USC Hires Pendergast as New Defensive Coordinator
NFL and college football veteran Clancy Pendergast was named USC's new defensive coordinator on Friday.
Pendergast is moving from another Pac-12 program, Cal, where he spent the last three years as the defensive coordinator for the Golden Bears. Since his arrival at Cal, the Bears led the conference in total defense, pass defense, fewest first downs allowed and produced nine NFL draft picks.
"Clancy is a perfect fit or us," said Lane Kiffin in a statement. "He is a very experienced and successful defensive coordinator. He plays an attacking-style defense with multiple looks, and having spend the last three years in the Pac-12, he knows how to defend the various kinds of offenses that we see in this conference.
"What was particularly appealing to me was how he took a Cal defense that was seventh in the Pac-12 total defense the year before he arrived and then led the league in his first two years. That's our goal here, to have the same kind of impact. I also like that he has coached att he highest level, getting to the Super Bowl in the NFL."
Before going to Cal, Pendergast spent six seasons as a defensive coordinator in the NFL, working with the Arizona Cardinals from 2004-2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. While in Arizona, the Cardinals won the 2008 NFC title and went on to play in Super Bowl XLIII.
Pendergast started his coaching career in the NFL as a defensive assistant for the Houston Oilers in 1995. He also spent seven seasons as a part of the staff for the Dallas Cowboys from 1996 to 2002, where they won two NFC East titles and made three NFC playoff appearances.
This is not Pendergast's first time as a Trojan. He was a defensive assistant at USC in 1992 where he first developed his aggressive defensive schemes.
