USC becomes first college football program to hire a director of AI

[ASFN Admin]

As new technology rapidly develops, college athletics programs are looking to be at the cutting edge and find an advantage over their peers.

USC is one such program, and on Wednesday, USA TODAY Sports' John Brice reported that Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is expected to promote director of analytics Conor McQuiston to director of AI. USC will become the first college program to utilize such a position.

McQuiston previously worked in analytics for the NFL and, most recently, was a data analyst for PrizePicks from 2024-25. Per On3's Pete Nakos, McQuiston will "be in charge of building AI models with their data to try to find advantages in everything from game plans to scouting."

NEW: USC football is promoting Conor McQuiston to Director of AI, @PeteNakos and @whalexander_ confirm‍

McQuiston will build AI models using program data to identify competitive advantages in everything from game planning to scouting.https://t.co/R3QpJ2scclpic.twitter.com/Frw51blYQR

— On3 (@On3) June 10, 2026

According to Brice's report, McQuiston will report directly to Trojans general manager Chad Bowden.

As AI rapidly proliferates across a variety of industries, USC is trying to stay ahead of the curve in its usage of the nascent technology.

Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: USC football becomes first college program to hire director of AI

Continue reading...