USC heads into 2026 season with a QB room that’s ‘quite a bit better’ than last year
General Manager Chad Bowden is confident the Trojans can retain incoming quarterback Jonas Williams, who complements Jayden Maiava
In 2026 USC brings back an experienced QB and leader in Jayden Maiava. “It’s hard to replace having that at that position,” Coach Lincoln Riley said. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Haley Sawyer (OC Register) — USC football general manager Chad Bowden heard one voice above all others during a team lift on Monday morning.
“U-S-C,” Jonas Williams belted.
The class of 2026 quarterback’s teammates responded with a resounding “Trojans!”
Williams, who flipped to USC from Oregon during his recruitment, likely won’t be a starter this season and will play behind returning senior quarterback Jayden Maiava. But that hasn’t stopped him from fast-tracking his potential at USC while the staff carefully navigates how to handle future quarterback rooms.
One of the Trojans’ most noteworthy losses of the spring transfer portal window was backup quarterback Husan Longstreet, a former five-start recruit who left USC for LSU and its new head coach Lane Kiffin.
It’s an example of how, in the current college football environment, quarterbacks are grasping for playing time as soon as possible all while other programs are dangling potential NIL money.
Over 300 NCAA Division I quarterbacks entered the portal this spring, and 190 of them came from an FBS team. Bowden is feeling confident that that won’t be Williams’ future.
“I think it’s laying out expectations for each kid and making sure you’re honest with them,” the GM told reporters during an off-camera discussion on Monday. “And I think we’ve done that with Jonas to where, no matter what happens, whatever his role is, he’s going to be a USC Trojan.
“He makes everybody around him better,” Bowden said, emphasizing Williams’ leadership skills and the drive to improve USC’s football culture. “People should be excited. Because we are.
“He chose this place. He really wants to be here. He wants to develop, and he wants to learn under Lincoln Riley. And who wouldn’t? We all know he’s a quarterback guru and has had however many top-five offenses in his career. You got to get the right kid that wants to be with Coach Riley, wants to be in this program, wants to be here for the right reasons.”
Maiava also had a big career decision to make after the 2025 season, although it wasn’t related to the portal. He was eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, but he chose to return and finish his college career as a senior at USC.
He made major strides in his most recent season, especially when it came to decision-making, and finished the season as one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference. He completed 65.8% of passes for a conference-best 285.5 yards per game – up from the 171.6 yards per game he averaged in seven games as a sophomore.
“He was really a totally different player,” Riley told reporters. “And now he’s got all that added experience, which is hard to replace. Look at the guys in the [national] championship game the other day – both those guys played a lot of ball. It’s hard to replace having that at that position. It just matters so much that we have it right now.”
Maiava was thrust into a leadership position and began to take ownership of it last season. As Bowden sees it, he and Williams are similar in character. The USC football staff purposely pursued recruits and transfers who were strong leaders with their previous teams.
Can a team full of leaders get overcrowded? Especially a team that’s returning 17 starters? Apparently, no.
“The time is now for that,” Bowden said. “There’s no time to waste, and nowadays there is no time to sit around. And while he’s young, he’s whatever – like, it’s time to go. Jonas is fitting in really well, and you can see his leadership already as a young kid.”
Sam Huard is the third scholarship quarterback in the position group for the 2026 season and will use his sixth and final season of eligibility.
Huard (80) grabbed the college football world’s attention when he switched places with punter Sam Johnson this season to pull off a trick play against Northwestern.
“We’re going to pump a ton of reps into (Williams), and do everything we can to get him ready, and we’ll continue to put a bunch of reps into Sam to have him ready to go no matter what jersey number he has on,” Riley said.
“I expect the room will be quite a bit better than what it was last year, honestly.”
