USC’s Lincoln Riley says partial scholarships could be in play…
Football programs will have 105 potential roster spots to offer, if the House v. NCAA settlement is approved
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — They began to hoot in late July, when Lincoln Riley called up Mater Dei High walk-on Josiah Zamora for a post-workout breakdown, USC’s players clamoring before truly realizing what was about to hit them.
“Another reason he’s breaking down,” Riley said of Zamora, speeding up his sentence in anticipation of what was to come, “he’s going on scholarship today!”
The head coach skipped away as hoots became bellows, the entirety of USC’s roster mosh-pitting around the redshirt junior receiver, tackling him with such gleeful ferocity he fell to the turf.
On Thursday, quarterback Miller Moss told media it couldn’t have happened to “a better guy.”
“For him to be able to get his master’s degree paid for,” Moss said of Zamora, “I mean, I think that’s just – life-changing.”
Traditionally, somewhere up to 85 such lives are changed on USC’s practice fields every year, an NCAA-mandated hard cap set on the amount of scholarships Riley and staff can present to a roster well upwards of 100 players. But as tides continue to shift in college athletics, the groundbreaking antitrust settlement with the NCAA – commonly referred to as the House settlement – presents an alternative reality where scholarship limits are a thing of the past, outlined in formal settlement documents filed in the Northern District Court of California in late July.
In addition to the revenue-sharing model the House settlement presents, essentially turning college athletic departments into pro sports franchises maneuvering under a salary cap, scholarship limits would be replaced by flat-out roster limits.
As has been widely reported, an FBS football program would be limited to carrying 105 players on its roster. The amount of scholarships offered within that limit, meanwhile, will be fully up to individual schools to decide – meaning Riley and USC will have a variety of factors to consider come 2025-26 if Judge Claudia Wilken approves.
“I don’t know that there’s really a precedent in any sport that I’m aware of that is really set up that way,” Riley said Friday, when asked his thoughts on the scholarship changes. “So because of that, there’s going to be a whole lot of new strategies, and whoever can have the best strategy in the beginning will certainly have an advantage.”
As the settlement outlines, every Power Five school, including USC, will be able to distribute players more than $20 million in revenue-sharing and additional spending “over and above” existing scholarship and other benefits. The program, realistically, could choose to elect to offer five additional scholarships. Or 10. Or the full 20.
Or, alternatively, USC could elect to experiment with partial scholarships for players, which Riley affirmed “100% absolutely” could be in play. The question Riley presented: Would a USC scholarship cost the exact same against that salary cap as a scholarship for another program?
Take fellow Big Ten school Ohio State, for example, which estimates its average cost for a non-resident student in 2024-25 is about $40,000. USC’s, by comparison, is close to $70,000. If both programs offered 20 additional football scholarships – valued exactly as their worth under that cap – USC would be spending $1.4 million of that $20-something million, while Ohio State would only be spending $800,000.
“If we do that, we’re going the complete opposite direction,” Riley argued Friday, emphasizing the need for competitive equity.
There’s several more questions to answer, chief among them the role of Title IX, which mandates per NCAA guidelines that “female and male student-athletes receive athletics scholarship dollars proportional to their participation.” If USC chose to hand out 20 more football scholarships, then, they’d really be spending $2.8 million, required to also hand out 20 scholarships among their women’s programs.
“We know kind of generally what it’s going to look like, but there’s a lot of key things that we don’t know yet that would maybe cause you from firmly making a decision,” Riley said Friday. “But we’ve got kind of a base philosophy in our mind of how we’re going to attack it, and it will be a little bit different for each school.”
ocregister.com
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USC failed to place any players on The Athletic’s 1st or 2nd team Pre-Season AAs. I thought Zach Branch might land as a special teamer/all-purpose-type, but instead, The Athletic picked: AP Travis Hunter, Colorado: Hunter played more than 1,000 snaps last season despite missing three games because of an injury. He’s a true two-way player who caught 57 passes for 721 yards and five touchdowns and had 30 tackles and three interceptions on defense, doing so in just nine games. The former five-star recruit, who originally signed to play for Deion Sanders at Jackson State, is one of the top wide receiver… Read more »
Preseason, Preseason. That’s all based on what you did last year. Who cares. It’s a new season. Let’s see who has done something by December.
