Apr 14, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans secondary coach Marvin Sanders at the 2012 spring game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Former USC Defensive Backs Coach Marvin Sanders has been hired by Los Angeles Loyola High School to be the Cubs’ new head coach this football season, per the Los Angeles Times.

Sanders had been let go by USC in January, as a part of Trojan Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s initiative to bring changes to the USC football program. Those changes have also meant seeing Kennedy Polamalu part ways with the Trojans, as well as the additions of new coaches Clancy Pendergast (defensive coordinator), Tommie Robinson (running backs coach) and Mike Summers (offensive line). Though Sanders was quite popular amongst the players, the corps of defensive backs that he led did not really improve under his guidance, and were relatively disastrous in 2012.

Despite how he faired as with USC, Loyola High Athletic Director Chris O’Donnell cited Sanders’ experience, core ethics and background as impressive and the school’s athletic department strong feels that Sanders is a great addition to the program. O’Donnell also indicated that prior to being fired from Troy, Sanders had been looking into the job with Loyola for some time.

Mar 22, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans secondary coach Marvin Sanders at spring practice at Howard Jones Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders is no longer a part of the Trojan coaching staff, USC head coach Lane Kiffin announced on Thursday.

News of this first surfaced earlier in the week, though at the time, no reason had been given for letting him go. On Thursday, Coach Kiffin gave an official statement on the matter:

“We wish Marvin Sanders and his family the best of luck,” said Kiffin. “Marvin did a great job for us coaching our secondary and in recruiting. But with the hiring of Clancy Pendergast as our defensive coordinator, we decided to go in a different direction based on Clancy’s desire to oversee the defensive backs unit.”

Many of the current players were extremely partial to Sanders, as were recruits such as the highly-coveted cornerback Jalen Ramsey. It is entirely possible that Ramsey could flip to Florida or Florida State with his position coach having been let go two weeks before National Signing Day.

Fortunately for USC, DBs Su’a Cravens, Chris Hawkins and Leon McQuay III are already enrolled.

Despite his popularity, it is not hard to see why Sanders was let go: under his leadership the secondary has been a liability, and they not only didn’t get better in 2012, they actually regressed. If USC is to compete against the potent spread offenses in the Pac-12, a reliable secondary is of the utmost import.

With Pendergast taking the reigns, the USC DBs can start fresh, with new talent and a new coaching philosophy that could mean all the difference between another season of groaning at the secondary play and actually having confidence in them, come August.

We wish Marvin Sanders and his family the best of luck. Marvin did a great job for us coaching our secondary and in recruiting. But with the hiring of Clancy Pendergast as our defensive coordinator, we decided to go in a different direction based on Clancy’s desire to oversee the defensive backs unit.

Sanders had been a part of the USC coaching staff for just one season, landing at Troy last February. Under Sanders, USC’s pass defense went from 102nd in the nation in 2011, to 53rd in 2012.

They struggled against the pass on third down however, giving up 20 plays of more than 20 yards in 2011, including game-changing plays on 3rd & 22 at Arizona and 3rd & 18 at UCLA, both of which came in the fourth quarter.

Before his stint with the Trojans, Sanders briefly held the post of defensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic under Carl Pelini, but never coached a game for Owls. He spent five of the previous eight seasons with Nebraska, with a three-year stint at North Carolina thrown in between.