USC Trojans Feeling the Impact of Strength Coach Trumain Carroll

Games and championships in college football are won starting in the offseason. The groundwork is laid before the start of spring practice with winter workouts and then again before fall camp with summer workouts.

They’re tough, physically and mentally challenging and certainly test the heart of every player on the team. It builds team chemistry and brotherhood.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Mike Ekeler Anthony Jones Trumain Carroll Spring Practice Workouts Fall Camp KIng Miller Recruiting — Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Last January serves as like a fixed point in the program as to when everything started to change. Every move since then has been strategic and one of the biggest moves the program made was hiring strength and conditioning coach Trumain Carroll away from Kansas State last May.

The former Oklahoma State defensive end brings two decades of experience to the staff. This is Carroll's first true offseason with the program, and his impact is being felt throughout the building.

“Culture wise, the guys as good as it gets. Those guys are scared to death of him in a great way," said USC linebackers coach Mike Ekeler. "They're gonna toe that line. They've got discipline, they got toughness, they got accountability. He demands all that, and he loves those guys, and they know it. When you're as demanding as Tru is, and on top of it, those guys know it's coming from a place, that he wants the best for you, and genuinely cares about you as a person, that's why it works.”

Offseason Body Transformations

When the Trojans began spring practice in early March, they were noticeably bigger as a team and several players stood out, including redshirt freshman defensive back Alex Graham and cornerback RJ Sermons, redshirt sophomore linebacker Elijah Newby and running back King Miller, just to name a few.

Associate director of football sports performance Lonnie Maddox came over with Carroll from Kansas State. As is the case for recruiting, it’s been a collective effort in the teams sports performance department.

“Coach Tru is one of the best in the country in his profession,” said USC running backs coach Anthony Jones. “We have a great line of assistants, as well as the nutrition staff, as well as the medical staff. It's been a holistic approach of getting our guys, not just King, all of our guys to where they should be.

“Obviously, playing in the Big Ten presents its challenges with playing some games across the country and playing on the road and just the quality of opponents that we play every week. You have to be in physically good shape to do that. I think King has done a really good job of transforming his body and putting this putting himself in a position to really go out and have an explosive sophomore season.”

Post-Spring Workouts

USC started spring practice earlier than previous years, and after wrapping up on April 4, they can get back into the weight room for a few weeks before finishing the semester in mid-May.

It gives injured players a chance to healthier heading into summer workouts and as a team they can continue to put a focus on the mental side in meetings. It is a short but incredibly valuable time period and one of the reasons why they began practice in early March.

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