Who cares? Really? That’s an interesting theory.
On the contrary, I’d say most all successful coaches care massively about their pre-season, and what happens every single day.
And obviously, it’s not all about what you did last year, as Lincoln Riley is trying to prove every single day.
My approach is much more like let’s see who is doing something right now.
That will dictate the future.
USC led the way…
Mandel’s Mailbag (The Athletic) Q — If you could pick which first-round matchups you want to see happen this year, purely for narrative or entertainment value, which would you pick? Brian Kelly and LSU in South Bend? Lane Kiffin vs. USC? Mandel — Kelly returning to Notre Dame would be epic. So would Lincoln Riley taking USC to Oklahoma. It would be fun if we got some realignment-disrupted rivalries temporarily restored, like if the Sooners drew Oklahoma State, Texas visited Texas Tech or Missouri faced Kansas. (Can we move that one to Kansas City?) But mostly, I just want to see great games between programs… Read more »
Going to Oklahoma would be crazy. They would be jacked up to 11!
If the current AP preseason poll would hold, the first round would be:
Group of 5 Champ at Oregon, Missouri at Texas, Penn St at Alabama, Notre Dame at Ole Miss.
(1)Georgia, (2)Ohio St, (10)Fla St and (12)Utah get a 1st round bye as conference champs.
Assuming the higher seed wins the first round, the quarterfinal New Years Eve/Day bowls:
Sugar Bowl (1)Georgia-(8)Ole Miss, Rose Bowl (2)Ohio St-(7)Alabama, Peach Bowl (3)Fla St-(6)Texas and Fiesta Bowl (4)Utah-(5)Oregon.
Being honest and maybe stupid, I do not know the criteria for da 12 CFP teams? Dam rules. I should Google and read it up.
Should it be the top 12 ranked teams dat get picked? Or, once
again a committee ends up selecting the 12 teams?
I do know the top 4 teams get a 1st round bye. Are the smaller conferences eligible for consideration? Or, is it just the Power 5 conference teams qualify?
As I outlined earlier.
The top 4 seeds will go to the conference champs of the ACC, Big10, Big12 and SEC, regardless of their poll ranking. Notre Dame will never get higher than 5th seed as long as they stay independent. The highest ranked conference champ in the Group of 5 gets the 12th seed. The remaining 7 teams ranked in the top 11 fill the remaining slots.
So being in a conference is important. Winning your conference is important. Trying to stay independent will hurt you. Playing a tough out of conference game in November will hurt you.
Thanxs Bruddah GT, Shaka I got it now… Cheers.
With OU and Texas moving to the SEC made da Big 12 da weakest power 4 conference. Heck, looks like Utah made the smart move going to the Big 12.
The ACC is a scary conference, there are some dangerous and very good teams, Clemson, Florida St, Miami, UNC, Virginia Tech, SMU, Louisville and Stanford.
After all we have talked about this off season with the podcasts the websites the sports writings, we know a few things. USC football players have gotten large #1 and the big question everyone has on the success this 2024 team will have rests mainly on the execution of its defense #2. And the depth issues in a few positions noted may not be in such dire straits. But injuries could change that aspect as it could most other programs honestly #3. Nobody has made an issue USC won’t score points in LR’s offense in the Big Ten. I think… Read more »
I was reading about the players weight gains and it looks like at RB Marks is the #1 guy at 208, and then they just keep getting bigger as you go down the list. Just what we need for the B1G.
J.J. McCarthy is out for the year with a torn right meniscus.
