For resilient USC seniors, a period of unprecedented tumult will end in Holiday Bowl
USC senior defensive linemen Delvon Simmons (52), Greg Townsend Jr. (93) and Antwaun Woods (99) celebrate a sack by Woods against Arizona.
They came to USC knowing that part of their careers would be played under NCAA sanctions.
No bowl games for a few years? They could deal with that.
A thinned roster because of scholarship limits? That might lead to more immediate playing time.
Four coaching changes and multiple off-the-field dramas later, USC’s seniors are preparing for Wednesday’s Holiday Bowl against Wisconsin, a final game in a span of unprecedented tumult.
Members of the 2011 and 2012 recruiting classes will leave the program with advanced degrees in resiliency.
We went through hell and back.
— USC fullback Soma Vainuku
USC fullback Soma Vainuku screams out in excitement following a win over Stanford in 2014.
“We went through hell and back,” fullback Soma Vainuku said. “That’s how you can explain us seniors.”
These are players who signed on to play for Lane Kiffin, who had succeeded Pete Carroll and in his first season guided the Trojans to an 8-5 record in 2010.
They saw Kiffin get fired, Ed Orgeron promoted to interim coach, Orgeron bolt when Steve Sarkisian was hired, Clay Helton promoted to interim coach for a bowl game, Sarkisian fired, Helton promoted again to interim coach and, finally, Helton hired as permanent coach.
They also endured three changes at defensive coordinator, numerous arrivals and departures of position coaches and controversies surrounding coaches, teammates and Athletic Director Pat Haden.
Freshman tailback Ronald Jones II marveled at the seniors’ ability to play through the upheaval.
“I can’t imagine,” he said. “I probably couldn’t have stayed. It would be hard seeing a new face every offseason and then trying to buy into his motto and system. That would have been tough.”
Not everybody did stay. Six players from those classes, Marqise Lee, Leonard Williams and Nelson Agholor among them, left early for the NFL, and a handful transferred or quit or were removed from the team. But a dozen seniors from those classes will complete their eligibility this week.
There’s been a lot of drama since I’ve been here.
— USC quarterback Cody Kessler
USC quarterback Cody Kessler throws downfield against UCLA in the first quarter.
None dealt with the turnover more publicly than quarterback Cody Kessler, who arrived on campus from Bakersfield in January 2011.
“There’s been a lot of drama since I’ve been here,” he said.
Kiffin was fired in September 2013, five games into Kessler’s first season as a starter. Kessler, like predecessor Matt Barkley, was thrust into becoming the face and voice of the program – and he was only 19.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, what do I do?’” Kessler said. “‘How am I going to handle this? I don’t know what to say and I’m going to have to talk to the media.’ But it prepared me in the long run.”
Kessler helped the Trojans to a 10-4 record in 2013, passed for 39 touchdowns with five interceptions last season and this season has passed for 28 touchdowns with six interceptions.
Kessler and other seniors pointed to the Trojans’ 2013 victory over Stanford at the Coliseum as perhaps their most memorable high point. The Trojans, under Orgeron, defeated the then-No. 5 ranked Cardinal with a last-minute field goal, prompting USC fans to storm the field.
“Probably my favorite game I ever played in,” Kessler said.
USC’s victory over UCLA last month — the Trojans’ first against the Bruins since 2011 — also stands out. The win clinched the Pac-12 Conference South division title and led to Helton’s hiring.
Kessler credited Barkley and other former players for showing the seniors the way in dealing with adversity.
“I hope when people look back and realize when all this went on and everything was going down…we stayed constant with it,” he said, adding, “Hopefully, they’ll say, ‘These are the guys that got us through.’”
Life never goes how you want it to go -- that’s how life is.
— USC linebacker Anthony Sarao
USC linebacker Anthony Sarao intercepts a pass against the Fresno State.
Linebacker Anthony Sarao came to USC from New Jersey in 2011. Sarao redshirted his first season and was a starter his final two.
Even with turmoil surrounding the program, Sarao did not get low or angry.
“Life never goes how you want it to go — that’s how life is,” he said. “I mean, that’s why life is so precious, because you never know how it’s going to go. It’s all about how tall you’re going to stand, with your head up and keep pushing.
“That’s how it’s been here, so I can’t be mad at anything.”
Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, a two-year starter and All-Pac-12 selection this season, said persevering through the changes “taught me lessons as a man.”
“When adversity happens,” the fifth-year senior said, “just stick through it and keep going.”
Defensive lineman Greg Townsend Jr. endured not only coaching changes but also injuries and even a bout with chicken pox during five seasons at USC.
The seniors, he said, stuck together throughout.
“We still believed in this program,” Townsend said. “Being a part of it is always going to be something special.”
Cornerback Kevon Seymour came in as part of the 2012 class and played in eight games as a freshman. Seymour said there should be no excuses for the Trojans’ performance on the field the last four years, including a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl and two Holiday Bowl berths.
“We knew what we were going to face — probably not all the coaching changes but we knew we were going to be short in numbers,” he said. “We just stuck together. I think we did a great job.”
Fullback Jahleel Pinner, who also arrived in 2012, said Orgeron’s departure was a low point — “That was my time when I was, ‘Man, this whole college life is kind of crazy,” he said — but he had no regrets about choosing USC. The education, the networking opportunities and the daily competition on the practice field offset the seemingly constant changes.
Not your ideal four years of college, but we persevered through it.
— USC fullback Jahleel Pinner
USC fullback Jahleel Pinner celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against Colorado.
“Not your ideal four years of college,” he said of the coaching turnover, “but we persevered through it and made the best of what we could do.
“Hopefully, people will remember that.”
Helton has been a member of USC’s staff since 2010, so he weathered the same drama as the seniors. He echoed several players who said the seniors laid the groundwork for a brighter future.
He has made it a priority, he said, to send them out with another Holiday Bowl victory.
“It’s been one of those first-class bunches that over my 21 years you don’t come around,” he said, adding, “What they committed to this team and to this university over a four-to-five-year period is ultra special.
“It’s a group I’ll never forget.”
Twitter: @latimesklein
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