After earlier this month tabbing Trumain Carroll as the team's new director of football strength and sports performance, USC has added another key assistant strength coach to the Trojans' football staff of Lincoln Riley, FootballScoop has learned.
Multiple sources tell FootballScoop that USC is hiring Kerry Thompson, a former University of Alabama strength assistant, away from Alabama State to serve under Carroll as an assistant strength coach in the Trojans program.
Thompson, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with past experience at Alabama, UAB, Alabama State and Allen University, among other stops, is coming to USC after being the assistant athletic director for performance enhancement at Alabama State for the past year. His work at Allen University as the school's first-ever director of sports performance entailed oversight of all 10 of the school's athletics program.
USC hired away Carroll from Kansas State after it separated from veteran coach Bennie Wylie. A former Oklahoma State player, Carroll has spent time at his alma mater, as well as SMU, Arkansas and South Florida before his extended run at Kansas State.
The Trojans, preparing for the onset of summer workouts, presently have the consensus No. 1-rated 2026 recruiting class and are set to open their 2025 season Aug. 30 against Missouri State.