USC Football Assistant Dave Nichol Dies at Age 45

USC Trojans assistant football coach Dave Nichol died Friday in McKinney, Texas, the school announced. He was 45. 

USC head coach Lincoln Riley announced March 21 that Nichol would be away from the team while dealing with a medical issue. According to Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times, the newly hired inside wide receivers coach and associate head coach had been diagnosed with cancer.

Riley said in a statement Friday:

"We are heartbroken and devastated. Dave was such a tremendous human being and a fantastic football coach.  He absolutely loved the game and constantly poured his heart and soul into his teams.  He will be dearly missed.  My thoughts and prayers are with his family.  We, as a program, look forward to playing and coaching for him as we move forward." "

Before being hired by USC, Nichol spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the inside receivers coach at Mississippi State. He also spent time with Washington State, East Carolina, Arizona, Texas Tech and Baylor in a variety of roles over his lengthy career. 

Riley announced earlier this month that Luke Huard would serve as the team's interim inside wide receivers coach indefinitely. It's unclear if the program will look for someone to fill the role in a more permanent position.