Report: USC to hire Mississippi State's Dave Nichol as inside WRs coach
Lincoln Riley is hiring Mississippi State's Dave Nichol as his new inside receivers coach at USC, The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported.
The Clarion Ledger's Andy Kostka also confirmed the news.
Nichol has spent the last two seasons in the same role at Mississippi State under head coach Mike Leach, after previously spending four years on Leach's staff at Washington State.
But like Riley, Nichol has Texas Tech roots and the two coached together both there and at East Carolina.
Nichol began as a student coach at Texas Tech in 2000-01 and returned as an offensive assistant from 2003-05. Riley was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech in the spring and summer of 2003 before starting his coaching career as a student assistant there under head coach Leach for three seasons from 2003-05.
Nichol and Riley reunited again at East Carolina, from 2012-14 when Nichol coached the outside WRs as Riley got his start as an offensive coordinator. Nichol then succeeded Riley as OC there for a season after Riley left for Oklahoma, before Nichol joined Leach at Washington State.
Riley now has three of his 10 assistant coaches in place in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons and Nichol. Grinch and Simmons followed Riley from Oklahoma, as did head strength coach Bennie Wylie and director of football operations Clarke Stroud.
There was an early report from On3.com's Matt Zenitz that offensive line coach/co-OC Bill Bedenbaugh was also following Riley from Oklahoma to USC, but there has been no further confirmation of that.
"Cannot wait to get the rest of this staff here and I can promise you it will be one you're very proud of," Riley said Monday. "The three guys that I knew I was going to bring are here today. There will be a few more coming in the next few days."