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This guy Zarnell Fitch that they are looking at for D-Line coach…..He’s been a D-Line coach since 2016, first at TCU from 2016-2021(in the years that TCU didn’t have that good of a defense) and then at Texas Tech from 2022 until 2025. If stopping the run is an indication of how good your D-Line coach is, last year TTU was #1 in the nation. But going back to 2016(that’s 10 years), his run defenses have only been in the top 16 twice(once under Patterson at TCU and last year). There’s been at least 2 years when they weren’t in the… Read more »
It’s true that GP has not really coached since 2021 but his last good season was 2017 when they went 11-3. In 2018 through 2021 he was 21-22 as a HC and the highest his team finished in total defense in those 4 years was 35th. So though he is just 4 years away from actually coaching, he’s about 8 years away from real success. So you’re right…..let’s wait and see before we drink all the koolaide. Maybe in those last 4 years he’s had the time to re-evaluate and re-design his defense
I hope it will be up to GP who comes in at D-Line coach as Riley knows nothing about D-line talent even if it hit him square between the eyes. I would agree calling Coach Ogeron would be enticing just to know what his response would be. But behind the scenes I don’t trust Riley to do anything but protect his butt even if it benefited the program.
Georgetown LB transfer commits to USC Erik McKinney (WeAreSC) — The USC Trojans landed their second preferred walk-on linebacker transfer of the week on Friday when Georgetown JR GianCarlo Rufo announced his commitment. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Hawaii native will come to USC with one year of eligibility remaining and off an impressive third season with the Hoyas. He was an FCS All-American selection after leading Georgetown with 103 tackles, to go along with 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup. Rufo finished third on the team in defensive snaps and posted a 90.0 run defense grade by PFF that led the team. He was… Read more »
Rufo must have come thinking he can play at this level. It doesn’t make sense that he would leave a school where he was a star just to come here and sit on the bench. One might say that he came here for the academics but Georgetown is a highly academic school. Is he a preferred walk-on or a recruit? SC72 says he’s not a walk-on but a recruit. You guys are confusing me. You never know. Remember Lofa Tatufu. He started out at the University of Maine and transferred into USC. He didn’t turn out to be too bad.… Read more »
I’m optimistic about Rufo at USC. Erik McKinney of WeAreSCsays he’s an impressive, good-sized preferred walk-on. I don’t care what he was, or what it took for USC to get him.
He’s a Trojan now, with a lot of experience, so good for Rufo! Kick some butt dude.
It sounds like he might be great on special teams too, something USC sorely needs.
With all the great players SC now has, they should have exceptional special teams. But I’d like to see him up his performance to the next level and play for SC like he did at Georgetown. He could be the next Lofa or CMIII.
The Super Bowl is turning 60. Now it’s by far the biggest sports and commercialism extravaganza event in American history. The world literally tunes in.
Budweiser has made a big SB comeback ad.
Will Sam Darnold be saying he wants to go to Disneyland or drink a Bud Light? We all know which road Curt Cignetti would choose.
I enjoyed the game when it was the AFL against the NFL, the game was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, and tickets were easy to get. I was a teenager and I much preferred the AFL style of play to the NFL style.
I started to lose interest when they changed the name to Super Bowl. They completely lost me when, after the merger, they added Roman numerals and an 8-hour pre-game show.
I’m one of those pre-game junkie guys. Half the time all the talking head back-and-forth as well as the in-depth historical features are as interesting for me as the game itself, since I usually don’t really care who wins. I love the anticipation, the spectacle, and the drama build-up..
I’m especially looking forward to all the Sam Darnold coverage. He somehow survived the Jets for god’s sake. Many others would have been buried there for good.
LOL…….he keeps it under control but speaking from extensive experience everything looks better after a few…..maybe someone could get Riley to loosen up a bit…..might help.
You know I think you just hit something…..If Bud could get Cignetti for a Beer campaign….wow…..all that woke stuff that has destroyed the brand would vanish in a second.
NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel took the Patriots from 4-13 to 14-3 and is the only coach ever in his first year to take his team to the Super Bowl coming off a losing season.
Normally, I’d be rooting for Vrabel’s Patriots big-time to win the Super Bowl. That’s because I’m a big Vrabel “bandwagonner” and has nothing to do with New England.
But this is Sam Darnold’s chance to make USC history and give us Trojans our first Super Bowl winning QB ever. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Go Darnold!
Mark Bowman’s Wild NIL Deal Signals USC Football’s Growing Influence Angela Miele (si.com) — Five-star USC Trojans signee Mark Bowman’s NIL deal ranks him among the highest-paid recruits from the 2026 class. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Bowman’s total deal value is between $5 and $6.5 million through three years.
In addition to Bowman’s deal, 12 Power Four staff members told On3 that the USC Trojans were the highest spenders of the 2026 class. Bowman is one of USC’s top recruits, and his deal proves the Trojans are investing in the football program.
