Column: Lincoln Riley keeps raising the bar, expecting his first USC team to be his weakest
Dylan Hernandez (LA Times) — Don’t be fooled by his understated demeanor. Lincoln Riley is brash. He tells you he’s going to kick your you-know-what and he explains how he’s going to do it.
Riley showed up here talking a big game, but with his first season as USC’s coach nearly complete, he’s convinced even the most cynical observers that he isn’t just full of hot air from the Oklahoma plains.
He said he expected to compete for championships this year, and he did, the Trojans in line for a place in the College Football Playoff semifinals until they lost to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game.
He predicted the Trojans would be a player again recruiting in the West, and they have, unveiling a recruiting class in the early signing period that included the No. 1 player in California in quarterback Malachi Nelson and No. 1 player in Nevada in receiver Zachariah Branch (1).
Now, with the Trojans preparing to play Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, Riley made another brazen declaration.
“I’ll be disappointed if this isn’t the worst team that we have in our entire tenure here,” Riley said.
He might have just voiced the expectations of the USC fan base, but consider how unusual that is in these times when quotes of that nature are forever preserved by the internet and could later be weaponized against their sources.
Riley might not be Muhammad Ali, but he’s certainly closer to Ali than he is to UCLA coach Chip Kelly, who before this season refused to even define what a successful year would be for his team.
The Trojans have won 11 games. They are third in the nation in scoring. They have a Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Caleb Williams, who could one day be the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
And here was Riley saying of these Trojans, “This is so bottom level for what this program can be.”
Riley wanted to emphasize the point at his early signing day news conference in Heritage Hall. He introduced the concept without any prompting. He reintroduced the idea later in the news conference, again without any prompting.
Instead of celebrating a potential top-10 class, Riley already was speaking to his next group of potential recruits.
“You better jump on,” he said, “or watch us go by.”
Little wonder the likes of Nelson, Branch and receiver Makai Lemon committed to USC before Riley coached his first game with the Trojans. And little wonder Riley claims the team’s success increased the number of high-caliber players who are considering USC.
While Riley said he anticipated his future teams would be more talented, he said he wanted them to retain the spirit of this year’s Trojans.
Los Alamitos QB Malachi Nelson waits to enter the field before a game against Newport Harbor High School on Sept. 30 in Newport Beach. Nelson signed with USC during the early signing period on Wednesday. (Ashley Landis / AP)
“When we look back 10 years from now, in some ways, this will be maybe one of the less talented teams we’ll have,” Riley said. “But in terms of chemistry, the locker room being right, the kind of vibe and culture around this team, these guys have been outstanding. That’s been our ace in the hole. That’s been the thing that separated us and gave us a chance to win a lot of games, to go on a pretty cool run here in Year 1. That’s something we’ve worked hard to establish here in the first 12 months. We damn sure aren’t going to let that fade away as we build the roster up and we build the talent level.”
The Trojans signed 19 high school players on Wednesday, 12 more than they did on early-signing day last year.
The team this year relied heavily on the transfer portal to construct its roster, and while Arizona receiver Dorian Singer is expected to lead another loaded class of transfers, Riley said his preference was to build his program around four-year players.
Riley said that with time, he and his staff have gained a greater understanding of the kinds of players who are more likely to succeed at USC.
“This is not a small-town college setting,” he said. “This is a big market. There’s bright lights on you every single day. There are big opportunities, on and off the field, and you have to find guys that embrace that are ready to handle that, and I think it takes a unique individual to do that.”
The implication was that Riley was now recruiting from a position of power, that he could choose the players he wants rather than have to settle for players who want to attend USC.
Asked if he thought USC lost players because of name, image and likeness considerations, Riley replied, “Yeah. Of course we did. But everybody did.”
He didn’t seem to care.
“We’re looking for people whose priorities align with USC’s priorities, and USC’s priorities are about the team first,” he said. “It’s going to be about the university and education first. NIL is going to be a part of it here, and a tremendous opportunity, but it’s not ever going to be No. 1 on the priority list.”
