How USC Trojans' Trumain Carroll Earned Players' Respect Over Offseason

In a time where athlete performance is evolving just like the sport of college football, strength and conditioning coaches around the nation are instilling the same foundation that's been laid down -- to coach kids hard.

However, the prequisites of coaching today's athletes have shifted, needing more attention to detail and direct interaction with athletes.

Trumaine Carroll, the USC Trojan's strength and conditioning coach, is entering his first season in Los Angeles. He was hired after the departure of Bennie Wylie, who was abruptly let go in April.

In Carroll's first fall camp with USC, he told the media his philosophy he's developing within the Trojan student-athletes, especially how quickly it had to be implemented based on his hiring date.

Trumain Carroll USC Trojans Big Ten Football Strength and Conditioning Coach Tight End Walker Lyons College Football — Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley embraces offensive lineman Kilian O'Connor (67) after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"It boils down to two pieces, both trust and respect," Carroll told reporters after practice. "Obviously, respect, we give them out the gate. We respect them as young men because we want them to respect us in return. So that respect piece, that's an automatic and then the trust piece is built over time. And so earning those guys' trust started off with learning everybody's name."

"And so our staff, we made it a priority to learn as many of the guys' names on the roster prior to that first workout, just to where it wasn't 'Hey, you make sure you do this.' Now we're addressing guys by their name to where they can understand how serious we were about earning their trust," Carroll continued.

Carroll and the coaching staff have only have a few months together as a whole, but Carroll is firm in his belief to know every player by name and for who they are players -- building strength and trust in each individual wearing USC across their chest.

Prior to his hiring with USC, Carroll spent time with programs including Oklahoma State, Missouri-Kansas City, South Carolina State, South Florida, SMU and Kansas State

Carroll's two-decade experience in strength and conditioning shows his dedication to developing athletes into their full potential within their program.

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Due to his accelerated arrival in Los Angeles, Carroll emphasized the groundwork that was already laid out for him when he first joined the Trojans staff.

"I'm not here to change anything," Carroll said. "I'm here to enhance what's already been done and obviously coming in in the summertime isn't ideal from a strength and conditioning standpoint. It was a solid foundation laid prior to my arrival. These guys have gone to work and put in some great work. From January until July, they put on 800 pounds of muscle and lost over 540 pounds of fat."

"They didn't do that in just the summer months. So the foundation that was laid before I got here was a great foundation, and all I'm here to do is help enhance it and take it to another level," he continued.

The Trojans are seeking a redemption season after an efficient offseason focusing on areas of improvement, whether it is on or off the field. Carroll's perfect fit with the Trojans comes with a mix of experience as well as loyalty to his athletes.

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