Expectations raised early
The first official practices of the Lincoln Riley era at USC are in the rear-view mirror. So what have we learned about USC’s new regime through one week of spring football practice?
Williams’ impact
Caleb Williams has seamlessly stepped into a leadership role. He might’ve taken a wrong turn into his first USC practice, but the Trojans’ new QB1 has looked at ease at the helm of his new offense. Teammates are already raving. His pull within the program is powerful.
“He’s a baller,” running back Austin Jones said. “He’s a leader. Most definitely, he’s an alpha.”
Those qualifications should come as no surprise after Williams smoothly took the reins from Spencer Rattler in the middle of the season as a freshman at Oklahoma. He’ll have the benefit of an entire spring and summer to establish himself at USC.
“He’s one of those guys who can walk into a room with people he doesn’t know and he’s kind of a chameleon; he can fit in in any place,” Riley said.
Higher expectations
It’s far too early to say one way or another if Riley has changed the culture of USC football. That’s going to take a while.
But judging by a week of comments from coaches and players about where the program stands at the start of spring, it’s clear the staff is pushing players to raise their own expectations.
Assistants were frank about how far their players have to go. Inside linebackers coach Brian Odom said his group was “nowhere near where it needs to be.” Others talked about players needing to adjust to a new mentality.
Even with Williams, Riley said he’d identified “a lot of areas where he can improve as a player” and that the quarterback was “a long way from being the best player he can be.”
Raising expectations is only a first step. But it’s an important one.
Still recruiting
Riley has added 13 transfers, but USC is nowhere near done with the portal. With 20 players on their way out and those 13 coming aboard, Riley referred to his new team “as one of the most unique rosters in the history of this sport.”
If Riley continues raiding the portal as planned, it should be even more extraordinary by the fall. The coach was clear that he’s expecting to add 10 or more additional transfers after the spring, while several others are likely to leave amid the fallout. It’s unclear where Riley plans to add, but quarterback and receiver are two possible positions.
USC has just two healthy scholarship quarterbacks this spring — “It’s not ideal,” Riley said — but could potentially get Mo Hasan back from a knee injury by fall. At receiver, assistant coach Dennis Simmons said USC “definitely needs to add talent.”
That’s probably also true on the offensive and defensive lines — and at linebacker too. USC isn’t really in a position to turn down talent at this point.
Running back competition
Travis Dye has a prolific pedigree. But USC may not have a clear lead running back until fall. Spring reps at running back don’t mean much. Until it’s full contact, evaluating the backfield is impossible.
What we do know is that USC has more all-purpose talent now than it did at this point last season. That starts with Dye, who left Oregon for USC after Riley pitched him on “exposing everything I can do,” said Dye, who’s one of five Oregon backs to reach 3,000 yards rushing.
He and Jones have shown early they are adept at catching passes out of the backfield; combined, they bring 150 career receptions to USC. That versatility should only be more of a weapon when five-star freshman Raleek Brown enters the mix this fall.
Riley’s approach at running back has varied over the years. Last season at Oklahoma, he used Kennedy Brooks as a threedown workhorse. This season, the backfield is shaping up for a more balanced approach.
Receiving corps gets remade
USC added three transfers to help remake the receiver room, and so far all three have been fixtures in the two-deep to start spring.
Mario Williams is lightning quick. Brenden Rice is an impressive physical specimen. And Terrell Bynum falls somewhere in between. The question isn’t so much whether those new guys will play, but rather how many returners will factor in to the rotation.
Gary Bryant seems sure to carve out a role, while Tahj Washington has earned early praise. Freshman C.J. Williams clearly has the talent to make an impact. Kyle Ford, Michael Jackson III and Kyron WareHudson will be fighting through the fall to get on the field.
That competition, Simmons said, “is as wide [open] as this field is.”
Room to improve
Defensive end Korey Foreman and linebacker Raesjon Davis, the crown jewels of USC’s 2021 recruiting class, have a long way to go.They were two of the top prospects in the nation. But after disappointing freshman seasons at USC, both have glaring questions to answer as sophomores.
Neither has put his best foot forward. Foreman has been limited this spring with a knee injury, robbing him of crucial time to learn USC’s new defense. Davis has been healthy, but he’s “got some maturing to do,” according to Odom.
USC desperately needs both players to develop ahead of next season.
The jury is out on whether they’ll live up to expectations.
Thin up front
USC has only 13 scholarship offensive linemen. That’s not ideal. Ty Buchanan’s announcement Thursday that he was entering the transfer portal exacerbated an already concerning depth problem up front. Of those 13, only eight or so are linemen USC would trust right now to play in a game.
That’s simply not enough depth to take into a season. With that in mind, the upcoming decision from fivestar offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. looms large. A top-15 prospect, Conerly could make an immediate impact on a line with unanswered questions on the edges.
Virginia transfer Bobby Haskins was supposed to help, but he’s been limited to start spring because of a foot injury.
Tuipulotu leads
Tuli Tuipulotu is leading the way on USC’s defensive line. Shaun Nua spent last season coaching Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo at Michigan, two top talents in the upcoming draft.
Asked if any of his new USC defensive linemen shared a similar mentality to either of those two, he didn’t hesitate.
“Tuli, right now,” Nua said.
It’s no surprise that Tuipulotu would stand out early in spring. The only question is how Nua and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch plan to deploy him.
“He’ll be everywhere,” Nua said. “He can play everything, seriously.”
Bullock’s progress
Calen Bullock is the only returning starter in USC’s secondary, but he’s nowhere near a finished product. A silver lining in a dark season, Bullock established himself as a future standout as a freshman.
But Grinch hasn’t let the young safety rest on those laurels.
“You’re seeing a guy that has a little bit of confidence going into his second year, which you would expect for a guy like that,” Grinch said. “You see some speed elements, a guy that can run the show on the back end and make some communications that way. Still a young player.
“What’s he got to fix? He’s got to become a bigger athlete. The sport demands that of you. So he’s one of those guys that has to put on some weight, put on some muscle. He’s got to look like a second-year guy. The things that made him a good player, give him credit for that as a freshman. OK, well, as a sophomore, the evaluation changes.”
The rest of USC’s secondary should be completely new. The Trojans brought in transfer cornerbacks Mekhi Blackmon and Latrell McCutchin, and signed three defensive backs in this year’s class, including the state’s top prospect, Santa Ana Mater Dei High cornerback Domani Jackson.
Answers at kicker
Alex Stadthaus is likely to be USC’s kicker. Previously a walk-on, Stadthaus entered the transfer portal in December when he wasn’t sure if he could afford to continue at USC without a scholarship.
But Riley came through, offering him one. Stadthaus, in turn, took his name out of the portal, making him the likeliest candidate to kick for USC this fall.
The Trojans also will be breaking in a new punter with Australian freshman Atticus Bertrams. They’ll do so too without the help of a full-time special teams coach.