USC has had 30 head coaches, and four of them account for ten of the program’s eleven claimed national championships: Howard Jones with four, John McKay with four, John Robinson with one and Pete Carroll with two, the last of which the NCAA later vacated. The sixteen years since Carroll left have produced five coaches and one conference title. Lincoln Riley begins his fifth season at 35 and 18.
The Modern Era
| Coach | Seasons | Record | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Riley | 2022 to present | 35, 18 | None; 2022 Pac-12 title game |
| Donte Williams | 2021 | 3, 7 | Interim |
| Clay Helton | 2015 to 2021 | 46, 24 | Pac-12 2017 |
| Steve Sarkisian | 2014 to 2015 | 12, 6 | None; fired mid season |
| Ed Orgeron | 2013 | 6, 2 | Interim |
| Lane Kiffin | 2010 to 2013 | 28, 15 | None; fired at the airport |
| Pete Carroll | 2001 to 2009 | 97, 19 (83, 19 after vacated wins) | National 2003, 2004; seven Pac-10 |
| Paul Hackett | 1998 to 2000 | 19, 18 | None |
| John Robinson | 1976 to 1982, 1993 to 1997 | 104, 35, 4 | National 1978; five conference |
| Larry Smith | 1987 to 1992 | 44, 25, 3 | Pac-10 1987, 1988, 1989 |
| Ted Tollner | 1983 to 1986 | 26, 20, 1 | Pac-10 1984 |
| John McKay | 1960 to 1975 | 127, 40, 8 | National 1962, 1967, 1972, 1974; nine conference |
| Don Clark | 1957 to 1959 | 13, 16, 1 | AAWU 1959 |
| Jess Hill | 1951 to 1956 | 45, 17, 1 | PCC 1952 |
| Jeff Cravath | 1942 to 1950 | 54, 28, 8 | PCC 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947 |
| Sam Barry | 1941 | 2, 6, 1 | None |
| Howard Jones | 1925 to 1940 | 121, 36, 13 | National 1928, 1931, 1932, 1939; seven PCC |
| Gloomy Gus Henderson | 1919 to 1924 | 45, 7 | None; best winning percentage in program history |
Before Henderson, USC had a dozen coaches across intermittent seasons from 1888, including Harvey Holmes from 1904 to 1907 and Dean Cromwell in two stints. Clay Helton also coached the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl as interim before Sarkisian’s hiring. Gold rows are the national championship coaches.
Howard Jones, 1925 to 1940
Jones, who had coached a single season at Oklahoma, built the program’s identity: four national championships, seven conference titles, five Rose Bowl wins without a loss, and the 1931 win at Notre Dame that ended the Irish’s 26 game unbeaten run and is still called the Trojans’ greatest. His Thundering Herd teams of 1931 and 1932 went 21 and 1. He died of a heart attack in 1941, still the head coach.
John McKay, 1960 to 1975
McKay went 127, 40 and 8, won four national titles, nine conference championships and five Rose Bowls, and invented Tailback U with Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Anthony Davis and Ricky Bell running the Student Body Right sweep. His 1972 team is regularly named the best in the program’s history. He left to coach the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
John Robinson, Twice
Robinson was McKay’s offensive coordinator, took over in 1976, and won the 1978 national championship with Charles White, then coached Marcus Allen’s Heisman season before leaving for the Rams. He returned in 1993 for five more seasons and two Rose Bowls. His 104 wins are third in program history. Our national championships page covers all four coaches’ titles.
Pete Carroll, 2001 to 2009
Carroll, dismissed by two NFL teams, went 97 and 19 in nine seasons at USC with seven straight Pac-10 titles, seven straight BCS bowls, two national championships and a 34 game winning streak. Three Heisman winners played for him. The NCAA vacated the 2004 title, the 2005 season and Reggie Bush’s records in 2010 over improper benefits, and imposed sanctions that the next three coaches inherited. He left for the Seattle Seahawks months before the penalties were announced and won a Super Bowl there.
The Sixteen Years Since
Lane Kiffin was fired at Los Angeles International Airport in September 2013 after a loss at Arizona State. Steve Sarkisian was fired five games into his second season. Clay Helton won the 2017 Pac-12 title and a Rose Bowl but went 46 and 24 across seven seasons and was dismissed two games into 2021. Between them the program produced one conference championship and none of the national relevance its history demanded.
Lincoln Riley
Riley arrived from Oklahoma in November 2021 with a 55 and 10 record and four Big 12 titles, brought Caleb Williams with him, and went 11 and 3 in his first season with a Heisman winner and a Pac-12 championship game appearance. The three seasons since have produced 8 and 5, 7 and 6 in the first Big Ten year, and 9 and 4 in 2025 with an overtime Alamo Bowl loss to TCU. He enters 2026 at 35 and 18 with USC ranked 14th and, for the first time, no Notre Dame game on the schedule. Our 2026 schedule page has the full slate.
The Bottom Line
USC has had 30 head coaches, and Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll won ten of its eleven claimed national championships. McKay won the most games with 127 and Gus Henderson had the best winning percentage at .865. The five coaches since Carroll have produced one conference title in sixteen seasons, and Lincoln Riley enters his fifth year with 35 wins. Our most wins by a coach page has where McKay and Jones rank nationally.