If I could go to college for free and earn 6.5 million for three years of work, why would I go to the meatgrinder that is the NFL? Investing 90% of that money before I was 21 years old would lead to a pretty nice lifestyle from the interest alone. And I would less likely to be a cripple by the time I was 40 years old by bypassing an NFL career.
I pray that the advisors for these boys are giving sound financial advice to them.
It really seems these advisors (agents) are usually interested in their percentage of the most money right now. I give you the ex Tennessee QB now at ucla. That sure blew up.
Just a snippet that provides insight into Pete’s culture.
“Every practice Carroll showed highlight clips, but they often weren’t shots of incredible throws, catches and long runs. They were clips like our 300-pound defensive tackle fighting through a double team to make a tackle on the sideline.”
I’m sure a lot of Trojans would love Ed O to come back to USC as its new DL coach. Very cool bar stool talk. I’m wracking my brain to come up with any possible legit reason why Ed O would ever return to USC as a subservient DL coach under hot seat Lincoln Riley and newbie Gary Patterson after Ed won a NC at LSU with one of the best teams ever assembled, but flopped thereafter and left the Tigers in 2021 as an an uber-rich buy-out benefactor cast to the curb. In an alternate universe I could barely… Read more »
You’re probably right but you will never know until you give him a call. That’s all I’m saying….let’s give the guy a call and let him say no before we assume that he wouldn’t want the job.
I agree with Jamaica. Ed O would be too much of an unsettling threat to LR, in terms of personality, charisma, and accomplishments, as well as his elevated status with Trojan fans to be brought aboard by LR. Besides, Gary Patterson would be calling the shots here. But LR’s still gotta say yes, and Patterson is not connected to Ed O career-wise. We’ll see. Maybe stubborn LR will prove me wrong and blow USC fans away with such a famous fan friendly addition. But Ed O would still have to take the offer, assuming it came with stupendous money. Coach… Read more »
Actually I don’t think anyone has heard exactly what Ed wants to do. As a line coach and recruiter he is top shelf and knows how to teach players, something the previous DL coach was not that good at.
Human nature is the same no mater your position & career is at. When you are doing well you fear nothing. When you are underperforming, you are paranoid and scheme to protect your turf. Riley will not bring in a coach that will threaten or question his position or performance. Coach O brought in to coach the D-line? I don’t think so.
Rivals Instant Impact Recruits: 2026 signees primed to hit the field next fall TE Mark Bowman — USC Mark Bowman has the tools to be an immediate contributor at USC, a rarity for a true freshman tight end. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder is one of the most polished route-runners at the position in recent years, using elite quickness to separate with precision. His fluid movement and reliability as a pass-catcher make him a natural fit in Lincoln Riley’s offense, where he projects as a versatile weapon who can create mismatches in space. The Santa Ana Mater Dei product’s blocking ability is advanced enough to… Read more »
Henderson is gone. Will somebody please call ED O……the best D-Line coach in football and also a great recruiter and he loves SC. Let’s not do the same thing that we did with Kwiatkowski who seemed to want the job but somehow we couldn’t work it out. At SC you have a million hoops to jump through just to get something done.
I would have gone with Kwiatkowski or the Missouri guy. If they wanted to hire their own staff we could have done it the same way we are doing it now. Eventually, GP will have the staff he wants.
Here’s a huge 1997 billboard featuring Dick Hammer, a 1954 USC final four basketball player, Tokyo volleyball Olympian, actor and firefighter — and Sam Darnold’s grandfather — as the Marlboro Man looming large over traffic on Sunset Boulevard directly next to the iconic and legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel. It stood for 17 years before its removal in March, 1999 due to legal settlements restricting tobacco advertising. (Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images).
Bet those home owners on the hill were happy to get their view back. Notice the sign below, Earthqakes, fires, and riots… 30 years later things are still the same.
Scott Schrader (WeAreSC) — “I’m told with DL coach Eric Henderson (who has been at USC two seasons), there remains a real chance Henderson (who lost out on the Dallas Cowboys job) ends up back in the NFL for the 2026 season. From what I’m hearing, the Washington Commanders are currently the leader in the clubhouse.
