USC coach Lincoln Riley is keeping Alex Grinch and outlines plans for Year 2…
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — After a dismal end to the season for USC’s defense cast some doubt on his coordinator’s future, coach Lincoln Riley has elected to stay the course with Alex Grinch.
Riley made that decision official Tuesday, offering a vote of confidence in his defensive coordinator amid pleas from frustrated fans who spent the last week calling for his ouster.
“I know what he’s made of,” Riley said of Grinch. “I know what’s getting ready to happen defensively. And so, I just have a confidence and a belief there, not just in Alex, but the other guys in the room.
“I’ve been through it enough with that guy to know, don’t bet against him.”
The final month of USC’s season had offered little reason for optimism about the direction of its defense. USC allowed nearly 2,000 yards over its final four games, unraveling at the most inopportune point of its season.
The defense was dominated by Utah in the Pac-12 Conference title game, erasing any hope of what had been an improbable run to the College Football Playoff. But the nadir didn’t come until last week, when USC fell to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, giving up more than 10 yards per play as the Trojans relinquished a 15-point lead in the final five minutes.
In the lead-up to that defeat, Grinch was asked how much he believed USC’s defense had accomplished in his first season as coordinator.
“The answer is, ‘Not enough,’” he said. “You’re charged with having a championship-level defense at USC. You signed up for that. We played good enough defense 11 times. We didn’t play good enough defense two times, but I don’t take a lot of solace in that. We were expected to have a championship-level defense, and we weren’t able to do that in the ’22 season.”
By retaining Grinch, Riley is betting on that leap to championship level taking place next season. But considering how much of its top talent USC has already lost on defense, it could be an uphill climb for the Trojans’ embattled coordinator.
USC will be without at least its top defensive lineman from last season, Tuli Tuipulotu, and its top cornerback, Mekhi Blackmon, who have declared for the NFL draft.
USC has added five transfers on defense, including All-Big 12 linebacker Mason Cobb from Oklahoma State. Whether it’s enough to weather the loss of its two most impactful defenders remains to be seen.
latimes.com
__________
TrojanDailyBlog members — Always feel free to add information or new topics to the TDB which don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
Where’s the USC football “field”? Is it now officially the USC “Practicum”?
According to a letter from the USC’s School of Social Work —
“…we have decided to remove the term ‘field’ from our curriculum and practice and replace it with ‘practicum…'”
A Beautiful Day at the Practicum
WTF? is this tongue in cheek, AW?
ATL, it is not. I read the same thing. I have totally given up on SC as an educational institution (I have long ago stopped supporting SC financially). While I am not a big fan of his, Jonathan Haight (a professor of sociology at NYU) has divided American Universities and Colleges into two types: (a) social justice institutions and (b) truth-seeking institutions. In our time, virtually all colleges and universities were truth-seeking institutions. NOW, the vast majority are not – they are social justice institutions. Among the problems with social justice universities is they are engaging in deception. Do you… Read more »
I think you have described the situation clearly, RJJ. I will be recommending my grandchildren to Hillsdale College and/or Grove City College.
CLEM football OC Garrett Riley’s contract approved by board of trustees
Riley will make $1.75 mil annually and will receive a $300,000 signing bonus.
yahoo.com
Who thought USC would ever become famous for its horrible defense? USC has had some great defenses, and a few bad ones too, but not since the beginning of social media have I seen such an outspoken, constant and unanimous outpouring of criticism about the Trojan D, whenever and wherever. Any typical statement about USC football, long or short, from anyone, always includes a reference to Lincoln Riley’s now infamous and pitiful 2022 USC defense. Example: “Let’s be honest here, Caleb Williams doesn’t play defense. He put up enough points to win. USC’s defense is horrible. Tulane puts up 16… Read more »
Perhaps LR is not used to the negative press coverage and will respond with something that looks like a defense. Granted you have to go with what you have, but in time I hope this turns around his thinking and reputation as an offense only coach. Not sure that Grinch is going to be the guy to do it, but it looks like he has one more year to prove himself.