Sam Darnold, this is your shot, maybe your last…
WR Jordan Addison will likely be suspended for a small number of games due to his mid-July DUI near LAX.
As a long-suffering Vikes fan, I say, “Light ’em up, Sam!”
Final tidbits on LA Olympics ’28. Out, break dancing. Get out your sticks. In, baseball, softball, cricket, squash, lacrosse and… wait for it… Flag Football! Modern Pentathlon will drop horse riding, replaced with American Ninja Warrior style obstacle course. Boxing is not a for sure pending a new governing body the IOC approves of.
Some tidbits on the up coming 12 team playoffs. The top 4 seeds will go to the conference champs of the ACC, Big10, Big12 and SEC, regardless of their poll ranking. Meaning the runners up in the Big10 and SEC could end up ranked 3 and 4 but be seeded 5 and 6. Notre Dame will never get higher than 5th seed as long as they stay independent. The highest ranked conference champ in the Group of 5 gets the 12th seed. Meaning your team (USC) has to be in the top 11 to get a playoff spot. The Big10… Read more »
Jayna Bardahl (The Athletic) — Looking at the most travel-heavy schedules 1. UCLA. According to my calculations, the Bruins traveled more than 5,200 miles in 2023, with the furthest trek being a 1,792-mile round-trip to and from Oregon State. In 2024, UCLA will travel a Big Ten-leading 22,048.04 miles. Out-of-conference trips to Hawaii and LSU don’t help the Bruins’ cause, but conference trips to Penn State and Rutgers are especially notable. 2. Cal. The Golden Bears will record 20,660.7 miles in 2024 on five road trips that will cross 26 time zones in their first ACC season. Cal will leave the Pacific time zone for each of… Read more »
New Trojan DL Gavin Meyer Could Make a Big Impact Erik McKinney (WeAreSC.com) — USC brought in Gavin Meyer (6-3, 290) as a transfer from Wyoming (3-star from Franklin, Wis) this summer and he hit the ground running. D’Anton Lynn said Meyer is someone he points to as someone all the freshmen along the defensive line should emulate in everything he does. Lincoln Riley echoed those thoughts. Riley — “We’ve been really pleased with Gavin, with bringing him in. It’s very apparent that he’s going to have an opportunity to make a big impact for us. Not just the way he… Read more »
“He’s going to be a really good player”. Hope that’s LR coach speak for “he’s going to be really good on Sept. 1st”.
It is bizarre how we hear so much about certain players in the spring, then also during fall camp, only to not hear from them that much during the season. This seems to happen every single year, to each and every team, as though there is some hidden barrier that separates these optimistic practice success stories from actual performers during live games that count. That said, I’m buying all the KoolAid on Gavin Meyer because USC needs DL improvement so badly. This is officially “hype season” and what better way to get ready for similarly mysterious LSU than to buy… Read more »
I really think our offense will be fine this year and maybe better than last year as proven by what Miller showed in the Holiday Bowl.
If the defense improves even to be a Top 50 defense and can make stops, we’re going to easily win 9 or 10 games.
The offense will for sure be different, hoping LR makes the calls and they don’t get changed at the LOS. Moss is physically able and mentally ready to lead USC, and Maiava is no slouch either. Heck, even Jake is pretty darn good.
No joke, every year we hear coaches rave about a player practicing at a high levels, but during the season shows nada. From experience, I’ve seen many players practice well, but during games fall apart (mental issues, nervous, can’t handle big crowds, loud noise and lack confidence). Then, they are others that practice well and bring it at game time. One example, Troy Polamalo. Troy was an under da radar player, 3* from Oregon. Many of us said who is he and why was he recruited? Well, during the spring practices and fall camp, Troy was getting wonderful reviews from… Read more »
Well, I watched the “Fall football camp report” on the B1G network. Quite a misnomer, it’s more like a “Hey B1G incumbent teams, get to know the University of Southern California” mini-documentary. Absolutely no mention of Fall football at all.
