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Grading USC Football Coaching Hires: OL Neil Callaway

By Alicia de Artola

Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Southern California Trojans center Toa Lobendahn (50) prepares to snap the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Southern California Trojans center Toa Lobendahn (50) prepares to snap the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Improvement on the offensive line will be key to USC’s success in 2016. Does Neil Callaway’s hiring put the Trojans in position to thrive?

Now that USC’s 2016 coaching staff is nearing completion, it’s time to evaluate each hire from the quality of the coach to the context of the appointment.

This is the second in a series diving deeper into the decision-making behind and the consequences of each hire.

Here’s a look at how Callaway’s hiring grades out:

Neil Callaway | Offensive Line

Replacing: Bob ConnellyPros: Wealth of experience, successCons: Came from G5 school, failed UAB tenure

Though the unit dealt with major injuries, it is almost universally acknowledged that the Trojan offensive line under-performed in 2015. When Bob Connelly became the only offensive coach to be shown the door by Clay Helton, there was no doubt that the Trojans could find an upgrade.

It can easily be argued that they not only upgraded, but hit the jackpot in pulling Neil Callaway out of Western Kentucky.

Given Helton’s penchant for making connected hires, Callaway is as strong a connected hire as there could be.

Oct 11, 2014; Tucson, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans offensive tackle Zach Banner (73) reacts prior to the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The former Alabama lineman has more than 30 years of coaching experience — most of it with excellent results.

In three stints as an assistant coach in the SEC, Callaway was part of seven conference championships. At Auburn he coached four All-American first team linemen. He produced an All-American and five other All-SEC linemen at Georgia

USC has all the talent in the world up front on offense. They just need someone to develop that talent. That’s precisely what Callaway has done in his career.

Most recently, Callaway coached Western Kentucky through several key injuries on the offensive line as the Hilltoppers set school records for passing and rushing while ranking 13th nationally in sacks allowed.

Though initial questioning about USC poaching an offensive line coach from Conference USA would certainly be valid, digging into Callaway’s experience and success in the SEC should alleviate some of that concern.

That also applies for the obvious link between Callaway and Helton’s family and any accusations of this being a lazy hire without much of a search. Certainly USC could have gone outside of the Trojan or Helton family to find an offensive line coach, but nepotism is only a real problem if the person in question does not deserve their place.

Callaway’s resume makes him seem plenty deserving.

Grade: A

MORE GRADES:

What say you Trojan fans? How do you grade USC’s hiring of Neil Callaway as offensive line coach? Vote in the poll and sound off in the comments below.

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