Pretty good linebacker from GA just entered the portal. Trezmen Marshall.
I read that USC is at 85 scholarships right now. Somebody will need to leave, perhaps Ford‘s scholarship will to go the defense.
i do not blame Grinch totally for the dismal defensive play and it’s lack of improvement during this past season. Alex Grinch had what LR provided him to work with and build. You can’t make much of a defense with little talent & poor depth. What Alex Grinch must do is convince LR he is not going to win championships here at USC without a top level defense. It just isn’t going to happen. Will Grinch be able to cut into LR’s Hunger to fill up with offensive players and what’s leftover goes to the defense? This next season will… Read more »
The biggest import of the crazy Cotton Bowl loss to me is that it took the shield off LR, a great coach who still needs to bend his program to ever come close to winning another Trojan NC.
Who will be the next non-SEC team to win a championship, and how many years will that take?
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) — “It’s hard to say anyone but OHIO ST after its performance against GA in the Peach Bowl. We haven’t seen MICH prove itself on the big stage outside the Big Ten in a long, long time. As for other possibilities, CLEM is trending in the wrong direction, and Lincoln Riley needs to prove to me he can field a decent defense before I go predicting USC to win a national championship before OHIO ST… ”
theathletic.com
Transfer portal breakdown: The 12 best commitments this week per Mike Huguenin (On3.com) 3. USC DE Anthony Lucas from A&M The skinny: Anthony Lucas (6-6, 270) played in five games as a true freshman in 2022, making 10 tackles for the Aggies. Lucas is a former national top-50 prospect in the On3 Consensus and has a high ceiling, though he needs to play with more physicality. He joins a USC defensive front starved for big bodies. Lucas is one of three defensive linemen grabbed out of the transfer portal by the Trojans; the other two – Purdue DE Jack Sullivan and Arizona DT Kyon Barrs – have vastly… Read more »
It’s amazing how overstacked with talent GA has become.
Broderick Jones, the Bulldogs’ starting LT announced for the NFL Draft today, but who cares? He will be immediately replaced by probably another NFL LT.
GA fans don’t have to think twice about NFL defections.
I still feel a little sorry for TCU. 65-7 isn’t a good way to go out, and makes the Horned Toads #2 final ranking look ridiculous. I wouldn’t put them there. Who believes TCU deserved a final #2 rank, assuming anyone cares?
BTW, for Rams fans out there, Sean McVay has decided to return as coach.
Georgia has 4 & 5 stars stacked like firewood. Today two 4 stars and one 5 star defensive players entered the portal. Neither of them were 1st teamers but did get playing time. Problem for them is that Georgia has another crop of 4/5 stars signed who appear to have a higher upside. Georgia s a machine and they aren’t going to slow down anytime soon.
The current battle between Nick Saban and Kirby Smart is going to be awesome to see IMO. Saban’s not ready to bow out. Smart’s going for three in a row. It’s gonna be intense between these people.
Thinking about the transfer portal, I wonder if some kids who were good players but not starters, just want a change of scenery. I attended SC for 8 years in a row and i got pretty tired of the same sights at the end of my time there.
ALT, I think that makes sense for the Kyle Fords of the world. Kyle is a solid collegiate player but a marginal pro player. (If he were a solid NFL player, he would have left for the NFL). He was not going to play much at SC; he has his SC degree; why not try an adventure and play for another program. If I were in his shoes, I would be looking at another large job market area. Perhaps try where I now live. He has seven colleges to try – OK, OK St, Ark, TCU, SMU, Texas, and Baylor.… Read more »
Nobody WANTS to live there.
2023 Transfer Football Team Rankings (USC is #2)
247sports.com
Three WRs out, 5 linemen in, addition by subtraction this week, moving past Prime Time!
I’m still a little shocked Prime Time took the beleaguered CU job. I sure didn’t see that coming. On Dec. 5, Sanders signed a $29.5 mil//5 year K before bonuses and incentives (like $150,000 if CU wins a mere six games in a season).
