Report: USC Hires Ed Stewart to Oversee Football Program After 16 Years with Big 12

Big 12 executive associate commissioner Ed Stewart has been hired by USC to oversee the school's football program as executive senior associate athletic director, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Stewart had spent 16 years with the Big 12 before agreeing to the USC job.

Stewart had served as the Big 12's senior associate commissioner since August 2006. Among other things, his duties included overseeing football daily operations, the Big 12 championship game, league officiating and bowl contract negotiations, per his Big 12 bio.

The 50-year-old began his career as an athletic academic advisor at Michigan State University from 1997-99 before becoming associate athletic director at the University of Missouri, serving in the role from 1999-2006.

Stewart also played college football for Nebraska and was a member of the school's 1994 national title-winning team. He was named a consensus All-American, Big Eight Conference Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Butkus Award that season.

Stewart has familiarity with new Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. The two worked together while Riley was head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners from 2017-21, so his addition will likely be a welcome one.

In addition, Stewart worked for the Big 12 through several realignment phases, so his addition at USC will be huge as the school, along with UCLA, will transition from the Pac-12 Conference to the Big Ten in 2024.

"He brings a lot of experience with conference realignment, which is a huge piece," a USC source told Thamel. "His ability to be a leader in the transition over the next couple years will be critical."

Stewart is hoping to become an athletic director at some point in the future, according to Thamel, so his move to USC is a step in the right direction.