Maybe it’s because of our secret behind-closed-door practices.
Do you think Paris Olympic ornament Snoop could even get in with a wink and a smile these days?
The program shown at 5pm was broadcast in error. The correct version about USC’s Fall football camp will air on Wednesday at 6pm PST on B1G. It will be repeated during the next week.
Won’t we all be glad when we can finally stop talking about and hearing about USC’s infamous defense? I know I will. It’s like we poor Trojan fans are trapped in a Haunted House of Mirrors where everywhere we look, every angle we see, we’re faced with the same obnoxious question about whether the USC D has truly been fixed for 2024! Erik McKinney (WeAreSC.com) — “Fall camp is always full of coach speak and Lncoln Riley knows as much as anybody how much of a spotlight his defense will be under this season. “Previously, he spoke highly of Alex… Read more »
Lets hope a physical defense has rubbed off on the OL. As John said earlier, only when USC starts to show they aren’t soft in the trenches, effective on defense, can run the ball at will and start winning big games will USC start to win recruiting battles.
Our RB’s increased in weight along with the line this off season.
Dat’s good, now they can pound and lay wood on D’s. They had better work on their pass catching skills. C.LR RB’s must have Xlent hands.
It seems the questions about the defense have finally gotten USC past the ghost of The Cat.
Duce Robinson: USC’s receiver room is ‘absolutely loaded’ Chandler Vessels (on3.com) — Duce Robinson is excited to be part of a USC receiver room that is stocked with talent entering the 2024 season. The 6-foot-6 former No. 1 tight end in the country is coming off of a true freshman season in which the team’s third-leading receiver. With the graduation of leading receiver Tahj Washington as well as Brenden Rice, there is room for Robinson and others to step into bigger roles. Even with the Trojans missing their top two receivers from a year ago, Robinson still described the group as “loaded” after a… Read more »
Our WR’s are the team’s strength. There’re fast, big, very talented and deep. If QB Moss plays like the Holiday Bowl, game after game, no one will be able to stop our WR’s and O. Can’t wait to see them in action… Cheers.
I have no doubt, nor does anyone else, that USC’s passing game will be just fine, probably terrific, as usual. That’s been the USC signature for many years and it’s right in LR’s wheelhouse, though he also ran more successfully at OU.
But we won’t become elite again until USC shows it can run the ball when it matters, control the clock, manage the game, and wear teams, especially the better ones, down just a little. Passing alone will never do it.
Yep, true dat. Gotta run da ball effectively, just like in 2022 with Travis Dye and Austin Jones.
Shoot, wished we were getting Wr, Phil Bell, Mission Viejo HS. Seen Bell in 4 games over da years, he is Calif top receiver hands down. PB reminds me of Makai Lemon, very similar in over all talent. But, looks like Ohio St will be getting Calif #1 Wr.
At one point last year, he was leaning to USC. Dam…
When C.LR O is running right, physical run game, elusive, smart QB dat can pass and run, OL dat support da run and passing game, it’s unstoppable. Just like 2022 O with Travis Dye, Austin Jones running and Wr’s running great routes and a creative Caleb Williams. In 2023 those things did not mesh right or like it should. I do not have a problem with C.LR O scoring fast, it puts a lot of pressure on da other team to counter and score too. It’s just dat our D was awful. Problem, the D allowed da other team to score quickly too,… Read more »
Edit. They’re fast, big…
Question is there an edit button for every post? If so, where is it located?
Lower right hand edge of every comment
Every comment can be edited during the first 24 hours.
Move your cursor over the comment you want to edit. A popup will appear in the bottom right corner of the comment. Click on the ‘wheel’ icon. The word ‘edit’ will appear click on that and you will be free to edit your own comment. Be sure to click on save once you have made your changes. You can edit the same comment three times.