Prime Time going to CU is about as shocking as LR coming to USC as far as I’m concerned. Who doesn’t think Prime Time will be very successful at CU? He seems like a slam dunk.
AP source: Clemson working to hire TCU’s Garrett Riley as OC, to replace goner Brandon Streeter
Yahoo — Clemson has struggled offensively the last two seasons. The Tigers (11-3) finished last in the ACC in yards per play in 2021 (5.17) and only improved to eighth in 2022 (5.60) as they won the conference.
Riley, the 33-year-old brother of USC coach Lincoln Riley, helped lead TCU (13-2) to its first playoff appearance in his first season with the school.
yahoo.com
I assumed Garrett Riley would leave TCU after its sensational run. Rumor was he turned down a 3 year/$2 M a year offer from Texas A&M. Clemson would probably be a great landing place for him.
One of Clemsons biggest problems has been the QB play. Thankfully they made a change finally, perhaps the new guy will do better, especially with a new offense.
Thank you, Kyle Ford
Great kid. Helped the team a lot. But, as he is eligible for the NFL draft and chose to play a 5th year in college tells me he does not think he is NFL starter material. That means we are now down to eight in the WR room: Mario Williams, Dorian Singer, Brendan Rice, Michael Jackson, Taj Washington, Hudson-Ware and the two true frosh (both of whom will compete for PT). I wonder why Jordan Addison has not announced he is going pro yet? I expect he will, but why wait? His ankle may be more of problem than we… Read more »
Petros Papadakis said Charles White was the best runner he ever saw, and the best RB coach he ever had. Of course, he could have been not totally serious, a la Petros.
Omar Speights is in portal. I know we have picked up and recruited LB pretty well but if that guy is available we need to get him.
I agree Chris. This will be interesting if we get him, will someone upcoming leave.
Steve, he is a one and done player. He will not impact anyone on the team who we would want to keep. I think LR got it right when he said the D talent that Helton left was subpar (it was a mediocre MW D), and also correct that Grinch did not upgrade it much. My guess is after this year, little of the Helton talent will be left on the team.
Good catch, I didn’t realize he only has one year left. I worry about losing those young linebackers Davis and Tabarricci.
ILB Omar Speights (6-1, 233; born in Philadelphia, Crescent Valley HS/OR; 3-stars; 1 year eligibility) in 2022 (JR) • All-Pac-12 First Team • Phil Steele All-Pac-12 First Team • AP All-Pac-12 Second Team • PFF All-Pac-12 Second Team • Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List (top defensive player) • Bednarik Award Watch List (most outstanding defensive player) • Played in and started all 13 games • Led ORE ST with 83 tackles. Added eight TFL, four QB hurries and one pass breakup • His 83 tackles ranked tied for 10th in the Pac-12 • Tallied five or more tackles in 10… Read more »
Chris, Totally agree. Spieghts would significantly increase the talent on the D. He and Cobb would be our starting ILBs moving Gentry to OLB. Our starting LBs for next year could be Cobb, Speights on the inside and Gentry and Tackett Curtis (probably a bit a push for a true frosh) on the outside. The back up ILBs (who would play a lot) would be Lee and Davis (who looked good against Tulane). The back ups OLBs could be the transfer from GA State and a person yet to be determined. If he develops (a big IF), it could be… Read more »
NCAA changes transfer portal rules for players entering portal a 2nd time More change is coming to the college football transfer portal SI.com — While players going into the portal for the first time will still be able to get immediate eligibility at their next school, the NCAA is trying to stop players from entering the transfer portal multiple times. What’s new: The NCAA Div I Council approved legislation to limit waivers for second-time transfer players. Now, any undergraduates who transfer a second time, or any other time after that, must meet specific guidelines in order to be eligible for immediate playing time starting… Read more »
It would fair if one of the guidelines was a coaching change at your current school. What’s fair for coaches should be fair for players.
Kyle Ford is going to the portal.
Too much competition at WR for Ford or CJ to much play time.
Players who leave USC don’t bother me. They’ve all got their reasons, but there’s no sense keeping guys on your team who are a bad fit (can’t get on the field enough) and would rather be someplace else.
