USC football head coach Lincoln Riley is likely losing one of his top assistants this offseason.
Matt Entz, the Trojans' linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense, is reportedly set to become the head coach at Fresno State.
“Fresno State is targeting USC linebackers coach Matt Entz to become the Bulldogs’ new head coach, a source familiar with the hiring process told The Athletic Wednesday,” according to Bruce Feldman. Reports have surfaced since, including from ESPN's Pete Thamel, who reported Entz and Fresno State are “working toward a five-year deal.” USCFootball.com's Chris Trevino also reported that Entz accepted the job offer.
Entz joined Riley's USC football coaching staff less than a year ago. He came from North Dakota State, where he had served as the Bison's head coach for five seasons and the defensive coordinator for five seasons before that. In his time as NDSU's head coach, he won a pair of FCS national championships and led the program to a 60-11 record. When Entz left North Dakota State for USC, he said the new job was “an opportunity for me to continue to grow and develop.”
Matt Entz leaving USC to become Fresno State head coach

Despite being the top program in the FCS over the past 15 years, North Dakota State's national championship-winning coaches — Craig Bohl, Chris Klieman, and Entz — have generated relatively little interest among major FBS programs. Bohl left NDSU in 2013 after 11 seasons and three straight national titles for Wyoming, while Klieman, who won four national championships in five years as the Bison's coach, left for Kansas State in 2018.
If officially hired, Entz would be Fresno State's fourth full-time head coach and seventh coach including interims since its dismissal of Pat Hill, the second-most-winningest coach in program history, in 2011.
Jeff Tedford, who led the Bulldogs to a 45-22 record over five seasons across two stints, resigned shortly before the 2024 season due to health concerns. Tim Skipper, a Fresno State alumnus and assistant head coach, served as the acting head coach for the Bulldogs' New Mexico Bowl win and interim head coach upon Tedford's resignation. Under Skipper, Fresno State went 6-6 this year, finishing fourth in the Mountain West Conference.