Washington to reportedly hire former USC star, Trojan assistant to Jedd Fisch's staff
Washington has reportedly found its next safeties coach under head coach Jedd Fisch. The expected hiring comes via a former Pac-12 All-American and a piece of USC’s coaching staff.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Huskies are set to hire former USC safety Taylor Mays to serve as the new safeties coach. Mays is currently the assistant defensive backs coach for Lincoln Riley, a role he’s had since 2022, after a starring career for the Trojans and 6 seasons in the NFL.
Mays is currently at USC as the Assistant Defensive Backs Coach. He’s been on staff at USC since 2022. He spent six years in the NFL and played 80 games in his career.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 15, 2025
Prior to heading to USC for college, Mays was a star for O’Dea High School in Seattle. He was a 5-star recruit and the top player out of Washington in the 2006 recruiting class and an immediate contributor for the Trojans.
Across 4 seasons at USC, Mays compiled 276 tackles, 5 interceptions and 9 pass breakups. Mays was an All-American from 2007-09, including a consensus All-American during the 2008 season.
After his time in college, Mays was a 2nd-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2010 NFL Draft. He would appear in 80 career games across 6 seasons but made just 15 starts in his career.
Washington is making some adjustments to its defensive coaching staff this offseason after losing DC Steve Belichick to North Carolina. Ryan Walters has been brought on to lead the defense as the new DC following his stint as a head coach at Purdue, and it looks like Mays will join that staff moving forward.