Better to trade those guys for newcomers who like their future at USC.
Like some more huge linemen
CJ Williams, one of the most-heralded WR prospects coming out of the 2022 class, committed to WIS via the transfer portal on Thursday. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman played this past fall at USC but entered the portal after just one season with the Trojans.
rivals.com
Does anyone even know who runs the special teams at USC? I have never heard LR mention it.
It’s Lincoln Riley’s version of potluck, aka coaching Goulash.
Pretty sure it’s either Manning or Kiel McDonald. Both have been ST coordinators at previous schools.
If that’s the case, they need to be quickly re-assigned.
USC Football: PFF gives the Trojans the worst special teams grade among all FBS teams. Not the worst in the Pac-12, or the worst in the Power Five. The worst in the entire country.
USC came in 131st out of 131 teams
si.com
Hey maybe Grinch can do it, it will take away time from him designing new schemes.
that is bad.
😂
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren leaving the conference to be president of the Chicago Bears
Reports surfaced on Dec. 29 that Warren was a finalist for the Bears’ CEO and president position and had interviewed with the franchise multiple times. Since that news broke, the Big Ten “made no tangible push to keep” Warren, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Warren was reportedly not popular among the conference’s athletic directors and there had been no talks of extending his contract.
Yahoo Sports
is this a reflection of B1G CONFERENCE attitude towards the los angeles expansion?
I only paying just a little attention to the Transfer Portal reports …..But for those that ARE this seems like a good thing >>>>>> Chris Treviño
@ChrisNTrevino
·
18h
#USC has moved up to No. 5 in the transfer rankings and yes, Jarrett Kingston is now rated a three-star transfer prospect
He is rated .89 on 247. I he was rated .8901 he would be a four star. Still a good get.
Not sure how they rate players but JK is a multiple year starter and all conference at left tackle. He’s at least one of the 5 or 6 best tackles in the PAC12. with graduate transfers there is no projecting, we know what they are. He is good. Seems to me a 3 star ranking is silly.
Why the Portal rankings still emphasize old news high school rankings as the talent barometer is laughable.
Going by that standard, if mediocre-at-best, part-time player Korey Jackson put himself into the Portal, he could be touted as the #1 prep in America by the program that decided they wanted him. Silly is a polite euphemism.
Sure don’t like losing Kyle Ford, whatever his prep ranking was. But the vastly over-rated Jackson wouldn’t be bad, even if he did make UCLA cry.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Charles White, the Southern California tailback who in 1979 won the third of USC’s eight Heisman Trophies and was twice the Rose Bowl MVP, died Wednesday. Yahoo.com — USC announced the death of the 64-yr old White, who is still the Trojans’ career rushing leader with 6,245 yards. The nine-year NFL veteran with the Browns and Rams died of cancer in Newport Beach, CA, the school said. “He was the toughest player I’ve ever coached,” said John Robinson, White’s former head coach at USC and with the Los Angeles Rams. “He was really unusual in that… Read more »
I just read this on Facebook. It’s hard to believe I hope USC does something to commemorate his passing.
DANG ! ………. This is Super Bad News…..He Will Be Missed ! ….. R.I.P. Charles……….Sad sad day …………………………………….
USC is now ranked 5th best in 247 Sports 2023 Transfer Portal Rankings with 11 transfers. 6 of which are defensive players. LR and Grinch are doing to the defense what LR did to the offense last year. And it’s only January 11.
By the way Colorado is ranked 2nd with 21 transfers. 6 are from Jackson State including Deon’s QB son.