Riley can speak like this with a measure of credibility because of what his team accomplished on the field. He’s backed up his talk. But if he wants to maintain his air of casual confidence, his future teams will have to clear the elevated standards he has set for them.
latimes.com
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Chris Treviño @ChrisNTrevino
DL Tyrone Taleni said he intends to return for another year at USC.
“I ain’t going nowhere,” he said with a laugh.
I like the old school attitude which never goes out of style especially in football. There is no I in team. I have seen from more than one source that this staff is looking for team players. What can they do for the team not what the team will do for them. When ever a potential player starts to talk himself up they go looking elsewhere. I was struck by the QB going to UCLA, I think, it was all about him and what he is going to get. Not a LR kind of guy.
Moore mentioned that UCLA heading to the Big Ten was a factor for him. “The TV time and exposure is going to be great for me to market myself as being a quarterback and being an athlete at this point,” said Moore.
“…for me to market myself…” Enough said.
Kind of like their current QB that talked a lot of crap before the rivalry game and then threw a lick to seal their loss.
BREAKING: 5-star Peyton Bowen flips to OU, retracting ORE commitment!
For as high as the ORE fanbase was when 5-star safety Peyton Bowen announced his commitment to Dan Lanning and the Ducks on Wednesday morning, flipping from ND, that’s probably as low as they feel right now.
Bowen announced on Thursday that he plans to sign with the Oklahoma Sooners, going back on his commitment to ORE and choosing a team that didn’t seem to even be among his final two options at his commitment announcement.
yahoo.com
NIL money talks. OK must have a pile to outbid Oregon.
Couldn’t happen to a better team (unless it was the ruins). But not thrilled it was OU either. They have been pretty salty.
It just struck me. If Ed O had been recruiting for USC, the Trojans would have signed at least one more 5-star (If that’s your bag). But lots of 5-stars flop all over the place. Ed O was the best recruiter I’ve ever come across.
I thought about this and wondered how hard it would be. Coach O is technically still an employee of LSU through 2025, so to bring him in would be costly. Then there’s the whole scandal issue, which might be a lot of BS invented to make him look bad.
Still it would look good to have him in cardinal and gold again. Maybe special teams or defensive line coach. I think the thing that makes him attractive is his ability to sell ice cubes to the indigenous people of Alaska.
Allen, I do not know how good Ed would be in this market. Hard to sell a kid like DJ U, when SC is offering NIL potential based on his performance and Oregon is offering (to speculate) six figures for signing and playing next year.
I’m not willing to blame all, or even most, of these losses on NIL. I’m sure USC has suffered some losses that had absolutely nothing to do with NIL.
And I feel strongly that USC will still bring some more Portals or Preps aboard in this 2023 effort, and that our NIL deals will prove plenty adequate. LR already said as much. He doesn’t even want guys who are focusing on NIL too much. I take him for his word.
I mostly agree. I completely support LR’s decision not to focus on “play for pay” NIL. I think pay for play NIL is both extremely risky and potentially team destroying. Look at A&M this year as an example. You want kids who focus on team and developing into a great player, not on making money. Eschewing the play for pay NIL approach, however, means you are going to miss out on some really talented kids, who will take the money. For example, I believe, absent the big pay day, DJ U would have signed with SC. I recall another 5… Read more »
Pay-to-play for unproven freshmen is risky business for team culture. I would think that a highly paid freshman who is underperforming his stars would not play well in the locker room. Further, what if a 3-star is outperforming a 5-star who signed with much aplomb in spring and fall camp. Who plays on game day?
I have to think that these kids know the deals that others get. Unless you have a system that pays all equally, how do you not have a system that breeds discontent, resentment and jealousy?
volunteer, I totally agree. Some schools have solved this with a “flat rate”. I think UT plays each offensive lineman who makes the team $50,000 a year. I think SMU pays each kid scholarship kid an extra $36,000 a year. Texas Tech pays everyone on the team, including walk-ons, $25,000 a year. I think that type of “pay for play” NIL works. The type we are seeing at Oregon or A&M I doubt will.
Would love to have coach O back I. Some capacity.