If you have problems editing or want me to make the edit for you, you can email me directly at: john@trojandailyblog.com
Oh, good for only 24 hours, will remember dat. Many times I write and post too fast without proofreading. Then, days later re-reading my stuff I find errors, but could not find an edit button. Now I know the time limit and location.
Thanxs Bruddah John W and Bruddah Allen for da edit info.
Well, to be fair, Canyon, very few of us at TDB are fluent in Hawaienglish so any spelling/grammatical errors we noticed were thought to be part of beautiful dance of your dialect. 😂 Fight on Brah!
Yeah Hawiian Pidgin english is a tough one to understand for most folks. If you visit Hawaii and hear da locals it can get interesting. And, every island have their own Pidgin and dialect, it’s funny when other islanders talk to one another. Many times, “They say what you mean brah”, lol?
I use it when I post things, hope everyone gets my thought. It’s different and amusing. My wife and I speak it daily. Our Calif friends laugh a lot when we speak it. My former co-workers and boss had a real hard time with my pidgin.
Cheers.
Keep doing what you’re doing, man!
Report from Will Conybeare at KTLA News: With massive conference realignments, shock transfers and superstar commitments, the 2024 college football season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. That excitement is being felt big time at the University of Southern California, according to ticket exchange and resale company StubHub, who analyzed the top-selling teams, conferences, games and trends of the upcoming season. Season ticket sales nationwide have jumped 42% compared to last year, StubHub found, with the Big Ten seeing the most growth. This year, both UCLA and USC are playing their first season… Read more »
Good news! Hopefully the newbies get a good show. Living in the midwest I can say I plan a few trips to see teams from the coast visiting places that prior to the pac 12 demise you would have only caught me at for my wake.
Mater Dei OL Kodi Greene commits to Oregon. Another 4/5 star player about a rocks throw (sic) from USC thumbing his nose at LR’s recruitment program. It’s getting so embarrassing it’s comical as the CFB World is observing this onslaught and knowing we can go recruit SoCal too and are doing so since LR hasn’t a clue to recruit his own region. This is becoming a travesty in LR’s own doing. This occurrence keeps happening month after month. Growing up a Trojan fan I have never seen anything like this before. Not like this. Even during the Hackett-Smith-Tollner years, we… Read more »
WHAT WE THINK ABOUT KODI GREENE “Greene is a massive tackle prospect who’s pushing 6-6, 290 pounds with an 80″ wingspan. He made the move to Mater Dei in the off-season it will be fun to watch him compete against that tough national schedule. There’s no doubt Greene is one of the top lineman in the national ’26 class with a very high ceiling. He has a rare combination of physicality in the run game and can maul an opposing edge or linebacker plus the athleticism and finesse to take on speed rushers in pass protection. He has very good feet… Read more »
Maybe LR should swallow his pride or ego and hire Ed O to run the recruitment program. Pay him whatever he wants. Coach O would know how to reach linemen!
It’s a funny thing about arrogance……..those that have it are the last to know. I’ve never met Riley but his actions reek of it.
Having been viciously knocked down a few notches in the CFB world by so many fans, media, and even coaches should actually do LR a lot of serious good this upcoming season.
Now that he’s had to eat so much humble pie, it’ll be interesting to see how he approaches future problems and if he has the ability to adjust much quicker than he has in the past at USC.
I remain skeptical about LR changing enough of his spots to help us in the recruiting battles where we keep winning the bronze medal….
Hey Ed! You had enough of the beach life yet?
That is a godd@mn man’s man!
During the period from 1982-2000, the number of games that high school players could see on TV or even hear about was extremely limited so they gravitated to local universities in the region. With cable, ESPN, internet and social media; high school players have access to almost every school in the country. Add to that ESPN playing up the SEC and Oregon (aka Nike affiliate) and their fashion statement uniforms brought more awareness to the southern california high school players. I do believe we can overcome this by simply playing well and winning games. Plus we need to modernize our… Read more »
The kid also grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Oregon is closer to home than LA.