“There’s mutual interest there, and the situation is at least trending in that direction. Sounds like talks are advanced and serious, but I can’t confirm anything beyond that as of now…”
Not necessarily in my opinion. We all thought USC would be ready to move quickly when Lynn split. At least I did, because we all saw this coming from a mile away. Wrong. Every situation is different of course. But USC under Riley operates without much info disseminated outside of pure coach speak. He likes to hide info. Since Lincoln’s on the hot seat, USC always has to deal with good candidates who don’t want to risk a quick move leading them to nowhere. You never find out people’s true postures until the rubber meets the road and advanced negotiations… Read more »
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Board of Trustees for the University of Southern California (USC) announced today, Feb. 4, 2026, the unanimous appointment of Beong-Soo Kim as the university’s 13th president following a highly competitive and comprehensive search process. Kim will immediately assume his new position. “The Board’s unanimous vote reflects what we learned throughout the search process: widespread confidence in Beong’s leadership. As a next generation president, we believe that he can dramatically accelerate USC’s institutional advancement as a distinctive leader in higher education during a time of unprecedented change,” said Suzanne Nora Johnson, Chair of the USC Board… Read more »
Southern California native, parents both Trojans, Ivy League educated, solid background as a lawyer and legal scholar. Should be a huge improvement over Nikias and Folt. Good News I think.
USC has the No. 1 recruiting class and the same question persists: Can Lincoln Riley finally deliver? Antonio Morales (The Athletic) — Through four seasons, it’s difficult to describe Lincoln Riley’s tenure as USC’s head coach as anything other than disappointing. The Trojans haven’t won a conference championship, haven’t reached the College Football Playoff and haven’t lost fewer than three games in any of Riley’s four seasons. At some point, Riley will have to make good on why he did come to Los Angeles — to win at the highest level. After a disappointing Alamo Bowl loss to TCU,… Read more »
A big part of the fun of college ball is these guys are young and still developing. Guys who didn’t do much last season suddenly bloom. The ’26 freshmen will at least push the upperclassmen and some may become starters. The new D staff and a full year will Trumain Carroll may do wonders. We’ll see, maybe they can break into the playoffs, maybe get a 1st round win. Maybe. It’s Kool-Aid time right Allen? 😉
As we’ve all learned, reality is a lot more fun than Kool-Aid, which is only temporary, filled with sugar, and too often neglects the culture deficiencies that a quick drink obscures.
At year five with USC, the least that wildly overpaid and over-rated LR can do is finally get out of the way of those who can provide the all-important dominant culture he can’t. If he does that, I give this 2026 team a good chance, especially with no Notre Dame, a likely loss, on the schedule.
My God, we’re here again. Remember when we had hope that Kingsbury could lead us to the promised land if Helton would just get out of the way? If we have better people under Riley than Riley, then we should get rid of Riley and let THEM coach. The “get out of the way, Mr. Head Coach” thing rarely works, especially when the HC is used to calling every play.
Personally, I think the only thing keeping Riley at USC is his exorbitant contract buyout. He’s done nothing else to earn the right to coach USC in year five as I view his performance. JMHO.
IMO one of Rileys many problems….has been fixed…..raw recruiting…..the issue moves to will he hold on to them……and develop them.
Prediction……his next excuse…..the USC NIL needs to be enhanced.
I just wish we could switch head coaches with not just Indiana but others like Iowa, Illinois, Penn St etc and watch who wins and who loses…..and by how much.
Those coaches might all go unbeaten…..Riley might not win a game.
The stage is totally set at USC for success. Jen Cohen has literally rebuilt the program to shield Lincoln Riley from the inadequacies of his own talent level. Since a rising tide lifts all boats, maybe (just maybe) USC is ready to play with the big boys in 2026. I predict a pre-season poll rank of 15-16 for USC. That’s pretty darn good for a team that couldn’t handle lightweight TCU (losers to ASU, KSU, IA ST and BYU) with so many of our best players off the field. Better times have to finally be coming for USC. The simple… Read more »
Just for fun I goggled preseason rankings for the top 25. Six different sites have us from 14 to 11. So…..looks like they expect us to make the playoffs.
With Patterson anything could happen.
He’s got to be the guy who can finally give Lincoln Riley a really good defense. Patterson’s resume indicates he’s the perfect coach to repair USC’s long standing defensive woes.
I’m banking on him for his ability to install a better culture at USC too, since Riley flat out hasn’t been able to do it.
