Can Williams restore luster to USC program?
LOS ANGELES — Relationships have been Donte Williams’ stock in trade, his ability to connect with recruits and their families making him one of the most sought-after assistant coaches in the Pac-12.
After the firing of head coach Clay Helton on Monday, Williams will try to use those same bonds to salvage USC’s season, and perhaps leave athletic director Mike Bohn with a difficult decision to make as the Trojans search for a leader.
Williams oversaw his first practices Tuesday and Wednesday after being named interim head coach for the Trojans (1-1, 0-1 Pac-12), a title he learned he would have only minutes before Bohn and Helton informed players a change would be made. Bohn said Williams, 39, got the role so offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando can continue focusing on game planning and calling plays.
“It’s not the Donte Williams show, right? It’s the USC show, so we’re working this all together,” Williams said. “There’s no I and me, it’s us and we, and that’s what the whole message is. Us and we. What we’re gonna do. Not what I’m gonna do. What we’re gonna do.”
Williams also has familiarity with many USC players after having recruited them during his time as cornerbacks coach at Arizona, Nebraska and Oregon before joining USC in February 2020. It was his prowess in bonding with high school players that contributed to sending USC’s efforts to sign the best in its backyard into a tailspin in recent years, helping the Ducks land Southern California players such as linebacker Justin Flowe and corner Mykael Wright.
So when Bohn and chief of staff Brandon Sosna were working to bolster USC’s recruiting efforts at the same time Helton was overhauling his defensive staff last year, Williams checked all the boxes.
“I think it just goes to show how respected he is, you know, within the team and within the nation because he’s touched a lot of people around the nation, some of the top coaches around the nation,” safety Isaiah PolaMao said.
Those additions have turned things around in recruiting, as USC has commitments from several elite 2022 players. The elevation of Williams should give the Trojans a better chance of holding on to that class until a new head coach is named.
The immediate goal is to produce wins on the field, starting at Washington State (1-1) on Saturday. Williams hopes to use his ties throughout the USC roster to establish greater accountability after penalties and breakdowns piled up in what would end up being Helton’s last game, a 42-28 home loss to Stanford.
Williams, a Los Angeles native, did not aspire to be a coach after playing defensive back in college at Syracuse and Idaho State and spending two seasons in the Arena Football League’s developmental ranks.
Now he’s the first Black head coach for USC, a milestone he does not take for granted.
“To be honest, it’s a humble, humble, humble thing because there have been a lot of guys before me that probably did more than I’ve done to have the opportunity, so it’s not just about me per se,” he said.
“It’s about a lot of guys that came before me. There are a lot of guys that will come after me, so it’s about making sure I do what’s best for this team, for this university, for this community. And that’s what I’m going to do.”