USC Trojans announce additions of assistant coaches Paul Gonzales, Skyler Jones
The USC Trojans officially announced the hirings of three assistant coaches on February. The first was new special teams coordinator and linebackers coach Mike Ekeler. The Trojans also made official the hiring of Paul Gonzales away from Baylor and the promotion of Skyler Jones from analyst to defensive tackle coach.
USC head coach Lincoln Riley offered statements regarding all three coaches:
Of Mike Ekeler: “This is an exciting return to USC for Mike and his family. Mike’s special teams and linebacker units are elite, and he brings 23 years of Power Four experience on staffs that have produced some of the nation’s finest defenses and special teams. We’re thrilled to welcome him back to Los Angeles as part of our program.”
Of Paul Gonzales: “We’re happy to welcome Paul to the Trojan Family. His experience working alongside Coach Patterson combined with his strong football acumen and energy will have an immediate impact on our defense. He will quickly elevate the development and performance of our safeties.”
Of Skyler Jones: “We are thrilled for Skyler. He has earned this opportunity by consistently developing high-level performers, building meaningful relationships with our players, and demonstrating his commitment to the standard of excellence we expect in our program. He will continue to enhance our defensive line and elevate the talent in our room.”
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Ekeler will take over as special teams coordinator and coach the linebackers for the Trojans. He’s coming over from Nebraska after overseeing a really impressive one-year turnaround on special teams with the Huskers.
Gonzales is joining back up with new USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. He’ll be the safeties coach and defensive pass game coordinator for the Trojans. He spent 13 years at TCU (from 2012-2024), overlapping with Patterson from ’12 through the middle of 2021 when Patterson split with TCU. Gonzales coached linebackers, safeties and cornerbacks during his time under Patterson with the Horned Frogs.
Jones has been at USC for two seasons, serving as a defensive analyst and working alongside Eric Henderson with the interior defensive linemen.
