UCLA is just weeks away from joining the Big Ten. After 96 years and 123 national championships in the Pac-12, the Bruins are at the forefront of the Big Ten’s West Coast expansion. Prior to UCLA’s official move, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, men’s basketball and other top programs of each school.

Football
2023 record: 8-5, 5-4 Pac-12
Coach: Lincoln Riley

2023 was a tale of two halves for the Trojans.

Coach Lincoln Riley returned for his second year at the team’s helm alongside quarterback Caleb Williams – the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and current member of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

After six straight victories to kick off its season, USC seemed poised for Pac-12 glory – but the knot quickly began to unravel.

The Trojans proceeded to lose five of their final six games of the regular season, finishing tied for fourth in the conference.

The team’s explosive offensive – one that notched over 40 points per game in each of their eight victories – was not enough to compensate for its defensive deficiencies, ranking only 104th nationally in yards allowed per play.

But after the team’s hiring of defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, hope may glimmer for the Trojan defense in 2024. Lynn skyrocketed UCLA’s defense from being ranked No. 86 in 2022 to ending the last season at No. 10.

Lynn’s coaching experience prior to joining the Bruins spanned over five different NFL teams throughout nine seasons. Notably, Lynn helped the Houston Texans clinch back-to-back AFC South championships in 2018 and 2019 as the team’s assistant secondary coach.

Along with Lynn, Riley ushered 2021 Super Bowl champion Eric Henderson to serve as the team’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Henderson held the same role for the Los Angeles Rams before his departure to USC.

Matt Entz, former head coach of North Dakota State, will round out the Trojans’ newly minted defensive coaching staff as the linebackers coach. During his five years in North Dakota, Entz cemented a .857 winning percentage and two Division I FCS national championships.

USC’s backfield will be bolstered by the addition of running back Woody Marks, a transfer from Mississippi State who accumulated over 3,000 combined rushing and receiving yards during his tenure in the SEC.

With Williams’ departure and the transfer of Malachi Nelson – the No. 1 overall recruit in 2023 – to Boise State, the spotlight will shift to Miller Moss to take command as the Trojans’ signal-caller. Moss threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns in his 2023 Holiday Bowl Offensive MVP performance but will still face competition for the starting position from incoming UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava.

A revamped coaching staff could mitigate the loss of a unanimous First Team All-American quarterback in Williams.

Men’s basketball
2023-2024 record: 15-18, 8-12 Pac-12
Coach: Eric Musselman

Transition.

With significant changes in collegiate conference realignment, teams now face major transitional phases – bringing new opportunities that could shake up storied programs.

For USC men’s basketball, a clean slate might help it regain its competitive edge.

The Trojans’ most recent season closed with a 70-49 loss to Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals. After posting its lowest score of the season, the program suffered its first losing record in five years.

On April 1, 11-year head coach Andy Enfield announced his departure from the team to assume head coaching duties at Southern Methodist. Eric Musselman – former Arkansas head coach – will conduct the Trojans’ transition into the Big Ten.

Capable of transforming underperforming programs, Musselman led Nevada to the College Basketball Invitation title in 2017 in his first year with the program prior to transitioning to Arkansas. Musselman steered the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament for the following two years. At Arkansas, Musselman led the Razorbacks to Sweet 16 appearances from 2021 to 2023.

Next year’s team will sport an almost novel roster, with star guards Isaiah Collie and Bronny James now in the NBA. Center Harrison Hornery and guard JD Plough remain as the only returning players from last season’s lineup.

The team’s incoming 16 players features six graduate student transfers, including forward Rashaun Agee from Bowling Green, who posted 17 double-doubles during the 2023-2024 season.

With a new coach, new conference and an almost entirely new roster, USC will face one of the biggest transitional phases in the coming months.

Women’s basketball

2023-2024 record: 29-6, 13-5 Pac-12, Pac-12 championship, Elite Eight appearance
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb

In 2023, USC women’s basketball was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by an unranked South Dakota State in overtime.

In 2024, the team finished with a .829 record, and climbed its way to an Elite Eight appearance – its first in 30 years – after earning a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The differentiating factor: 2024 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, JuJu Watkins.

The guard’s 920 points on the season slotted her in as the nation’s highest-scoring freshman. Watkins fell just behind two-time National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark as the No. 2 scorer in the nation, averaging 27.1 points per game.

Making an immediate impact for the Trojans, Watkins appeared in and started all but one game, notching 7.3 rebounds a game alongside a .852% free throw percentage.

Watkins’ offensive aptitude, along with center/forward Rayah Marshall’s 65 blocks through the regular season, led USC to its first Pac-12 tournament championship in 10 years.

USC lost its leading 3-point shooter in guard/forward McKenzie Forbes to the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks. Forbes led the Trojans with 26 points in their upset over the Stanford Cardinal to clinch the Pac-12 title.

But what the team will lose in Forbes, it can gain in its decorated incoming class.

The graduate student transfer duo joining the Trojans this upcoming season – Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen – offer a veteran presence Gottlieb can build her squad around.

After leading Stanford in offensive rebounds and points throughout its 30-9 season, Iriafen won the Katrina McClain Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best power forward.

Among the seven freshmen that compose the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class is Gatorade California Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kennedy Smith. The guard is the No. 6 recruit of the 2024 class after averaging 20.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as an Etiwanda High School senior.

USC will soon battle acclaimed powerhouses such as national championship runner-up Iowa and Ohio State – who boasted a 16-2 conference record.

But with a star-studded incoming class and a foundation built around WBCA Division I Freshman of the Year in Watkins, the Trojans may pose a unique threat of their own.