USC Football: Nebraska Coach Ted Gilmore May Be Next Trojans Wide Receiver Coach

Nebraska wide receiver coach and recruiting coordinator Ted Gilmore will be announced as the new wide receiver coach for USC this week, according to Rivals.com's Tom Dienhart. 

Sean Callahan from HuskersIllustrated.com reported last week that Gilmore was in contact with USC. 

This is a very important position for the Trojans, due to a stable of outstanding but young wide receivers who will be the key to the high-octane offense expected from USC in 2011.

Gilmore almost became part of Lane Kiffin’s staff with the Oakland Raiders three years ago before deciding to remain with Nebraska; he also was invited over the years to coach at USC’s summer camp when Pete Carroll was there.

Nebraska has already officially named Rich Fisher as the new receivers coach. Gilmore will replace John Morton, who moved on from USC to be a receivers coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

Lane Kiffin was rumored to be considering USC tight end coach and graduate assistant Keary Colbert, administrative assistant Justin Mesa and Wisconsin receivers coach and Trojan alum DelVaughn Alexander.

Colbert decided to return to the NFL after being told that he would not be selected as the USC WR coach.

Before coaching at Nebraska since 2005, he was an assistant coach at Wyoming (1994-1996 graduate assistant/receivers/tight ends, 1997-1998 wide receivers), Kansas (1999 tight ends), Houston (2000 wide receivers), Purdue (2001-2002 wide receivers) and Colorado (2003-2004 wide receivers and assistant coach).

He helped develop Nate Swift into the all-time leading receiver in Nebraska history. 

Niles Paul and Mike McNeil will also be drafted this year from Nebraska. Maurice Purify was another receiver he coached who plays in the NFL.

Gilmore is an alumnus of Wyoming and he is originally from Wichita, Kansas. His recruiting responsibilities for Nebraska included Kansas and North Texas, but he will likely pick up a good portion of the Midwest for USC because that was Morton’s region.

He is a good technician who gets his receivers to run good routes and block effectively downfield.

USC wide receivers will benefit from better blocking, which has not been very good in the past few years. 

Bubble screens have not worked well, but given the talent of the USC receivers such as Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, Markeith Ambles, Brandon Carswell, De’Von Flournoy and incoming freshmen receivers (5-star George Farmer and 4-star Victor Blackwell), they should be much more effective this season. 

USC is expected to utilize more wide receivers in formations to spread the field, so it will be very important that precise routes be executed.

Here is a recent interview with Ted Gilmore.

Lane Kiffin was previously a wide receiver coach at USC, so he understands better than anyone the requirements for this job.

Gilmore seems like exactly what the USC wide receivers need and should be an excellent addition to USC’s best recruiting coaching staff in the nation.

P.S.  On Feb. 23 Gilmore attended the team conditioning workout.  On Feb. 24 USC announced Ted Gilmore as the WR coach.