 56 Jordan Austin – OT – freshman (6'5, 280) 60 Viane Talamaivao – OG – sophomore (6'2, 320) 62 Khaliel Rodgers – C – sophomore (6'3, 305) 63 Roy Hemsley – OT-OG – freshman (6'5, 315) * 64 Richie Wenzel – C – freshman (6'1, 265) 65 Erick Jepsen – OG – senior (6'1, 285) 66 Cole Smith – C – freshman (6'4, 280) * 70 Chuma Edoga – OT – freshman (6'4, 280) * 72 Chad Wheeler – OT – junior (6'7, 280) 73 Zach Banner – OT – junior (6'9, 360) 74 Nico Falah – OT – sophomore (6'4, 285) 75 Max Tuerk – C – senior (6'6, 285) 76 Clayton Johnston – OT – freshman (6'6, 290) (Blueshirt) 77 Chris Brown – OG – freshman (6'5, 295)

Defensive tackle 52 Delvon Simmons – senior (6'5, 295) 53 Kevin Scott – freshman (6'5, 315) (+DE) * 68 Jordan Simmons – junior (6'4, 325) (+OG) 79 Jeff Miller – junior (6'1, 240) 91 Noah Jefferson – freshman (6'6, 330) * 92 Jacob Daniel – freshman (6'4, 325) * 95 Kenny Bigelow Jr. – sophomore (6'3, 290) 98 Cody Temple – senior (6'2, 300) 99 Antwaun Woods – senior (6'1, 320)

Defensive end 44 Malik Dorton – freshman (6'2, 275) 89 Christian Rector – freshman (6'5, 260) * 90 Claude Pelon – Senior (6'4, 300) 93 Greg Townsend Jr. – senior (6'3, 275) 94 Rasheem Green – freshman (6'5, 285) (+DT) *

Placekicker 36 Matt Boermeester – sophomore (6'0, 180) 39 Alex Wood – junior (5'10, 175) 46 Wyatt Schmidt – freshman (6'3, 215)

Punter 17 Kris Albarado – senior (5'10, 195) 36 Chris Tilbey – sophomore (6'5, 220) 46 Reid Budrovich – freshman (5'11, 185) Linebacker 10 John Houston Jr. – OLB – freshman (6'3, 220) * 18 Quinton Powell – OLB – junior (6'2, 205) 19 Michael Hutchings – ILB – junior (6'1, 225) 21 Su'a Cravens – OLB – junior (6'1, 225) 34 Olajuwon Tucker – ILB – sophomore (6'3, 235) 35 Cameron Smith – ILB – freshman (6'2, 245) * 40 Jabari Ruffin – OLB – junior (6'3, 245) 42 Uchenna Nwosu – OLB – sophomore (6'3, 210) 45 Porter Gustin – OLB – freshman (6'5, 250) (+TE) * 47 Scott Felix – OLB – junior (6'2, 240) 49 Matt Bayle – OLB – freshman (6'2, 215) 50 Grant Moore – OLB – freshman (6'0, 220) 51 Joel Foy – ILB – sophomore (6'1, 225) 54 Reuben Peters – ILB – freshman (6'0, 225) 55 Lamar Dawson – ILB – senior (6'1, 230) 56 Anthony Sarao – ILB – senior (6'0, 235) 58 Osa Masina – ILB – freshman (6'4, 245) (+TE) * 59 Don Hill – OLB – freshman (6'2, 245) 97 Wyatt Vinci – OLB – junior (6'2, 235)

Cornerback  2 Adoree' Jackson – sophomore (5'11, 185) (+WR & RET)  8 Iman Marshall – freshman (6'2, 200) * 13 Kevon Seymour – senior (6'0, 185) 14 Isaiah Langley – freshman (6'0, 165) (+WR) * 23 Jonathan Lockett – sophomore (5'11, 180) 28 Ryan Dillard – senior (5'9, 190) 29 Kevin Carrasco – sophomore (6'0, 185) 38 Jalen Jones – freshman (5'8, 155)

Safety  4 Chris Hawkins – sophomore (5'11, 190)  7 Marvell Tell – freshman (6'2, 190) * 22 Leon McQuay III – junior (6'1, 190) 24 John Plattenburg – sophomore (5'11, 185) 26 Davonte Nunnery – freshman (5'10, 205) 27 Jonathan LaBonty – freshman (6'0, 200) 30 Ykili Ross – freshman (6'2, 185) (+CB & WR)* 37 Matt Lopes – sophomore (5'11, 185) 41 Deion Hart – junior (6'0, 195)

Long snappers 57 Nick Schlossberg – junior (6'0, 205) 61 Jake Olson – freshman (6'4, 195) 92 Zach Smith – junior (6'1, 220) * : 2015 USC Trojans Football Commits (09/04/2015)

Returning starters USC returns 31 starters in 2015, including fifteen on offense, twelve on defense, and four on special teams.

Key departures include Javorius 'Buck' Allen (TB – 13 games), Nelson Agholor (WR – 13 games), George Farmer (WR – 4 games), Randall Telfer (TE – 12 games), Aundrey Walker (OT), Leonard Williams (DE / DT – 13 games), J. R. Tavai (LB – 9 games), Hayes Pullard (LB – 12 games), Josh Shaw (CB / S – 2 games), Gerald Bowman (S – 10 games), Andre Heidari (K – 11 games).