Good point.
Bruddah Jamaica, Kodi Greene grew up in Washington, Oregon’s back yard. They must have been recruiting him for awhile. Greene just transferred this year to MD HS. I think UDub must be more sick about this commitment, losing their top player to their rival. But, you’re right, C.LR is and has been losing our best local talent to other schools from day one. Freaken C.LR is probably the worst recruiting HC at USC. Oregon, Bama, Texas, Ohio St, Texas AM are reeling them in and laughing all da way to da bank. C.LR has a serious problem. If I… Read more »
As you point out, the Huskies were the big, real losers here, and Dan Lanning continues to be a huge recruiting draw. “My connection with coach Dan Lanning and coach A’lique Terry was one of the keys to my decision. My heart keeps telling me this is the place for me,” Greene said of Oregon. “When I visited (Eugene), there was a very special feeling that I had there. From day one, they told me I was a priority and they’ve shown it every step of the way. Relationships are everything to me. “I’m noticing that coach (Dan) Lanning is recruiting a… Read more »
Yeah Bruddah, da Ducks are loaded with 5* and 4+* talent at every position and 2 deep. They are up there in talent along with UGA, Bama, Ohio St. These 4 schools are so loaded.
USC won’t be a top 8 FB power if C.LR does not step up with his recruiting production. It makes me sick. No Shaka…
Anti-Oregon people like to dismiss ORE as simply an NIL/Phil Knight success story. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is, they have a fantastic football culture up there in Eugene, and it’s been that way for a long time. Dan Lanning is also a big-time recruiter, both individually, and as a staff effort piece. The most impressive coach as a pure speaker at the B1G Media Days was clearly Lanning. He’s got his Duck Delivery Program totally down and you always get the sense he means (and believes in) exactly what he says. Obviously, many of his… Read more »
Lanning earned a great deal from many quarters when Bama came calling after Saban moved on and he stated that his family liked Eugene. I bet recruits are told that by others deliberately to give them a feel for who they are dealing with.
He’s a really good coach.
I dislike acknowledging that because the pesky and talented Ducks have been a huge pain in the butt for USC for far too long.
But I’m really rooting for ORE to take down OHIO ST big-time in Eugene on Oct. 12. My how things have changed.
Hear you clear…….If it can’t be us, let Oregon earn some long overdue west coast respect. As for Lanning, I stated at the time I wished we would have hired him instead of Riley….but that is water over the dam…….I’am still hopeful that Riley somehow, someway gets things rolling.
I just saw a blurb from something called “24/7” stating that they predict Julian Lewis from Carrollton, GA will be signing with Indiana.
It looks like LR’s wunderkind reputation with offenses/QBs really took a hit as far as his ability to recruit great QBs?
It must be hell trying to have your career based on the whims of teenagers who think they are the most important being on earth.
That’s been a crazy saga. Looks like Reilly has pivoted and is pressing Longstreet. Juju’s dad is something else, and is the stick in the spokes.
I think that the hassle/disappointments of recruiting were factors that pushed John Robinson to the Rams. Robinson has since gone public with his regrets about leaving USC for the NFL when he did. I never met anyone who enjoyed recruiting like Ed O. He ate, lived, and slept it. As far as recruiting went, Ed O was not just on the job every day. He was on the job 24/7, which was eventually one of the reasons he landed the LSU head job where he coached one of the best teams in CFB history. Ironically, it was JR (here flanked… Read more »
Let’s look at the case of Malachi Nelson. Signed an NIL deal for a million as a high school senior. Rated the number recruit in the nation. Came to USC January ’23. Played behind Caleb and Miller. Was going to be the third string QB in ’24. Transferred to Boise St.
Fast forward to ’24. If LR lost Nelson now would we miss him and be outraged? If Lewis is so special why isn’t Georgia, Alabama, Auburn fighting for this guy? He ends up in Bloomington. Not a great loss, probably more trouble than he is worth.
