USC’s offseason makeover just picked up another major twist.
The Trojans are already dealing with a roster in flux after 16 players entered the NCAA transfer portal, with only one returning to USC. Ten transfers have committed, and one has backed out of that decision. Now the coaching staff is taking another hit, too: hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Travis Jewett is leaving for Vanderbilt.
Jewett, who was Andy Stankiewicz’s first hire when he arrived at USC in 2022, is headed to Nashville to become Vanderbilt’s new director of player strategy/personnel, according to Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball. Jewett confirmed the move to USCFootball.com.
At Vanderbilt, the 42-year-old will reunite with Hall of Fame coach Tim Corbin and step into what amounts to a general manager-type role. It’s a familiar place for Jewett.
Before leaving for Tulane, he spent four seasons at Vanderbilt as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, helping land some of the nation’s best recruiting classes and playing a key role in the Commodores’ 2014 national championship while overseeing the offense. Vanderbilt returned to the title series in 2015 before falling to Virginia.
Jewett later took over at Tulane and spent six seasons there before being fired. He didn’t stay on the market long, with Stankiewicz bringing him to USC after landing the Trojans’ job.
That partnership helped fuel USC’s best four-year stretch in more than two decades. Under Stankiewicz and Jewett, the Trojans became a consistent top-of-conference team, stayed in the NCAA tournament conversation every year, reached the program’s first regional in a decade in 2025, and then got back there this season for the first back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances since 2001-2002.
USC finished 48-18 this year, its most wins since the 1998 national title run, and ended the season ranked No. 15. The pitching staff earned plenty of the headlines behind All-American Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and second-round pick Mason Edwards, but the offense did its part, too.
The Trojans finished in the top 30 nationally in hits, runs, doubles and home runs, along with sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies. They had five players reach double-digit home runs, and their 92 homers and 241 extra-base hits were both the third-most in program history and the most since 2000.
All of that came while USC was still settling into its new home. The Trojans practiced at Dedeaux Field for the first time in the second half of the 2025 season, then played there the entire 2026 season and set a school record by going 32-1 at home. They’re expected to have full use of the locker rooms and facilities in 2027.
Stankiewicz remains in place after signing an extension last fall that runs through 2030, but he’ll now be moving forward without the two coaches who helped shape this recent surge. Pitching coach Sean Allen already left to become the head coach at Lamar, and now Jewett is gone, too.
In Other News...
USC Is Suddenly Back In A Much Bigger NFL Draft Conversation
The East-West Shrine Bowls first big draft board for 2026-27 gives USC an early sign that the program is again loading up on NFL-caliber talent. The all-star games top 1,000 prospect list includes 13 Trojans, a sharp rise from the four USC players on last years roster and a reminder that the roster is starting to look more like the kind of group pro scouts circle in the fall.
For USC, the headliners span both sides of the ball and reflect how much is riding on the coming season. Jontez Williams brings an experienced secondary presence after his Iowa State run, Kameryn Crawford is stepping into a larger role up front, and Braylan Shelby enters his final college year with plenty of attention on his pass-rush production. Add in names like Jide Abasiri, Zuriah Fisher, Alex VanSumeren and Alani Noa, and the Trojans suddenly have a lot more draft buzz than they did a year ago, even if the biggest question is how many of those players can turn that early attention into a real postseason invitation. [Read more 🡒]
Gary Patterson May Have Found USC's Most Important Defensive Chess Piece
Alex Graham spent the 2025 season becoming one of USCs most useful pieces in the secondary, opening games at nickel and even sliding to safety when the Trojans needed another reliable body on the back end. For a defense that has spent plenty of time sorting out roles in the secondary, his value has come from more than just filling a spot. Coaches have pointed to his football IQ, his versatility and the way his body has continued to develop as reasons he has become hard to keep off the field.
Now the question is how Gary Patterson uses him going forward. USCs new defensive coordinator inherits a player who can help near the line of scrimmage or deeper in coverage, and that kind of flexibility fits the broader push to keep nickel and safety options interchangeable. Graham looks like a key part of that plan, even if the exact job description for 2026 is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Changed Everything For Local RB Jaion Smith
Jaion Duce Smiths recruiting profile has started to pick up real momentum this summer, and the Santa Margarita High School running back has already given West Coast powers plenty to think about. The three-star prospect has built a relationship with USC coach Lincoln Riley, and his route through the process has included stops at Notre Dame and UCLA, with more visits still on the calendar as he prepares to play both running back and linebacker for his high school team this fall.
Smiths next stretch should tell a lot about where this race is headed. He enters the season with multiple offers and a growing list of schools showing interest, and the local angle only adds to the intrigue for USC fans watching a nearby talent navigate a wide-open recruitment. For now, the Trojans are firmly in the mix, but Smith is still taking his time and planning to see several more programs before anything gets settled. [Read more 🡒]