And USC is 9th overall when portals and preps are combined (31 new guys)
247sports.com
Here’s Lincoln Riley at his best: LR — “The reality was this season we had one guy that consistently won, that had a decent shot to consistently win pass rush, and the reality was if he didn’t get there our chances weren’t super high. We’ve got to get better across the board there. Again, that’s making and developing the guys on your roster to be better, that’s bringing in the type of talent that we expect to have across the board on that front seven. You can’t fake that front seven — you can’t do it. You can run any… Read more »
Thanks for the quote. It does clarify a lot of things. For me, it shows that when LR took over the mess that Helton had left behind, he took over the O and trusted Grinch to handle the D. The results show Grinch is no LR. LR is clearly now focused on the D. He has clearly decided that the first step to solve the problem on D is a significant upgrade in the talent of the front 7. Grinch should have addressed this better in his first year. He did not and LR is now forcing that issue. Once… Read more »
The Cotton Bowl loss was such an example of USC simply and literally giving a game away to the other side, it’s hard for me to imagine a bigger collapse. Earlier I brought up the ’65 Beban Bomb loss. Another incredibly painful reckoning that comes to mind is the double OT loss to UCLA in ’96. UCLA scored 17 points in the final 6:12 of the 4th Q to erase a 17 pt deficit. ’96 was a weird year for USC football. The 6-6 Trojans followed up the UCLA heartbreaker with one of my favorite games all-time at the Coliseum… Read more »
Thanks for the great story. Hard to imagine a hard nose Midwestern football coach moving to Newport Beach and coaching a bunch of surfers.
Wade was a real tough guy who was credited back in the day with bringing smashmouth ball to the Newport program. It was called “Tar Ball”. Wade also benefitted from the fact that all of us “surfers” had been playing together since Pop Warner days, so by the time we got to Newport, we were already a strong group who had won the Southern California Pee Wee Championship. I still remember hammering the San Bernardino Apaches for the title when I was a 7th grader. Even got my picture in the local Daily Pilot Sports section, gleefully running for a… Read more »
Is Lincoln Riley, stupid? Absolutely not, in fact hes a certified genius. So why keep a guy, in such a critical role, if he can’t get it done? Riley saw the improvement, at both Wash and OK in year 2 under Grinch. Tough ask, after losing possibly the top 2 players on this years defense. But the genius of LR, is keeping Grinch is a win/win. Either Grinch brings in new talent and coaches them up…..or 1 year from today, USC is set to poach a Def genius from the big 10, who is familiar with the talent and OC’s… Read more »
Thank goodness for this message board. I am tired of reading thoughts from a bunch of people who have zero idea on actually how to coach football but pretend they know more than Riley.
did our defense stink? Yes. Do Riley and Grinch know this? Yes. Are they going to do something about it? That’s also a yes. Do I think Riley will let everyone go if next year looks even remotely close to this year? Yes, for sure.
Texas A&M DL/Edge Transfer Anthony Lucas (6-6, 270; Scottsdale, AZ; three years eligibility) Commits to USC
Lucas is ranked as the No. 11 Player in the transfer portal rankings.
One of the highest-4-star ranked recruits in A&M’s historic 2022 class.
Was waiting all week to hear that.. Not a bad week for recruiting. Plug in starters on both OL and DL
Well this is good news.
Utah, Looks to me that the entire front 7 (save Gentry) is being replaced. In fact, I would not be surprised if most of the 2 deep on the front 7 is replaced. I expect Shane Lee will be 2nd string and Talenti (spelling?) probably the being the only two to survive. I have totally given up on Corey Foreman. He was horrid in the Tulane game. I watched him when he came in and was totally useless.
Ya, LR has really started to kill it in recruiting the portal. He’s a very talented guy.
I just wish I had faith in Grinch. He has a lot to prove.
I think his O is done. He could use a TE (Duece Robinson would be a great addtion) and one more OL. Clearly is focusing on D. Still could use more DL and more LBs.
So far, I’d say LR sure knows how to kill a Cotton Bowl loss.
Everybody can’t resist smiling over talent additions.
Lincoln Riley Blames Clay Helton. It could have been worse Clay.
LR — “Typically great groups get off to a good start, they get some momentum. And then as guys go out or as guys get worn down, you have this underbelly of talent that starts to show up and they’re developing through the year. And that didn’t necessarily happen defensively. Not having really much of a high school recruiting class the year before, we felt that.”
