Trojans have a talented group, but an unproven one
Jide Abasiri's flip from Minnesota to USC, one of several late additions to the Trojans' 2024 recruiting class, was all but sealed when defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn sat him down and showed the 6-foot-5, 280-pound Abasiri exactly where he'd fit into a grander vision.
Lynn brought him and his parents into meetings, Abasiri recalled on his visit to USC, and showed them his film from orchestrating an elite defense in 2023 at UCLA. Specifically, targeting one Bruins defensive end in particular.
“Have you watched — have you seen any film on Laiatu Latu, at UCLA?” Abasiri asked, when asked about his schematic conversations with Lynn.
Oh, the guy with 13 sacks in 2023 and projected widely as a first-round pick in the draft? Yeah, heard of him.
“He was comparing me to him a lot,” Abasiri continued. “Someone that can be moved down into a 3-4, can even play (3-5), and then
LOS ANGELES >>
drop back into coverage.”
Lynn's hire at USC was widely touted in large part because of that success at UCLA, crafting an aggressive defense with an oftdominant front. But pieces in that front — Latu and twins Gabriel and Grayson Murphy — already existed when Lynn arrived. And try as he might in replicating Latu, no such proven talent exists on USC's roster, a 2023 group unable to consistently stop the run or generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
So one of the biggest priorities in a defensive overhaul, as head coach Lincoln Riley has pointed to multiple times, is developing a larger, more versatile and physically dominant defensive front, beefing up on the lines of scrimmage as USC heads for the smash-mouth Big Ten. Riley's grin on National Signing Day while characterizing his class as “large human beings” was a major takeaway; and USC has continued that approach in the transfer portal, bringing in 320-pound tackle Isaiah Raikes from Texas
A&M and 280-pound end Nate Clifton from Vanderbilt.
There's plenty of talent here for Lynn to work with. How he puts it together will be one of the stories of USC's 2024 season.
Here's a full breakdown of USC's defensive-line room entering spring practice, continuing a six-part series examining the post-portal outlook for every part of the roster: click in Lynn's scheme, it'll give USC the physical front it's been seeking.
WHO'S THE PASS-RUSHER/ PLAY-FINISHER HERE? >>
Among the returners and transfers, Muhammad was the most consistent threat to quarterbacks in 2023, racking up 6.5 sacks. All but 0.5 of those, though, came within USC's first six games; nobody on the Trojans' current roster brings proven pedigree as a dominant pass-rusher. Clifton could make an impact here, the Vanderbilt transfer recording 5.5 sacks last year. Shelby could break out. Freshmen Kameryn Fountain or Abasiri could make an immediate impression. USC needs a consistent threat off the edge.