***Update
This is now trending more in the direction of happening as Matt Entz has emerged as the leader for the Fresno State job. We have heard that the job is his, and is up to him to take it, which looks likely.
This is a massive loss for the USC defensive staff, especially on Early Signing Day when some big-time LB recruits hang in the balance.
We will continue to update this story as it develops.
***Original Story
When the USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley built their defensive staff this offseason, outside of how quickly they could improve the play on the field, the biggest question was how long they could retain the staff together. All five coaches are fairly big names in the coaching world, and all have very impressive resumes.
This is what made the hiring cycle so impressive, but again, it begged the question, how long would the staff stay fully intact before they started getting poached away?
According to 247Sports Fresno State affiliate BarkBoard, that may begin happening this offseason, with the Fresno State Bulldogs looking to hire a full-time head coach.
Last July, just before the season started, head coach Jeff Tedford stepped down due to health concerns. Assistant Head Coach and LB Coach, Tim Skipper, took over the interim head coaching duties for the season.
After leading the Bulldogs to a 6-5 record so far, Skipper certainly made a strong case to take on the official title of head coach, but Fresno State will certainly cast a wide net and interview other candidates.
One of those candidates on a short list, according to BarkBoard, is USC Trojans linebackers coach Matt Entz.
USC Trojans Matt Entz Potential Head Coaching Candidate
The experience alone that Matt Entz possesses warrants a head coaching gig. He won two National Championships as the head coach of the North Dakota State Bison.
As the USC linebackers coach, he has led the position group to become one of the better ones in the country.
Before his season ended due to concussions, you could argue that Eric Gentry was having his best season as a Trojan and was one of the most dominant linebackers in the Big Ten.
Mason Cobb has had a resurgence this season after faltering last year in Alex Grinch’s system.
Also Read: USC Trojans Heavily Favored To Land Top DL Prospect
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is not only the vocal leader of the defense but is one of the best tacklers in the Big Ten and is 7th in the conference with 88 tackles (before the Notre Dame game).
True Freshman Desman Stephens II has developed quickly and continues to get more and more playing time and even has an interception on the season.
Entz has also been integral in the recruiting game. With the early signing period happening next week, Entz has helped earn the commitments of two of the top linebackers in the class in Matai Tagoa’i and Jadon Perlotte.
If Fresno State decides to stick with Skipper or hire another candidate, it will not be the last program around the country interested in potentially poaching someone from the USC Trojans defensive staff as the defensive turnaround has been stark.