USC football HC Lincoln Riley steals assistant coach from Nebraska

The 2026 USC football season has already started, with the Trojans being active in the transfer portal and the coaching market. Lincoln Riley felt a lot of heat after USC collapsed in the Alamo Bowl, so he is doing all he can to ensure the Trojans can compete for a College Football Playoff spot next year, and he started by hiring a solid new special teams coordinator, Mike Ekeler.

CBS Sports college football reporter Matt Zenitz was one of the first to report that Mike Ekeler was leaving Nebraska and heading to USC after one season. Nebraska initially hired him from Tennessee, so Ekeler has been hopping around the country making his stamp as a special teams coach over the last three seasons.

Ekeler is widely regarded as one of the best special teams coaches in the entire country, and he was also nominated for the Broyles Award this past season as the best assistant coach in college football.

It is also worth noting that Ekeler also coached Nebraska’s edge position in the Las Vegas Bowl amid Nebraska’s defensive staff overhaul. There was speculation that he may continue serving in a role on defense in some capacity, but head coach Matt Rhule never confirmed anything long-term.

He has previous experience on defense, intertwined with his special teams experience. He was Nebraska’s outside linebackers coach from 2008 to 2010. Then, he was Tennessee’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach from 2021 to 2024.

The impact Ekeler had with the Cornhuskers was a night-and-day difference. In a single season, he drastically shifted their special teams play from a liability to a strength.

They did not allow a single blocked kick in 2025 after allowing seven in 2024. Instead, they blocked three kicks of their own, which was tied for ninth-best in the country. Then, Kenneth Williams led the Big Ten with 32.9 yards per kick return to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors. They also jumped to 13.6 yards per punt return. They also had a great kicking advantage in field goals and punting.

USC is loading up in the transfer portal and has a recruiting class that could push them to a huge season, and Ekeler is the latest piece to that.

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