Former USC Defensive Star Wants to Join the Trojans’ Coaching Staff Next Season

USC defensive coordinator Su'a Cravens has a nice ring to it.

After weeks of anticipation, USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was relieved of his duties, as announced by head coach Lincoln Riley Sunday afternoon. 

The announcement came following a 52-42 loss to the Washington Huskies that saw UW rack up 572 total yards, including 256 from running back Dillon Johnson alone. Explosive plays proved to be the nail in the coffin for the Trojans despite keeping the game competitive until late in the fourth quarter.

Former USC safety Su'a Cravens, who frequently Tweets about the team, inserted his name into the fold of candidates for next season. While not explicitly asking to be considered for the defensive coordinator position, Cravens said he thought he would be an asset on the recruiting trail.

"I don't want to step on anybody toes. I don't want power or a certain title. I just want to win. I can recruit my ass off and make sure Cali stays home," Cravens Tweeted.

(Via

@iammsuzy

)

Cravens, whose NFL career was cut short because of post-concussion syndrome, was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 overall safety in his class. The Los Angeles native was named an All-Pac-12 Conference defensive back in 2014 and linebacker in 2015.

Riley announced that defensive line coach Shaun Nua and inside linebackers coach/associate head coach for defense Brian Odom would serve as interim co-defensive coordinators for the remainder of the season. Defensive analyst Taylor Mays was promoted to an on-field assistant coach role with an emphasis on working with the safeties.

The job will be a highly-coveted role but a challenging one, as next year USC will play its inaugural season in the Big Ten conference. After having one of the worst-performing defenses in the country for consecutive seasons, it could be difficult to attract recruits and convince current defenders to stick around in Los Angeles.

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