SoCal's Trent McDuffie, JuJu Smith-Schuster are Chief factors

Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) celebrates an interception during a playoff game against the Texans.

Staff Writer

Feb. 6, 2025 12:29 PM PT

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NEW ORLEANS — When Trent McDuffie positioned himself near the line of scrimmage on a season-defining fourth and five, Jason Negro had an idea of what his former star could do. It’s what the St. John Bosco alumnus has done for years.

Make the play.

McDuffie’s red No. 22 jersey flashed in the backfield on a perfectly timed blitz in the AFC championship game to send the Kansas City Chiefs to their third consecutive Super Bowl. Any nerves Negro felt from watching one of his former players faded instantly, replaced by euphoria.

“To see him reach that level of success and have that kind of performance,” said Negro, McDuffie’s high school coach. “I’m kind of at a loss for words.”

McDuffie and Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster are two players with Southern California ties poised for key roles in Super Bowl LIX as Kansas City faces the Philadelphia Eagles in the title game for the second time in three years. Both played critical roles in the Chiefs’ 2022 Super Bowl win over the Eagles as McDuffie, then a rookie cornerback, had five tackles and a forced fumble. Smith-Schuster, who starred at USC after his Long Beach Poly career, had a team-high seven catches for 53 yards.

Smith-Schuster then signed a three-year contract with New England but lasted just one season with the Patriots, who were resetting after Bill Belichick’s departure. Kansas City offered a comfortable homecoming this season.

“When I left this team, they had a great culture,” Smith-Schuster said, “and then coming back two years later, it’s the same.”

When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Smith-Schuster in the second round, he was just 20. From being the youngest player in the NFL to now a 28-year-old veteran, Smith-Schuster is in awe about how quickly time has passed.

Smith-Schuster had just 18 catches for 231 yards this year, his quietest statistical season since 2021 when he played in only five games because of a shoulder injury. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have used a breakout season from receiver Xavier Worthy to buoy the passing game. The rookie had 639 yards receiving and 59 catches this season. The Chiefs also added 12-year veteran DeAndre Hopkins in October, and the five-time Pro Bowl player was their third-leading receiver behind tight end Travis Kelce and Worthy.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster during warmups before a playoff game.

Instead of fretting about a diminished role in a receivers group that is reaching full health with the recent return of Marquise Brown from a shoulder injury, Smith-Schuster instead lauds the varied skill sets and backgrounds of his teammates.

Former Long Beach Poly coach Raul Lara wouldn’t be surprised to hear Smith-Schuster’s humble approach. Lara still remembers how Smith-Schuster responded to a half-game suspension for failing to communicate with coaches about an absence from practice. He voluntarily coached a younger teammate to prepare for a playoff game.

“People always ask me who was probably the best football player you ever coached at Long Beach Poly?” said Lara, now the coach at Mater Dei. “I tell them that I cannot pick one because each kid is a little different, but one thing I’ll tell you is one kid that I really, really enjoyed the most that I coached was JuJu Smith.”

With Smith-Schuster hoping for his second Super Bowl win, McDuffie can do one better. The cornerback has advanced to three Super Bowls in three seasons as a professional and is undefeated.

“I don’t think words can really capture what it feels like,” McDuffie said, “but just humbling and grateful.”

With back-to-back All-Pro seasons, McDuffie has asserted himself as one of the NFL’s top corners. He was Pro Football Focus’ second-best-rated cornerback among players with more than two appearances. He’s especially effective in blitz packages, tying the league record for sacks by a cornerback in their first two seasons with four.

McDuffie had 59 tackles, four quarterback hits and two interceptions — the first of his career — playing almost exclusively out wide after he earned All-Pro honors last season playing nickel.

The St. John Bosco alumnus who transferred from Servite before his senior season was “pro-ready” when he arrived in Kansas City, Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said. At 24 years old, McDuffie is the first player through every drill at practice because his coach knows the corner will provide the perfect example.

“I call him the blueprint,” Merritt said. “I tell all the guys, ‘Hey, if you want to learn how to play a technique, watch Trent.’”

When the Chiefs traded up in the 2017 draft to snag McDuffie with the 21st pick, Merritt knew how smooth of an athlete he was getting. Then he quickly saw how cerebral the young player was. McDuffie not only learned the complicated defense but also could recite it back to coaches.

It was like McDuffie was “22 going on 37,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagunolo joked with McDuffie’s mother.

The star cornerback is mature beyond his years because he had to grow up quickly, he said, after his older brother Tyler died in 2015. The second-oldest of the five McDuffie children, Tyler died after a respiratory illness led to heart failure. The day after the Super Bowl will be the 10th anniversary of his death.

“I had to learn that life wasn’t what I believed it would be,” McDuffie said. “The biggest blessing is just it brought the family really close. Our bond and how special we are showed me just what true love was like.”

The No. 22 that flashes across the field when McDuffie gets a sack or breaks up a pass is in Tyler’s honor. He wore the same number.