LOS ANGELES – Significant changes are coming to USC’s name, image and operations.
Jeff McKay, grandson of legendary Trojans coach John McKay, who led USC to four national titles, and his father, J.K. McKay, a former USC standout receiver and athletic department employee, will join the staff of Victory House, the leader and official sponsor of the USC NIL. As many people have reported about USC’s NIL efforts,
For over a year now, USC has had three core teams. The House of Victory is the most popular team supporting USC athletes and the only one officially sponsored by the university. There is also Conquest Collective and The Tommy Group.
Jeff McKay co-founded Conquest Collective. With this move, the “Collective” collective will disappear.
USC has had a bumpy road to the NIL over the past two years. A slow start, widespread resistance from groups, a reset that led to the House of Victory and the school having to play on some fronts. Overall, having three teams created confusion.
USC athletics administration has been working on the NIL front since athletic director Jen Cohen arrived from Washington last August, and this move brings that goal one step closer to reality.
Cohen addressed USC donors and fans with a letter from the “Trojan State” on Friday. In the message, Cohen said Victory House “exceeded all of our fundraising goals and our donors helped us double our total from last year, placing USC in the top tier of NIL fundraising nationally.”
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In March, Atlético He said the Victory House budget for football is three times what it was last year. Adding McKay’s name to the board should help in those fundraising efforts.
McKay has had discussions with Victory House executive board member and key donor Will Smith, and those talks have been put on hold in recent weeks.
House of Victory is a nonprofit organization, but continues to evaluate its strategy as rules evolve.
The NIL has been a major topic of debate and a source of much angst among USC fans in recent years. The school’s lackluster acceptance of varsity teams led to fewer fans when USC began its boarding schools. The team is where it comes from.
The football program often goes toe-to-toe with Oregon on the recruiting trail, and the Ducks have one of the most cohesive and aggressive NIL weapons in the country: the Street Division. So when USC loses recruits, the first thing many fans point to is the NIL.
Asked Friday about the status of Victory House, USC coach Lincoln Riley was effusive in his praise: “I’m excited about it. The percentage of interest and the momentum it’s generated and the work that Victory House has put in, the work that our people are doing there, the people here, the Trojan family that supports it, these are incredible accomplishments. Honestly, you expect that. … We’re talking about significant, significant velocity gains. Not just in the dollar figure, but in how we operate and the confidence in our team, our program, our recruits — it couldn’t be higher.”
“They have done an amazing job. It is improving as we expected in every aspect, but I can’t say enough about the work that Victory House has done and everyone who supported it. And obviously we need people to keep doing it; it’s different here.”
USC is not on the same level as Oregon, Texas A&M or Miami in terms of NIL operations. Those associated with the team say there are still steps to be taken, but real progress has been made, especially since Cohen’s arrival.
USC’s 2025 recruiting class is ranked 19th in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite. This is below the program’s historical average.
A more consistent NIL uniform should help, but the Trojans’ pitching staff also needs to be more engaged and the program needs to win more games. So while NIL’s efforts have improved and should continue to do so, other aspects of the program need to move forward as well.
(Photo: Jerome Miron/USA Today)
