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Sophomore cornerback Chris Steele doesn't get specific, but he says enough to explain one possible contributing factor to USC's disappointing 2019 defensive performance.

Steele shared the observation unprompted while joining the Trojan Talk podcast and discussing the difference he's seen from USC's new defensive staff and coordinator Todd Orlando.

**LISTEN TO THE FULL PODCAST HERE**

"The biggest difference I would say is the energy they bring. Coach Orlando, the first day we met him, he came out to workouts and broke the huddle up and everything. And one day he just stood up during a team meeting and said, 'Everybody stand up, we're going to start making this a tradition.' He made everybody stand up and we had to show our brothers some love," Steele said. "That was definitely something that kind of stood out to me, because I think a lot of people see the Coach Orlando that's all hyper and stuff -- he definitely gets everybody going -- but they don't see behind the scenes how much he really wants to bring everybody together on the team.

"I think that's a big problem we had last year -- the cohesion on the team was not the best. So he's trying to get rid of all the little cliques or whatever you want to call it. He's definitely trying to bring the team together as one, and that's ultimately what's going to win championships. So that's the biggest thing I've noticed."