Maybe Patterson will be the lesser version of a Riley influencer that we hoped we would have when Pete Carroll came back to campus to “teach a class” before he took the Raiders job.
The whole premise of this article irritates me. Not that it isn’t true, it’s that culture is created by the leaders of the program, as in the coaches. If they’re relying on 18-20 year olds to define, cultivate and sustain a winning culture, all is already lost.
Everyone knows that as goes the King, so goes the Kingdom. Riley is a bigger clown than I imagined if he’s looking at the kids for a defining culture.
The College Football History of USC Trojans begins on 1/2/1923 and over a hundred pages later, ends with “It’s Time For RileyTo Step Up” dated 12/29/2025.
BTW, Trojans are still waiting Riley.
For the graduate purists, this tome includes many of Jim Murray’s classic columns. Once had an autographed compilation of Murray columns, lost to fire in 2019.
I sure hope Riley has figured out how to get Maiava to be as good on the road as he is at home. That would really be a huge difference in the 26 season. His 2025 road record and stats were pretty unimpressive, compared to his home record and stats. Gotta win on the road or forgetaboutit.
“He (Maiava) was really a totally different player (as compared to 2024),” Riley told reporters. “And now he’s got all that added experience, which is hard to replace. Look at the guys in the [national] championship game the other day – both those guys played a lot of ball. It’s hard to replace having that at that position. It just matters so much that we have it right now.” I can see why Husan Longstreet didn’t feel like staying at USC was in his best interests if he wanted to play in 2026. Riley’s obviously all-in on Maiava for this season. I’m… Read more »
I would have been pleasantly surprised to hear Riley mention something about the two teams’ defenses instead of the quarterbacks. Too much to hope for, I guess.
To paraphrase Alfonso Bedoya (as the bandit “Gold Hat”) in the 1948 film “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, “Defenses? We ain’t got no Defenses. We don’t need no Defenses. I don’t have to show you any stinking Defenses!”
“I think it’s laying out expectations for each kid and making sure you’re honest with them,” the GM told reporters during an off-camera discussion on Monday. “And I think we’ve done that with Jonas to where, no matter what happens, whatever his role is, he’s going to be a USC Trojan.
Huard (80) grabbed the college football world’s attention when he switched places with punter Sam Johnson this season to pull off a trick play against Northwestern.
This guy Zarnell Fitch that they are looking at for D-Line coach…..He’s been a D-Line coach since 2016, first at TCU from 2016-2021(in the years that TCU didn’t have that good of a defense) and then at Texas Tech from 2022 until 2025. If stopping the run is an indication of how good your D-Line coach is, last year TTU was #1 in the nation. But going back to 2016(that’s 10 years), his run defenses have only been in the top 16 twice(once under Patterson at TCU and last year). There’s been at least 2 years when they weren’t in the… Read more »
GP has yet to coach a defensive down. It would be wise to wait a bit before lauding him with all the stream of consciousness accolades IMHO.
It’s true that GP has not really coached since 2021 but his last good season was 2017 when they went 11-3. In 2018 through 2021 he was 21-22 as a HC and the highest his team finished in total defense in those 4 years was 35th. So though he is just 4 years away from actually coaching, he’s about 8 years away from real success. So you’re right…..let’s wait and see before we drink all the koolaide. Maybe in those last 4 years he’s had the time to re-evaluate and re-design his defense
I hope it will be up to GP who comes in at D-Line coach as Riley knows nothing about D-line talent even if it hit him square between the eyes. I would agree calling Coach Ogeron would be enticing just to know what his response would be. But behind the scenes I don’t trust Riley to do anything but protect his butt even if it benefited the program.
Has SC decided to not go after a QB in the 2027 class?
Georgetown LB transfer commits to USC Erik McKinney (WeAreSC) — The USC Trojans landed their second preferred walk-on linebacker transfer of the week on Friday when Georgetown JR GianCarlo Rufo announced his commitment. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Hawaii native will come to USC with one year of eligibility remaining and off an impressive third season with the Hoyas. He was an FCS All-American selection after leading Georgetown with 103 tackles, to go along with 1.5 sacks and a pass breakup. Rufo finished third on the team in defensive snaps and posted a 90.0 run defense grade by PFF that led the team. He was… Read more »
Georgetown has a football team?!
