USC football is feeding off Mike Ekeler’s energy
The Trojans’ new special teams coach brings an enthusiasm to developing a unit that has hugely struggled under Lincoln Riley
Haley Sawyer (OC Register) — The visor atop Mike Ekeler’s head has faded to a rust-colored red, comfortably broken in from years of wear on sun-soaked football fields.
“That thing’s pretty old,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley joked after a spring football practice on Friday. “That’s probably older than maybe some of our players.
“It gets a lot of questions and looks until people figure out what it is. But that’s Coach Ek.”
It’s a rescued artifact from Ekeler’s first run with USC, when he was the Trojans’ linebackers coach in 2013. He’s back again for the 2026 season as the special teams and linebackers coach and his presence, like his visor, already has a lived-in feeling at USC.
“I understand the standard here,” Ekeler said. “That’s why when Lincoln called and offered me an opportunity to come back. I was like, ‘Heck yeah.’ I embrace that standard.”
USC’s special teams ranked 124th out of 200 FBS schools in the 2025 season, according to its 64.6% grade from Pro Football Focus. They allowed an average of 17.17 yards on punt returns and 26.3 yards on kick returns.
Ekeler has been brought on to change that, and his personal experience as a linebacker at Kansas State and as a linebackers coach could help with that.
Tackling is a priority, and Ekeler’s progressive style of teaching starts with the fundamentals.
The team has started the first portion of spring with reaction drills. Offensive and defensive players line up on the sideline in groups, testing their get-off speed and leverage against a teammate holding a pad, acting as a blocker.
Ekeler shouted feedback to whoever was near him, even providing instructions to freshman receiver Trent Mosley.
“That’s what really good coaches do – they don’t just come in and impact their own position,” Riley said. “They impact the entire program and he has experience, having a lot of different roles. He’s coached a lot of big-time places, seen a lot. That’s something you want to lean into.”
The energy that Ekeler brings to practices can’t be understated, either.
He’s constantly in motion, rushing up to players whether they’re doing something well or if they need pointers. He’s even been seen dousing himself with water alongside players during water breaks.
“If you’re sleepy in the morning, he’s gonna wake you up,” defensive tackle Floyd Boucard said. “Every day he’s gonna bring that energy and I just feel like everybody in the building feeds off of it because if one person is in this building got that energy, everybody else got it.”
