Coach Eric Henderson’s recruiting prowess and defensive mastery elevate USC

When evaluating coaches in today's college football, as should be evident by the latest string of USC recruiting wins, how someone does in recruiting matters a lot. Position coaches especially are asked to not only be a master of their specific room but also to be able to provide the needed boost on the trail.

How someone does in terms of implementing the game plan and teaching the Xs and Os will, of course, matter. Also, making an impact in recruiting and solidifying a program's targets is just as important to ensure a continual flow of talent into the team.

Because of both of these critical aspects, coach Eric Henderson simply has to be considered to be among the best, if not the best, defensive line coaches in all of college football. The recruiting aspect speaks for itself.

One glance at the 2026 and 2027 classes shows a lot of committed future Trojans on the list and a lot of stars accompanying those players. In terms of recruiting, coach Henderson is unquestionably getting the job done in that regard.

Sticking with the more strictly related football aspects, coach Henderson has a resume that easily stacks up with the best DL coaches throughout the nation. In the NFL he helped to build top-notch units with the Los Angeles Rams.

Exciting USC unit to keep tabs on in 2025

Entering his second season at USC, many are lauding coach Henderson's efforts behind the scenes to help boost the defensive players in the trenches. Expecting to see something of a leap from that unit in particular this season, the co-defensive coordinator has laid the needed groundwork to help give that side of the ball the needed improvement for the Trojans to compete.  

The upcoming regular season will say a lot about all position groups at USC. Because of people like coach Henderson on the Trojan staff, many expect to see this team progress from how they looked last year and show that they are not too far off from hitting some of their more ambitious goals.