Marques Tuiasosopo Leaves USC to be UCLA QB Coach

USC quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo has reportedly left the Trojans to take the same role at UCLA under head coach Jim Mora.

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Four years after being given his first full-time assistant coaching job by the Bruins in 2012, Tuiasosopo is back in Westwood as Mora enters Year 5, according to 247Sports’s Ryan Bartow.

The move coincides with UCLA’s internal promotion of former USC assistant Kennedy Polamalu to offensive coordinator, who replaces Texas A&M-bound Noel Mazzone.

Tuiasosopo’s departure is a key one for the Trojans. They’ll lose out on a critically acclaimed recruiter with strong ties in the Polynesian community.

He got to USC as a tight ends coach in 2014 under Steve Sarkisian, who originally got him into coaching back in 2009 as an assistant strength coach at Washington.

In his two seasons at Troy, Tuiasosopo was credited with the key signings of tight ends Bryce Dixon and Tyler Petite. But most importantly, he secured the arrivals of five-star linebackers Porter Gustin and Osa Masina out of Utah last year.

The big 2015 recruiting cycle ended up earning Tuiasosopo Scout’s Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year Award.

With targets like Devin Asiasi, Maxs Tupai and Boss Tagaloa all undecided in the final month going into Signing Day, USC will have to find a way to pick up the pieces without Tuiasosopo.

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On the football side of things, the departure should provide some clarity for USC. Tyson Helton, who has coached quarterbacks at both Western Kentucky and UAB, may now have the chance to takeover that role with the Trojans, as opposed to coaching running backs.

Assuming Helton makes that move, Johnny Nansen could reprise his position as USC’s running backs coach, where he oversaw the successes of Justin Davis and Ronald Jones in 2015.

For now though, we’ll have to see how exactly it shakes out. The Trojans have two coaching vacancies left, though the school has yet to officially announce the hiring of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.