USC football coach Lincoln Riley was a constant presence in special teams meetings this season, slipping in to monitor the phase of the game that’s becoming increasingly important. He was on the field with the group, too, observing each fielded punt and kickoff. Riley will have a new man to trust with special teams this season. The Trojans have hired Mike Ekeler, former special teams coach at Nebraska, to lead the group. Ekeler has nine seasons of experience as a special teams coordinator between his time at Nebraska, Tennessee and North Texas. In his four seasons with the Volunteers, his special teams unit led the nation in punt return yards as well as...