Well, I totally agree that that most of the talent on the two deep of this year’s front 7 on D was not very good (in fact, other than Tuli, I doubt ANY of them are NFL talent (save Gentry), with many being Mountain West level talent). But I do not view that as an excuse for the horrible performances particularly against Utah (in the Championship game) and against Tulane. LR is moving to address the problem. Just signed Lucas from Texas A&M. A 5 star DL. So far, on D, they have signed via the portal two other DL,… Read more »
Y’all know I am no Grinch fan. LR decided it was better to keep him than to replace him. I have no idea why LR made that decision. As I have also written, I am in complete agreement with Allen that LR has earned the right to have his choice respected. I wonder if LR has thought through what will happen if SC loses another game critical game like we did the Cotton Bowl. We play 5 critical games next year: Oregon, Washington, Utah, UCLA and Notre Dame. (This is one of the toughest schedules in the nation). To win… Read more »
Alex Grinch became the least respected college DC in the country as TUL ran and passed through USC like melted butter in the Cotton Bowl. He’s practically a household name now and a figurehead for defensive futility. Grinch’s statement that “we played good enough defense 11 times” should win the Clay Helton Award for Misreading the Room. Grinch’s good friend and foxhole buddy Lincoln Riley fell all over himself in the Cotton Bowl as the Green Wave demolished USC in about as bad a way as you can imagine. In some ways, the bloom came off the rose for LR,… Read more »
No, Mr. Grinch, the truth is that we played good enough offense to outrun your poor defense 11 times.
Allen, I would say Grinch is the best known for incompetence DC in the nation (at any level); the Cotton Bowl sealed that title for him. And, as I have written below, that reputation will trail him for the rest of his career unless he really changes in 2023. By that I mean SC wins the Pac, makes the playoffs and the D plays well against elite competition. My guess is Grinch’s D will get smoked a couple of times next year and SC will probably not win the Pac again, due to horrible D and awful special teams. I… Read more »
In defense of Alex, I have to choke back my anger, but after reading other accounts of the press conference yesterday, I guess I can. Lincoln Riley, in expressing confidence in Mr. Grinch pointed out two things. First Grinch took a crappy Oklahoma defense (over 400 yards allowed) to a less crappy defense (only 350 yards allowed). Incrementally progressing is progress I guess. Second and most importantly his players were in the right place to make a stop(according to game film watched)but they missed the tackles. This much is true watching the bowl game, what I called slapstick tackles were… Read more »
“In defense of Grinch”. Clever, but it was a poor defense. Sorry RT, I just couldn’t resist, no offense intended.
Rialto, I know I have given up on Grinch. But, it will make for entertaining football. We are hoping that our O scores every time it has the ball, and the D holds the opponents two times a game. AND, never have the outcome of the game in the hands of our D.
I actually heard someone on the team say that. (Or it might have been the TV) but nobody trusted the defense.
That’s what is so great about the Anthony Lucas commitment for Alex Grinch.
It shows a potentially great player trusts Grinch to be the guy to coach him as a DC, in spite of all the negative press lately.
Drake London caught six of eight targets for 120 yds during Sunday’s 30-17 win over Tampa Bay
I guess he liked what he saw.
Interesting to compare with how USC announced Anthony Lucas
Who here thinks Caleb Williams will win the Heisman again, making him the first back-to-back statue holder since Archie Griffin in ’74 and ’75?
I do for two reasons.
I think CW has a great shot at it but it sure looks like there is going to be tremendous competition for it. Maybe if he can tackle he can go both ways, that should do it.
First of all, I’m hoping that Caleb stays healthy and completes the season. If he has a remarkable season like this last one, I’m sure he will be a Heisman finalist again. I’m hoping he wins for somewhat selfish reasons as I was a Sophomore at USC in ’74 and thought Anthony Davis was better than Griffin. The following year my classmate Ricky Bell had a phenomenal year including one game rushing for 347 yards, yet Griffin won again. I chalk that up to the East Coast/Big10/SEC bias.
