Lincoln Riley joined the USC Trojans after an incredible turnaround of the Oklahoma program as their head coach and OC. In just his first season, the Sooners were ranked 7th in offense in the country as he served as the offensive coordinator. He finished the Sooners’ stint with a 55-10 record, the highest in Oklahoma’s history. Naturally, he would be coming to the Trojans, taking that legacy and applying it to lead the program to success. LA Daily even said that Riley “would revive and transform not only USC football, but also Pac-12 football in general and all of “football in the western third of the country.” How has the Riley project at USC fared then?
Well, for starters, when you see the 2022 class of USC Trojans, current Trojans supporters will have tears rolling down their cheeks. It was ranked 46th nationally and was even 6th in Pac-12. However, hold your tears, folks, as this changed. Riley’s brilliance took a 46th-ranked class in 2022 and delivered an 11-3 overall season. He then followed it with a 9th-ranked class in 2023 in the whole country. And if you see their 2026 class, they are currently ranked 1st nationally and have the commitment of 15 top players. However, the secret sauce to Riley’s recruiting cannot be solely attributed to him, as some of the other people go unnoticed.
SMI College football hosts pointed out the reason behind this incredible recruiting run for USC, especially in the class of 2026. “When you bring in and hire great recruiters, you can change the entire direction of the program. A lot of coaches and a lot of staff are looking for that one guy, that one great recruiter. Lincoln Riley and the Trojans have got themselves two. Phenomenal job by USC.”
The host was talking about two recruiting engines of the USC train. Those being the assistant coach Eric Henderson and defensive backs coach Doug Belk. These two guys are the reason why the program’s recruiting is looking like it’s being run well. 247 Sports ranks both the recruiters as the number 1 and number 2 recruiters in all of college football. Both the guys have a solid track record to back that up. The hosts pointed that out, too.
“They took to what you said to heart as far as how do you reset the defense? Do we go find the best strategic minds, the best coach? No. What do we do? We go find the best recruiters in the country and get ourselves the best talent, and I’ll say this: it doesn’t [that] hurt these guys are also very good coaches as well.”
Firstly, Henderson is a coach who is a Super Bowl LVI winner with the LA Rams. He did so when he was their D-line coach and run game coordinator. Even when Henderson was at Oklahoma State as their assistant, he tutored players like Emmanuel Ogbah, who went on to win All-American awards. Then there is Doug Belk, who learned the craft under the legend Nick Saban as his defensive assistant, winning the SEC title every year in his stint and the national championship in 2015. But what about the hiring strategies of the coaches?
Doug Belk has helped Riley rope in prospects like four-star DBs Brandon Lockhart and R.J. Sermons. His other three-star recruits, like Joshua Holland and even Madden Riordan, are quite impressive. Brandon Arrington is the top five-star player the coach helped to land, who is slated to be a game-changer for the USC Trojans in the defense. On the other hand, Henderson was instrumental in landing prospects like Jaimeon Winfield and Simote Katoanga. Apart from that, the man has also landed 3 D-line players rated 4 stars and one three-star prospect. Henderson was the guy in Riley’s camp for recruiting nationally and seeking those lesser-known places for the talent hunt. Riley undoubtedly has two gems in his recruitment game, and he should keep both tightly to his chest as long as possible.
Lincoln Riley’s QB Dilemma takes an ugly turn?
Lincoln Riley has a quarterback dilemma on his hands. He surely has Jayden Maiava, who looks like the starting quarterback and has the track record to back it. He played 4 games in the previous season and lost just one against Notre Dame. His turnaround in that Aggies game after dropping two pick-sixes against Notre Dame is something everyone is still talking about. However, there are still some concerns.
Greg Katz, who is an analyst for On3, had his doubts regarding the QB’s lack of leadership in the locker room. “Can he get to the point where he is a leader, period? In a lot of things, I don’t know if that’s true. I know that Lincoln Riley says he’s really excited, but that’s what he should do. He’s got to make the guy feel like he’s the second coming of Matt Leinart. But the truth of the matter is I’m not totally sold on him, not because I think he’s a bad kid or anything like that. But I saw things and mistakes”.
Riley has a buyout of $90 million, which isn’t going to be triggered anytime soon. So, USC will need to give everything to Riley to lead. Coming to leadership, it is a concern with Jayden Maiava, as we have seen him falter when leading no-huddles and even in high-pressure moments.
It doesn’t help when you have another talented QB in Husan Longstreet waiting to clinch your QB1 spot at a moment’s notice. Husan is, in that sense, a player who will have his eyes set on the spot. He has proven his mettle in high school by throwing for 3,013 yards for 24 TDs (2023 season). He has proven it in his recruitment as he was rated a 5-star and a ‘generational prodigy. ‘ Now he has another test to take that QB1 spot for Maiava. Who do you think will come up trumps?
The post Lincoln Riley’s $90M Woes Take a New Turn Amid QB Dilemma as Fresh Intel Flips the Script for USC appeared first on EssentiallySports.