How about as the Official Ambassador of USC football? Good enough for me, but LR might object. Too many cooks in the kitchen?
Could certainly see why LR would object. But boy our recruiting would be through the roof.
Top priority WEST MICH DL transfer Braden Fiske (6-5, 300; grad transfer, one year of eligibility) reports to 247Sports that he is down to USC, FSU and ND (he’s already visited all).
Fiske does not have a date set for a decision yet but said he did not want to drag the process on for too much longer.
Allen Trieu/247 Sports
Coach Riley is the real thing, He means what he says, He is building a Dynasty and Atmosphere at USC FootBall that will will continue to grow and dominate. USC FOOTBALL is back and going full steam ahead FIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In my area of the Country (NY Metro Area ) a decent amount of high school leagues/divisions have consolidated as a way to handle High Schools that have SHUT DOWN their football programs …..probably forever .We now have Flag Football Pro Bowl …..You can’t BREATHE on a QB without getting a penalty … It will not happen in my lifetime (I am 70+ yrs old) but football IS STARTING TO DIE as a Sport (and I do not enjoy typing this >>>>>) and tackle football might go away forever ….We Will See .
Very interesting. My guess is the same will apply to Boston and Philadelphia and probably Chicago. I am not going to take the time to investigate, but does NY area have any 4 or 5 star football players? How about MA or CT or all of New England? I know NJ does but other than NJ, I cannot recall any really talented high school players coming out of the Northeast.
Have been reading articles on internet about “College Football is Changing ” (Which I Agree With) but (to me anyway) This is the biggest THREAT to College Football >>>>> (Article on internet) High School Football Participation Is On A Decade-Long Decline (First paragraph of the article) >>>>> “You can blame it on concussions, the demise of the three-sport athlete, social-climbing parents (and parents FORBIDDING their kids from playing football) growth of Soccer, video games, cell phones, the need for instant gratification, kids’ lack of desire to work, Andrew Luck’s retirement, whatever you want. At this point, the only reason for… Read more »
The NCAA has turned college football to a professional sport.
Do not like it but it is what they do.
Before they used to play for the school.
Now they play for money.
The NCAA messed up big time.
USC50, I do not think the NCAA is the culprit – many factors are. In this case, the US Supreme Court is the immediate cause of the mess we are presently seeing.
The Supreme Court couldn’t have ruled otherwise. JMHO.
Their ruling mooted any debate on the issue between you and I. They could have ruled to the contrary but chose not to (I agree the stronger position was how they ruled).
True. The calls for paying the players has grown every year for a very long time. I hate that we have absolutely thrown the potential for a degree from outstanding universities in the trash can. I would have loved to have been talented enough to get a free education.
Utah, If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend “The Last Movie Star” with Burt Reynolds. It is one of my top 10 and I saw it a couple of times on HBO last week. Reynolds plays himself as an old man. His character is called “Vic Edwards”. Vic was an star on a hypothetical Tennessee undefeated football team that won a national championship. He was a RB who scored the winning TD to secure the undefeated season against Texas. In scoring, he blew out his knee. Vic Edwards then went to Hollywood and became Burt Reynolds… Read more »
Thanks, I will check it out.
You think that this mess is caused by the ncaa? Get a clue—-the schools that are breaking the non-existing rules would go to court the next day. The ncaa is not some gov body—its the schools own creation!
HOF19, thanks for the link. I would add as a major issue – the shift in our culture: our culture is now being feminized, our family structure has changed significantly, and our demographics are changing. America has the highest percentage of single parent households in the world – it stands at about 25%. The only other country in the world with double digits is Russia, which stands at 18%. And, almost all American single parent households are headed by women. Please note, I am not complaining or railing against this, just stating facts. Young males in those households will generally… Read more »
As a soccer player growing up I have never understood all the talk about football concussions and that it is more dangerous than any other sport. Don’t get me wrong, every thing needs to be done to minimize them. But youth soccer has more concussions than football.
Absolutely. I also have seen several HS basketball players fall head first on the hardwood. No helmets in basketball.