Dan Lovi (OC Register)  — LOS ANGELES — Rebuilding the offensive line has been a lengthy, uneven process for USC football coach Lincoln Riley and his staff.

Last season, the offensive line came together and played through adversity and injuries, with depth at the position being a key factor for some success. But the Trojans still found the going tough when it mattered against good teams like Oregon (52 yds rushing/1.9 ypc) and Notre Dame (68 yds).

Guided by offensive line coach Zach Hanson, entering his second year at the helm after coaching the tight ends in 2024, the group has even more talent at the position this year.

In addition to last year’s starting unit returning, a handful of players who were on the team last season will be competing for more playing time this year, plus seven freshmen are already on campus and participating in spring practices.

“I think we’ve stayed pretty steady and consistent in our process there, both in what we’re recruiting, developing. We’ve tried really hard to retain guys and have some consistency and continuities,” Riley said after Tuesday’s practice. “…I mean, this group’s kind of set up exactly like you want it. The depth, the talent, not just being at the top or at the bottom, but pretty well dispersed throughout the entire room is like what you want, especially in a room that big and that important.”

Riley actually likened the process of building the offensive line group to the construction of the Bloom Football Performance Center, a state-of-the-art three-story hub for USC’s football players that directly oversees the practice fields.

USC broke ground on the facility back in November of 2024, and it’s set to open this summer.

“You have a lot of returning guys, a lot of guys that are homegrown in this program, guys that have played a lot, and then you’ve got a kind of that next tier of a lot of really talented guys that I think we have several that are going to push to play right now,” Riley said. “So that room is kind of like this building right now. You know it started as a hole in the ground and it looks pretty good right now. It’ll be fun to watch that group come together.”

Willi Wascher (left) and Elijah Vaikona are two of the offensive linemen returning to the team who are looking to make an immediate impact after redshirting last season.

Vaikona said he has grown both physically and mentally since last season, learning from the experienced linemen who played in front of him. He is also the tallest player listed on the spring roster, standing 6 feet, 8 inches tall.

“I got to sit behind Justin [Tauanuu], Tobias [Raymond] and Elijah [Paige] last year, and that was great. I learned a lot of things. See college football for what it is and really experience it,” Vaikona said. “And then just asking questions. I asked a lot of questions last year. Sometimes they seemed annoying, but it was just for me to learn and they were really helpful with me.”

Behind last year’s stout line, quarterback Jayden Maiava was able to throw for 3,711 yards (which led the Big 10 Conference) and 24 touchdowns.

This year could prove to be even more fruitful with the wealth of talent and experience on the line protecting him, or opening running lanes.

“It starts up there. It starts up front. I can’t get the ball unless those five guys are on it and locked into their assignments, which they have been,” Maiava said. “All spring, even the pre-walkthroughs before spring, they’ve just been doing such a great job stacking these days, leading up to this moment. I feel comfortable back there.”

Three players out for the rest of spring camp

Senior running back Waymond Jordan was seen on a knee scooter at practice Tuesday, as were tight ends Tucker Ashcraft and Walter Matthews.

Riley said all three players had to have minor procedures over last week’s break, but he believes they will all be ready to go in full for summer.

ocregister.com

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