USC hires ex-Houston DC Belk as DBs coach

• Harry Lyles Jr., ESPN Staff WriterDec 16, 2023, 06:22 PM ET

USC worked with previous Houston defensive organizer Doug Belk as its defensive backs coach, the group announced on Saturday.The Trojans’addition of Belk comes simply over 2 weeks after they hired former UCLA defensive organizer D’Anton Lynn to run and call the defense and six days after adding previous North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz as the school’s linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense.”Doug Belk is another remarkable addition to our staff,”coach Lincoln Riley.” His excellent body of work and credibility as a high-level coach and recruiter speak for themselves. I’m excited to welcome him to USC.” Belk will change Donte Williams, who was worked with by Georgia on Saturday.Belk, who had talked to

for several defensive back jobs in the SEC over the previous two cycles, Power 5 organizer tasks and NFL secondary jobs, signed a multiyear deal with USC.He signed up with Houston in 2019 as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach after leaving West Virginia in addition to head

coach Dana Holgorsen. He was promoted to protective coordinator in 2021, when his defense finished sixth in the country in overall defense (302.2 yards), connected for 13th in turnovers required(23 )and 19th in points permitted per game(20.4). As a result, he was a Broyles Award semifinalist.Belk was among 3 graduate assistants on Alabama’s well-known 2015 personnel that consisted of offending coordinator Lane Kiffin (now at Ole Miss), defensive organizer Kirby Smart(Georgia), position coaches Mel Tucker, Mario Cristobal(Miami)and Billy Napier(Florida) and fellow graduate assistant Dan Lanning (Oregon). He will now be part of a revamped defensive staff at USC charged with preparing it for a move to the Huge 10 in 2024.