Chad Bowden is working overtime!
You never know….maybe he might turn into another King Miller.
He’s a recruit, not a walk on.
That’s even more reason why he might turn out to be outstanding
Rufo must have come thinking he can play at this level. It doesn’t make sense that he would leave a school where he was a star just to come here and sit on the bench. One might say that he came here for the academics but Georgetown is a highly academic school. Is he a preferred walk-on or a recruit? SC72 says he’s not a walk-on but a recruit. You guys are confusing me. You never know. Remember Lofa Tatufu. He started out at the University of Maine and transferred into USC. He didn’t turn out to be too bad.… Read more »
I’m optimistic about Rufo at USC. Erik McKinney of WeAreSC says he’s an impressive, good-sized preferred walk-on. I don’t care what he was, or what it took for USC to get him.
He’s a Trojan now, with a lot of experience, so good for Rufo! Kick some butt dude.
It sounds like he might be great on special teams too, something USC sorely needs.
With all the great players SC now has, they should have exceptional special teams. But I’d like to see him up his performance to the next level and play for SC like he did at Georgetown. He could be the next Lofa or CMIII.
The Super Bowl is turning 60. Now it’s by far the biggest sports and commercialism extravaganza event in American history. The world literally tunes in.
Budweiser has made a big SB comeback ad.
Will Sam Darnold be saying he wants to go to Disneyland or drink a Bud Light? We all know which road Curt Cignetti would choose.
I enjoyed the game when it was the AFL against the NFL, the game was called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, and tickets were easy to get. I was a teenager and I much preferred the AFL style of play to the NFL style.
I started to lose interest when they changed the name to Super Bowl. They completely lost me when, after the merger, they added Roman numerals and an 8-hour pre-game show.
I’m one of those pre-game junkie guys. Half the time all the talking head back-and-forth as well as the in-depth historical features are as interesting for me as the game itself, since I usually don’t really care who wins. I love the anticipation, the spectacle, and the drama build-up..
I’m especially looking forward to all the Sam Darnold coverage. He somehow survived the Jets for god’s sake. Many others would have been buried there for good.
LOL…….he keeps it under control but speaking from extensive experience everything looks better after a few…..maybe someone could get Riley to loosen up a bit…..might help.
You know I think you just hit something…..If Bud could get Cignetti for a Beer campaign….wow…..all that woke stuff that has destroyed the brand would vanish in a second.
NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel took the Patriots from 4-13 to 14-3 and is the only coach ever in his first year to take his team to the Super Bowl coming off a losing season.
Normally, I’d be rooting for Vrabel’s Patriots big-time to win the Super Bowl. That’s because I’m a big Vrabel “bandwagonner” and has nothing to do with New England.
But this is Sam Darnold’s chance to make USC history and give us Trojans our first Super Bowl winning QB ever. And it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Go Darnold!
Statistically it looks like a 1 point game, 46+ total points. Take New England +4.5 and the Over. Darnold’s Seahawks by one, 24-23.
Sam won’t let the Seahawks lose this one.
nope……its destiny.
Mark Bowman’s Wild NIL Deal Signals USC Football’s Growing Influence
Angela Miele (si.com) — Five-star USC Trojans signee Mark Bowman’s NIL deal ranks him among the highest-paid recruits from the 2026 class. According to Pete Nakos of On3, Bowman’s total deal value is between $5 and $6.5 million through three years.
In addition to Bowman’s deal, 12 Power Four staff members told On3 that the USC Trojans were the highest spenders of the 2026 class. Bowman is one of USC’s top recruits, and his deal proves the Trojans are investing in the football program.
si.com
If I could go to college for free and earn 6.5 million for three years of work, why would I go to the meatgrinder that is the NFL? Investing 90% of that money before I was 21 years old would lead to a pretty nice lifestyle from the interest alone. And I would less likely to be a cripple by the time I was 40 years old by bypassing an NFL career.
I pray that the advisors for these boys are giving sound financial advice to them.
It really seems these advisors (agents) are usually interested in their percentage of the most money right now. I give you the ex Tennessee QB now at ucla. That sure blew up.
Just a snippet that provides insight into Pete’s culture.
“Every practice Carroll showed highlight clips, but they often weren’t shots of incredible throws, catches and long runs. They were clips like our 300-pound defensive tackle fighting through a double team to make a tackle on the sideline.”
