USC Coaches Continue to Strengthen Relationship with 2025 Standout LB Noah Mikhail

It’s been a while since USC has been firmly in the discussion as the current LBU college football program. The Trojans have played 13 seasons since Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews III and Rey Maualuga were selected within the first 38 picks of the 2009 NFL Draft. But USC coaches are working hard to change that. And 2025 linebacker Noah Mikhail could be a big part of the resurgence at the position.

Position coach Brian Odom and head coach Lincoln Riley have changed the look of the position already in just two offseasons. Shane Lee, Eric Gentry and Mason Cobb were huge additions from the transfer portal. True freshman Tackett Curtis was their top target at the position in the 2023 class.

And while there is still time to go and plenty of distance to cover, the coaches might just be on their way to landing their top targets in the 2024 and 2025 classes as well. USC just put together a tremendously productive official visit for 2024 four-star Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. And the Trojans hosted perhaps their top 2025 target at the position on Wednesday, in Mikhail, the nation’s No. 47 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Rankings.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound inside linebacker has been a mainstay on the USC campus this spring. It’s at least his fourth visit to see the Trojans since January. At this point, there’s little for Mikhail to learn about the USC football program from the coaches. A majority of his time is spent just building relationships and talking.

Mikhail said he spent about two hours with Coach Odom during the visit and another 20-30 minutes with Coach Riley.

“It’s just talks at this point,” Mikhail said. “It’s outside of football. Football is maybe 20 minutes of it. The rest is getting to know them more and building that bond.”

Mikhail said Odom’s personality stands out.

“He’s a real likable guy,” Mikhail said. “Easy to talk to. Friendly. And he’s also a great coach. I’ve noticed all those things. He knows what he’s talking about.”

Mikhail said he’s been able to talk to a few of the USC players. But he’s looking to drill down on that a bit to get a full sense of the USC experience from them. There’s one player in particular with whom he’s looking to establish a connection.

“I’m trying to get in contact with Tackett Curtis,” Mikhail said, adding some specifics about what he’s looking to understand from the players. “How the vibe is in the locker room with all the coaches. How schooling is. There’s a lot of things outside of just the football part, even though the football part is a big part of it.”

The eventual connection with Curtis won’t be a coincidence. It’s a name that gets brought up often to Mikhail from the USC coaches.

“They really compare us a lot,” Mikhail said. “I watched his film and in high school, we played kind of the same position.”

Impressed with USC’s Defense this Spring

Previous to this most recent visit, Mikhail was in attendance for spring ball and got an up-close look at this USC defense. He, like like everybody who paid attention and has eyeballs, said USC had something of “a rough year” defensively in 2022. But he saw the major steps forward this spring.

“They’re definitely picking it up in the right direction,” Mikhail said. “I’ve seen some of the spring and it’s definitely been a lot better. I think they have a good chance to be really good this year.”

Mikhail said all the players seemed to be more comfortable in the scheme this spring.

“They’re able to coach the players up better and learn the schemes better, which is ultimately helping them as a defense,” Mikhail said.

Upcoming Visits for Mikhail

Mikhail had an unofficial visit to Alabama scheduled for last week, but it was canceled. He said there is nothing on the books, but wants to reschedule that visit to check out the Crimson Tide.

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