USC Coach Josh Henson Leaving For Purdue Job Ahead Of Las Vegas Bowl

Ahead of the Las Vegas Bow,l, the USC Trojans have been gutted by the transfer portal and now the Trojans are losing a top offensive assistant Josh Henson to a fellow Big Ten program in the Purdue Boilermakers.

USC offensive line coach Josh Henson posing with Elijah Paige (72) and Jonah Monheim (79) / Josh Henson/

The USC Trojans have seen their roster ravaged by transfer portal defections. The offensive side of the ball will have to replace seven starters, including three offensive lineman. USC head coach Lincoln Riley will also be on the lookout to find a replacement for his co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach as well.

Josh Henson, who's been with the Trojans since Riley was hired in 2021, has accepted the offensive coordinator job at Purdue. Henson will be reunited once again with newly-named Purdue head coach Barry Odom. The two worked together on staff at Missouri during the mid-2010s.

USC offensive line coach Josh Henson leaving to take Purdue offensive coordinator job https://t.co/csm3ml1eD9

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) December 18, 2024

Henson leaves USC to become the play-caller at Purdue. Despite being the co-offensive coordinator for the Trojans, it was more of a title as he was not the play-caller. Henson worked more extensively with the offensive line and served as the position coach for the unit.

During his time at USC, Henson oversaw one of the best offensive lines in recent memory during his first season in Los Angeles. In 2022, USC's offensive line was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the country's best offensive line unit. He also helped develop Andrew Vorehees and Brett Neilon into First Team All-American selections, with Vorehees winning the Morris Trophy, which was awarded to the Pac-12's best lineman.

Henson has seen big rises from lineman like Emmanuel Pregnon, Justin Dedich, and Jonah Monheim, three players who should be on NFL rosters come next fall.

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Aug 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) celebrates his touchdown pass to wide receiver Tahj Washington (16) against the San Jose State Spartans with offensive lineman Justin Dedich (57) during the first half at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

He is the second position coach to leave USC this year at linebackers coach Matt Entz just recently accepted the head coaching position at Fresno State. Riley will have his hands full as he looks to replace both coaches.

Henson's departure add onto the laundry list that the USC coaching staff has. With Riley spending his days prepping for the bowl game vs. Texas A&M and scouring the transfer portal to build next year's roster, finding another offensive line coach has to be on the top of the priority list. Without a position coach in place, it makes it harder to recruit the position, especially with how quickly everything moves within the portal cycle.

As for options the Trojans can look at to replace Henson, one in-house name stands out immediately. Tight ends coach Zach Hanson has significant experience with the position, both as a player at Kansas State from 2008-11, and as a coach. Before heading to USC to become the tight ends coach, Hanson served as the offensive line coach at Tulsa for two seasons.

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