USC football dumps Tim Drevno and Aaron Ausmus

USC football has fired offensive line coach Tim Drevno and strength coach Aaron Ausmus

USC football has started the new year by shuffling up the coaching staff again.

On Friday, Bruce Feldman confirmed reports that the Trojans have parted ways with offensive line coach Tim Drevno and strength coach Aaron Ausmus.

The decision comes after USC finished the 2020 season 5-1 and without a Pac-12 title.

A large part of USC’s disappointment in 2020 had to do with poor line play, particularly in short-yardage situations. Oregon’s ability to get pressure on Kedon Slovis in the Pac-12 Championship game loss was a serious problem as well.

USC football needs to find replacements for two critical coaching spots

Offensive line and strength coaches are arguably the most important assistant positions within a program, next to offensive and defensive coordinators.

The strength coach sets the tone for the entire team when it comes to toughness, fitness and physicality. Ausmus was brought in to improve those things but his results were difficult to gauge.

Drevno was added to USC’s staff as a running backs coach initially despite his long history coaching the offensive line. When Neil Calloway was relieved of his duties in 2018, Drevno was there to take over.

Given his strong track record as a position coach, there was hope Drevno could make a difference for the Trojans. USC is now back at square one searching for an offensive line coach who can recruit and develop players in the trenches at a championship level.

Who is that coach? And will Clay Helton be able to convince him to come to USC while sitting on a hot seat? How much of USC’s resources will Mike Bohn devote to making sure the Trojans find a suitable upgrade? These are the questions that need to be answered as 2021 unfolds.