Defensive line coach Vic So'oto announces he will not return to USC

USC's coaching staff is coming into focus both in terms of who is coming in and also in regard to who's leaving.

Defensive line coach Vic So'oto announced his departure from the program on Twitter on Monday with a message to the "Trojan Family."

"Thank you for the past two years. I am disappointed I will not be able to finish the last year of my contract as a USC Trojan," So'oto wrote. "I am thankful to Coach Orlando for inviting me to be a part of the team and Coach Helton, Mike [Bohn] and Brandon [Sosna] for signing off. The peaks and valleys of this profession are what it make it special.

"To my unit, you know it's all love. I am proud of the men you are becoming. Remember the creed. I am proud of the way you fought week in and week out under unprecedented circumstances. To the warriors that love football and never complained or missed a class, practice, meeting, training session, etc., you inspire me!"

So'oto added that he is "extremely excited for the next chapter of my career and the challenges that lie ahead. The best is yet to come."

He did not specify what that next chapter will be.

So'oto, who is from Oceanside, Calif., and was excited to return home in taking this job, had previously spent three seasons as the defensive line coach at Virginia, a year as a GA there and a year as an intern at BYU, all under coach Bronco Mendenhall, who earlier this week resigned as Virginia head coach.

So'oto's unit went through uncommon obstacles this year, particularly at the nose tackle position where the Trojans lost three-year starter Marlon Tuipulotu to the NFL, projected replacement Brandon Pili to a torn Achilles, impressive freshman Jay Toia to a transfer to UCLA after spring practice and projected key contributor Ishmael Sopsher, the Alabama transfer who only played one game after initially working through a long recovery from surgery for compartment syndrome in his leg.

So'oto had a positve impact on Marlon Tuipulotu, who elevated his game as a senior in 2020, younger brother Tuli Tuipulotu who was the leader of the unit as a sophomore (5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss), redshirt senior Nick Figueroa (who led the team in sacks and TFLs last season) and redshirt junior Jacob Lichtenstein (who had the best season of his career this fall with 6 TFLs and 4 sacks).

On the flip side, highly-anticipated five-star freshman defensive end Korey Foreman never earned a consistent role this season, remaining a lightly used situational pass rusher and USC tied for 94th nationally with 1.75 sacks a game.

It was reported by ESPN on Sunday that USC offensive line coach Clay McGuire is taking the same role at Washington State, while those are the only official staff departures so far.

New coach Lincoln Riley has already hired six assistant coaches in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch (from Riley's staff at Oklahoma), inside receivers coach Dennis Simmons (Oklahoma), OLBs/DEs coach Jamar Cain (Oklahoma), cornerbacks coach Roy Manning (Oklahoma), inside receivers coach Dave Nichol (Mississippi State) and Zach Hanson, who was the OL coach at Tulsa but has previously coached tight ends as well.

Several Trojans reacted to So'oto tweet Monday.