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Almost certainly ending any hopes that beloved former assistant Ed Orgeron would return to USC this year, the Trojans have hired Chris Wilson of Georgia to be the defensive line coach for next year's staff, according to media reports. The move comes a little over a week after USC hired Bo Davis away from Texas to coach the Trojan defensive line, but Davis quit just days later to take the same position under Nick Saban at Alabama.
The Davis flip-flop and Wilson's hiring appears to be the final chapter of what has been arguably the craziest USC coaching carousel in a single season.
It all began with Lane Kiffin being fired in the middle of the season and Orgeron being promoted from defensive line coach to interim head coach. The craziness then reached its pinnacle when Orgeron quit, leaving the Trojans before their bowl game after not he, but Steve Sarkisian was hired as the long-term head coach.
Now that Sarkisian has his entire staff filled out, barring any further changes of heart, it appears the carousel has come to a resting stop and with no spot left for Orgeron.
Wilson played at Oklahoma before beginning his coaching career. He served as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State from 2010-12, with his 2011 team ranking 16th in the country in scoring defense.
He was hired by Georgia in 2013 as the defensive line coach, not a coordinator. Wilson inherited a defensive line that lost nose tackle Kwame Geathers, defensive tackle John Jenkins, defensive end Abry Jones and defensive end/outside linebacker edge rushers Cornelius Washington and Jarvis Jones -- each signing with NFL teams. Georgia returned only 24 tackles from the defensive line (23 from Ray Drew), but the Bulldog defense recorded 33 sacks this season in an 8-5 campaign, good for 29th in the country.