Other departures : Ricky Town (QB – Freshman – Arkansas), Bryce Dixon (TE), Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick (TE), Charles Burks (LB – Junior RS – Azusa Pacific), Rahshead Johnson (CB / S – Freshman – San Jose State), Lamont Simmons (CB – Freshman RS – Georgia Tech), Devian Shelton (CB – Sophomore RS), Peter McBride (SNP – Junior RS).

Offense (15) Player Class Position Games started Cody Kessler Senior Quarterback 13 games Soma Vainuku* Senior Fullback 2 games Jahleel Pinner* Senior Fullback 2 games JuJu Smith-Schuster Sophomore Wide receiver (+ DB) 13 games Darreus Rogers Junior Wide receiver 3 games Steven Mitchell Sophomore Wide receiver 5 games Ajene Harris Sophomore Wide receiver 1 game Bryce Dixon Sophomore Tight end 1 game Max Tuerk Senior Center 13 games Zach Banner Junior Right tackle 13 games Toa Lobendahn Sophomore Left tackle 13 games Chad Wheeler Junior Left tackle 8 games Viane Talamaivao Sophomore Right guard 11 games Damien Mama Sophomore Left guard 4 games Khaliel Rodgers Sophomore Left guard 3 games

Defense (12) Player Class Position Games started Antwaun Woods Senior Defensive tackle 10 games Delvon Simmons Senior Defensive tackle 10 games Claude Pelon Senior Defensive tackle 3 games Scott Star Felix Junior Outside Linebacker 5 games Anthony Sarao Senior Inside linebacker 13 games Michael Hutchings Junior Inside linebacker 1 game Kevon Seymour Senior Cornerback 11 games Adoree' Jackson Sophomore Cornerback (+ WR) 10 games Chris Hawkins Sophomore Cornerback 4 games Su'a Cravens Junior Safety (+ OLB) 13 games Christian Margarum Junior Safety 13 games

Special teams (4) Player Class Position Games started Alex Wood Junior Kicker 2 games Kris Albarado Senior Punter 12 games Conner Sullivan Junior Holder 12 games Zach Smith Junior Long snapper 12 games

: Co-Started in 2014

Depth chart

2015 USC Football Depth Chart

Freshman : Freshman

Double Position : #

Injured : +

Recruiting class

Scholarship distribution chart

Position Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior 2016 signed QB 3 (1) Sam Darnold – Matt Fink TB 5 Ronald Jones II Aca'Cedric Ware Dominic Davis – Justin Davis FB 2 – – – Jahleel Pinner WR 10 (5) JuJu Smith-Schuster Ajene Harris Darreus Rogers De'Quan Hampton George Katrib * Josh Imatorbhebhe Michael Pittman TE 3 (1) Tyler Petite – – OL 14 (2) Chuma Edoga Roy Hemsley Cole Smith Toa Lobendahn Damien Mama Viane Talamaivao Max Tuerk Nathan Smith DE 5 (2) Christian Rector Rasheem Green – – DT 9 (1) Noah Jefferson Jacob Daniel Kevin Scott OLB 7 (1) Porter Gustin John Houston Jr. Uchenna Nwosu Su'a Cravens Quinton Powell – ILB 6 Cameron Smith Osa Masina Olajuwon Tucker Michael Hutchings – CB 5 (1) Isaiah Langley Iman Marshall Adoree' Jackson Jonathan Lockett – Kevon Seymour S 5 (1) Ykili Ross Marvell Tell III John Plattenburg Leon McQuay III – C.J. Pollard SP 6 – Zach Smith * –

/ / * : Former walk-on

– 85 scholarships permitted, 80 currently allotted to players (Note: Ricky Town is still "counts" for 2015, bringing the total to 81).

–

–

– With four blueshirts, USC can sign 20 players in the class of 2016.

2015 NFL draft

Round Pick Player Position NFL team 1 6 Leonard Williams Defensive end / Defensive tackle New York Jets 1 20 Nelson Agholor Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles 4 120 (21) Josh Shaw Cornerback / Safety Cincinnati Bengals 4 125 (26) Javorius 'Buck' Allen Running back Baltimore Ravens 6 198 (22) Randall Telfer Tight end Cleveland Browns 7 219 (2) Hayes Pullard Middle Linebacker Cleveland Browns UFA – J. R. Tavai Outside linebacker Tennessee Titans UFA – George Farmer Wide receiver Seattle Seahawks UFA – Gerald Bowman Safety Baltimore Ravens UFA – Aundrey Walker Offensive tackle Miami Dolphins UFA – Andre Heidari Kicker Los Angeles Kiss (AFL)

* : Projected Round

Schedule

Game summaries

Arkansas State

(Q1, 0:03) USC – #7 Steven Mitchell Jr. 14 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC 14–0 (Q2, 9:38) USC – #23 Tre Madden 65 yard run, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC 21–0 (Q2, 4:40) USC – #48 Taylor McNamara 2 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC28–0 (Q3, 13:07) Arkansas State – #34 Michael Gordon 9 yard run – USC 28–6 (Q3, 6:28) USC – #23 Tre Madden 8 yard pass from #6 Cody Kessler, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC 35–6 (Q3, 3:46) USC – #25 Ronald Jones II 44 yard run, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC 42–6 (Q4, 10:26) USC – #58 Osa Masina 46 yard fumble return, (#39 Alex Wood kick blocked) – USC 48–6 (Q4, 4:21) USC – #28 Aca'Cedric Ware 6 yard run, (#39 Alex Wood kick) – USC 55–6

Idaho