These days with NIL starting in HS it has to be hard to find 17 yo, 5* QBs who have their head on straight.
Thinking more about Nelson and many others like him. He’s 19 going on 20. He has been playing high level football for most of his childhood. Football camps, 7on7 leagues, weight room, film room, training camps. Now he has a million dollar nest egg. He was a small fish in a big pond at USC. He saw how hard Caleb and Miller have to work and sacrifice to get to their level. Maybe he has decided he wants more out of life than football. Girls, parties, social life, travel. Now he is a big fish in a small pond at… Read more »
My guess is that he decided to go and get some experience playing college ball and show what he has talent wise and then he can very easily use the transfer portal to move around at least once maybe even twice. Looking at the last two years of the transfer portal senior quarterbacks are at a premium because of their experience.
That is a possible path as well. Though I thought I read where his work ethic was not up to the task.
Da kid was shopping long and hard. It’s sucks cause C.LR went all in with Lewis. I’m praying like heck, dat C.LR is able to flip S.Calif QB Longstreet from Texas AM. I believe Longstreet is the better player anyway. But, I think it’s too late. At the Elite 11 QB camp in July, there was a 3+* Hawaiian QB dat had wonderful reviews from the coaches. Jaron Keawe Sagopolutele, 6-3, 210 lbs, Campbell HS threw for 3,800 yds,37 TD’s as a junior. Camp coaches said he has a very strong, accurate arm and a big time steal. Heck, C.LR should look… Read more »
I figure USC wouldn’t still be hanging 100% with Lewis absent some super glue handshake between LR and the important people behind the scenes.
He wasn’t all that great at the Elite 11 comp for all to see, so I’m not all that invested in keeping him frankly. But I’m also not convinced LR can even flip Longstreet from A&M with a full-court press.
Wow! My comment sparked much interest. That’s why this blog is part of my daily routine. Very entertaining.
Thanks again Allen and John for your labor of love in bringing this site to fruition.
Within 5 years or less college football will be mini NFL with 50 or so teams, a salary cap, and one league. They are racing in that direction.
every other school can go back to “normal” college football. But with paid athletes.
feels like College football is losing its charm.
Chris, I couldn’t agree more. With everything money motivated I even wonder if kids will need to go to classes.
Well….lol…..I used to sit next to a linebacker at Illinois who I will not name who went on to start for the Bears…..no…..not Butkus……anyway…..he received an A……back when A’s were rare…..I saw him in class twice that semester and he was a no show for the hourly or final. His IQ was moderate…..threw one dude thru a plate glass window at a local bar for asking him if his girl was a student at Illinois. According to the coach he was described as a fine young man. Attendance was always a joke at most schools. Now it will be an… Read more »
I can’t repeat some of the things I saw a few USC players do when I was in school. Let’s just call it being a little “over-aggressive.” But a lot of the players were truly fantastic guys who also just happened to be damned good football players as well.
Another example…..Greene, a good OT at Mater Dei for 26 goes to Oregon. Some people say that Southern CA does not produce linemen. Now where is this Mater Dei place at. I seem to remember a connection to USC.
ONE OFFENSIVE LINE INJURY COULD TANK USC’S SEASON Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — Seeing Elijah Paige, USC’s starting left tackle, hobble off the practice field on Friday due to cramps really hammered home the above point. A significant injury to Paige, left guard Emmanuel Pregnon, Jonah Monheim at center or right tackle Mason Murphy could be a killer. The lack of the depth on the offensive line is striking, and I’m still surprised Riley is going into the season so depleted. Let’s run through the two deep: Last week, I asked offensive line coach Josh Henson who would play left tackle if Paige couldn’t go. He… Read more »
Sorry, but unless something has really changed Murphy looked like trouble at RT…..he will go to left tackle?!…..well……does say something I can’t put on this site.
