USC has finalized the return of two celebrated Trojans, announcing Thursday that former standout linebackers Chris Claiborne and Hayes Pullard are joining the coaching staff as quality control analysts.
These are new positions added to the support staff, as USC goes from having seven analyst positions in recent seasons to nine. As analysts, Claiborne and Pullard can assist the coaches in game-planning and evaluations, but can't actively coach players in practices or games. They can also help with on-campus recruiting events but cannot recruit off campus.
The Claiborne hire had long been anticipated, but the pandemic-induced hiring freeze stalled the process. Both were effectively hired prior to the shutdown but agreed to delay their starts until June 1.
Claiborne was the head coach at Calabasas High School the past two years, going 17-6 overall after previously serving as the defensive coordinator at Calabasas from 2014-15. He also served as an assistant at Corona HS, Oaks Christian HS and Long Beach Poly HS. In 2012, he started a 7-on-7 team, Frat Boyz. He also privately trained players in the Southern California area and ran youth football camps. While coaching in high school, he returned to USC to finish his bachelor’s degree, which he received in 2019.
Claiborne, a 3-year (1996-98) starter and Trojan captain in 1998, was USC’s first winner of the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. He was also recognized as a unanimous All-American and the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year for that 1998 season as he notched 120 tackles, 16 pass deflections and 6 interceptions (all team highs). He made the Freshman All-American first team in 1996 and was on the All-Pac-10 first team as a sophomore in 1997. He finished with 312 tackles, including 27 for losses, during his time with the Trojans.
Claiborne was selected by the Detroit Lions as the No. 9 overall pick of the 1999 NFL draft and played eight seasons with the Lions (1999-2002), Minnesota Vikings (2003-04), St. Louis Rams (2005) and New York Giants (2006). He had 395 tackles, 15 sacks, 18 deflections and 8 interceptions in his pro career, and he was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2018.
Pullard started four seasons (2011-14) at USC, notching 377 tackles (sixth most in Trojan history), 17 deflections and 3 interceptions. He was the first Trojan since Dennis Johnson in 1977-79 to lead USC in tackles in 3 seasons. He was a Freshman All-American first-teamer in 2011 and captained the Trojans in 2013 and 2014.
Pullard was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns in 2015 and played with the Browns (2015), Jacksonville Jaguars (2016) and Los Angeles Chargers (2017-18). He received his bachelor’s degree in public policy and development (real estate) from USC in 2014.
Expanding the support staff and recruiting department were areas of emphasis for new athletic director Mike Bohn and senior associate AD Brandon Sosna after assessing the needs of the program. USC has two more positions still to fill in the recruiting department, which will at that point more than double what was previous a team of five full-time staffers by increasing the department to 11 full-timers.
For comparison, much is made about Alabama's investment in the analyst position and the Crimson Tide had 12 last season, so USC has closed the gap a good bit.