Baring an injury that limits his abilities we have a generational QB/Leader/MoneyMaker Watching him next year will be like watching Bush at his best. Hard to imagine the leap he will make, and he will.. 11-3 I trust LR to improve this team to another level. What other teams go to another level in our swan song to the Pac is another question… After yesterdays Press (Program stability) is vital this moment. Grinch -Next year is your make or break yr. I trust LR’s wisdom to build back USC to dominance. With Big Ten a year away, LR will make… Read more »
I don’t think so just because you have to do so much better to be considered for a second one. With our defense and schedule we will not have as good of a record.
I do think the ’23 team will be better than what we just saw. Some of these Portal additions in needed areas seem pretty good to me.
That might mean Caleb doesn’t have to carry so much weight, which one could argue would reduce his likelihood of winning again. It’s an awfully tall order.
Boy do almost all of these comments from Grinch sound Heltonesk. If the performance of the D is as bad next year it will hang heavy around the neck of LR and the fans will voice their opinion in the Coliseum.
not happy with this decision but fully expected it, so now I am just hoping for the best with low expectations for success.
LR’s back is up against the wall now. He’s done amazing stuff since he’s been at USC, but it’s unrealistic to expect him to fix the whole enchilada, all facets of the team, into a championship or playoff appearance (so glad USC never played GA!) in just one year. If Grinch isn’t working during the 2023 season, and is a poor choice for DC, I’m very confident he’ll be replaced. But LR isn’t ready to make that call yet and he’s earned the right to make that call by any measure. There’s a big emphasis by LR on new and… Read more »
That’s extremely unfortunate. We are going to waste a once in a generation talent. With Grinch and his defensive scheme, best cast were a 10-2 team next season.
After the season, I expressed what my eyeballs told me: Grinch’s scheme had players playing hard and in the right places for the most part. What failed us was an elevated number of brain fart busts (often the defensive equivalent of a fumble), an inability to generate an effective pass rush, particularly at key moments, and obviously the complete lack of effective tackling throughout the season (a problem that only got worse as the quality of opponents improved). All of these things are Grinch’s fault, but there is merit to the fact that we need a personnel upgrade on that… Read more »
They have brought in a few key defensive transfers, lets hope tackling is high on the to do list!.
I was hopeful that Riley might bring a national playoff slot in his second or third year…….was……now I’am hopeful we can be 3-2 playing Oregon,Washington,Notre Dame, UCLA and Utah next year. .
It sure seems that the Pac12 is going to be the most exciting conference for football next season. With the QB’s around the conference anything is possible.
Well, it’s not the worst news I’ve heard out of USC at the season’s end. I mean compared to renewing Helton’s contract, this is just a blip on my fan screen. More emphasis has been made in recruiting defensive players.
I will not be surprised to hear boos coming from the stadium when the defense fails. Most fans I know are beyond saturated with poor play. If improvement is not evident next season, I see more flack headed towards Riley.
No surprise in the announcement. You hit on something here, RT, that maybe hadn’t resonating with LR and his staff until now, which is the history of the defense leading up to this year. The Clancy and Orlando years have resulted in a very short fuse with the fan base specifically with our defensive performance, probably shorter than with the offense. Regardless, the staff knows now.
I was really hoping LR would make a change but I understand his point of view. What he is trying to do is a major undertaking and will take the time necessary to get it done. Continuity in the staff is probably very important to the culture he is trying to build. I remember last year after spring ball LR picked up some very good players, perhaps he can pull it off this year to build the depth on defense. If (or when) Anthony Lucas signs we will have a solid on the D line.
Who didn’t see this coming? Now the pressure is on Riley to make sure the program doesn’t go through this mess again. That being said, we have to live with the decision and hope for the best next season.
What I didn’t see coming @misterusc would be that USC would just punch your beloved Irish silly in Lincoln’s first year. That sure didn’t take long. Caleb Williams really slapped ND around. Don’t feel bad. He did that to a lot of people.
Better luck next year with your new WAKE QB transfer. I hear he might actually give you a shot at not getting smashed by USC again in 2023! USC is #1 — Eight Heismans! It seemed so easy. Thanks for the help! ✌✌