Redshirt JR Mason Murphy has always seemed like he was a weak link to me as well.
One can only hope at this stage, but if he’s the best we have, there’s not much else that can be done except rely on younger guys to develop quickly.
Too bad legendary Rollo had to retire from the Monarchs after 34 years (344-86-3, eight CIF championships, five state crowns, four mythical national championships — or something like that!). Mater Dei had been really down for many years before Rollo took them all the way back to the top, over and over again. Phenomenal coach and person, great USC connection. He was at USC when I was there but never played much despite being a standout RB at Mater Dei under fellow legend Dick Coury, later the DC under John McKay for three years. Rollo gave me the secret scoop… Read more »
I would have had his successors son date my daughter…….as you know……at least in my day except for Bosco it’s where the beef might be. The beef we need to be credible.
How is it that scholarships cost a private school more than a public one? Does the Athletic Department have to pay the Registrars Office? Aren’t they just taking money from the left pocket and putting it in the right pocket? In the end it’s free tuition. The university allocates a certain number of free tuition slots, athletic and academic. Carol Folt decides how many they want to give out.
The Daily Hoosier (I read because I live in Fishers, IN) has claimed that Julian Lewis is headed to Indiana. I assume, because I have no idea, the NIL for Indiana must be pennies on the dollar vs USC or any blue blood football power. Anybody know what is going on.
If he does not like USC that is one thing, to go to Indiana sounds nuts. Of course I started to think he was nuts when the Colorado rumors surfaced. How do you get NFL numbers behind an OL that leaks like a 500 year old dam.
I saw that also, IL, and posted about this before I read your post. WTF?
No worries……it’s definitely a WTF moment over and over again this year. Change always happens bur in our case some of the changes are not for the better……being in the BIG is a good one.
AP top 25 preseason rankings: College football’s most overrated, underrated teams Where the AP voters might have missed the mark. USC Trojans (Underrated) AP Poll ranking: No. 23 Brad Crawford (247Sports) — Has any elite coach’s stock fallen harder than Lincoln Riley this offseason? Never has the quarterback whisperer been ranked outside of the top 10 in the preseason as a head coach, much less where the Trojans landed this week from AP voters. Most have already written off USC as a legitimate Big Ten title threat this fall, mostly due to last season’s lackluster finish with a former Heisman winner at quarterback. Don’t… Read more »
This season could be a lot of fun, just give us some defense. Then when USC keeps on winning lets see how long they can string out the east coast bias.
Preseason AP Top 25 Poll 1. Georgia (faces tough road trips to #4 TEXAS, #5 ALA and #6 OLE MISS) 2. Ohio State (B1G) 3. Oregon (B1G) 4. Texas (Steve Sarkisian) 5. Alabama 6. Ole Miss (Lane Kiffin) 7. Notre Dame (Nov 30, Coliseum) 8. Penn State (Oct. 12, Coliseum) 9. Michigan (Sept 21, Ann Arbor) 10. Florida State 11. Missouri 12. Utah (Whittingham owns Riley, 3-0) 13. LSU (Sept 1, Las Vegas) 14. Clemson 15. Tennessee 16. Oklahoma (LR’s former team) 17. Oklahoma State 18. Kansas State 19. Miami 20. Texas A&M 21. Arizona (now in the Big 12… Read more »
Texas … Suck will sh*t himself as usual
Ole Miss … beat the bad trounced by good the Goatboy Kiffin mantra
Alabama … No more Saban favoritisms
Michigan … that schedule! No Harbaugh yikes
Iowa … lol not even top 40 weak scheduling no O garbage
Iowa…you mean that team last seen getting blanked 35-0 by TN using a true freshman in the Citrus Bowl? 😅
Go figure. What has Miami done or for that matter TAMU and Clemson. They get voted for just on reputation.
Yep. I like where we are though, lying low, lots to prove, playing with a chip and a bit of house money early on. I hope we shellac LSU.