~ Malcom Smith quoted from the Athletic
CPC understood that line play was just as important if not more so than other positions.
CPC and Riley…..like oil and water.
I’m sure a lot of Trojans would love Ed O to come back to USC as its new DL coach. Very cool bar stool talk. I’m wracking my brain to come up with any possible legit reason why Ed O would ever return to USC as a subservient DL coach under hot seat Lincoln Riley and newbie Gary Patterson after Ed won a NC at LSU with one of the best teams ever assembled, but flopped thereafter and left the Tigers in 2021 as an an uber-rich buy-out benefactor cast to the curb. In an alternate universe I could barely… Read more »
You’re probably right but you will never know until you give him a call. That’s all I’m saying….let’s give the guy a call and let him say no before we assume that he wouldn’t want the job.
I agree with Jamaica. Ed O would be too much of an unsettling threat to LR, in terms of personality, charisma, and accomplishments, as well as his elevated status with Trojan fans to be brought aboard by LR. Besides, Gary Patterson would be calling the shots here. But LR’s still gotta say yes, and Patterson is not connected to Ed O career-wise. We’ll see. Maybe stubborn LR will prove me wrong and blow USC fans away with such a famous fan friendly addition. But Ed O would still have to take the offer, assuming it came with stupendous money. Coach… Read more »
Well, I hope we get the right guy
Actually I don’t think anyone has heard exactly what Ed wants to do. As a line coach and recruiter he is top shelf and knows how to teach players, something the previous DL coach was not that good at.
Human nature is the same no mater your position & career is at. When you are doing well you fear nothing. When you are underperforming, you are paranoid and scheme to protect your turf. Riley will not bring in a coach that will threaten or question his position or performance. Coach O brought in to coach the D-line? I don’t think so.
Yep
Rivals Instant Impact Recruits: 2026 signees primed to hit the field next fall TE Mark Bowman — USC Mark Bowman has the tools to be an immediate contributor at USC, a rarity for a true freshman tight end. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder is one of the most polished route-runners at the position in recent years, using elite quickness to separate with precision. His fluid movement and reliability as a pass-catcher make him a natural fit in Lincoln Riley’s offense, where he projects as a versatile weapon who can create mismatches in space. The Santa Ana Mater Dei product’s blocking ability is advanced enough to… Read more »
Henderson is gone. Will somebody please call ED O……the best D-Line coach in football and also a great recruiter and he loves SC. Let’s not do the same thing that we did with Kwiatkowski who seemed to want the job but somehow we couldn’t work it out. At SC you have a million hoops to jump through just to get something done.
I would have gone with Kwiatkowski or the Missouri guy. If they wanted to hire their own staff we could have done it the same way we are doing it now. Eventually, GP will have the staff he wants.
I think we are going to be very happy with GP, just let him get his guys dialed in.
I hope you’re right
Here’s a huge 1997 billboard featuring Dick Hammer, a 1954 USC final four basketball player, Tokyo volleyball Olympian, actor and firefighter — and Sam Darnold’s grandfather — as the Marlboro Man looming large over traffic on Sunset Boulevard directly next to the iconic and legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel. It stood for 17 years before its removal in March, 1999 due to legal settlements restricting tobacco advertising. (Gilles Mingasson/Getty Images).
Imagine Sam’s family driving along and seeing Grandpa on a larger than life billboard.
Bet those home owners on the hill were happy to get their view back. Notice the sign below, Earthqakes, fires, and riots… 30 years later things are still the same.
Reminds me of the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man…..pretty good “B” grade movie starring Don Johnson from ‘Miami Vice’ fame.
Buh-bye Eric
Eric Henderson has been hired by the Washington Commanders (DL coach/run game coord), as expected.
Who’s your replacement guy Gary Patterson? 😎
The guy, Ed O.
Eric Henderson update
Scott Schrader (WeAreSC) — “I’m told with DL coach Eric Henderson (who has been at USC two seasons), there remains a real chance Henderson (who lost out on the Dallas Cowboys job) ends up back in the NFL for the 2026 season. From what I’m hearing, the Washington Commanders are currently the leader in the clubhouse.
“There’s mutual interest there, and the situation is at least trending in that direction. Sounds like talks are advanced and serious, but I can’t confirm anything beyond that as of now…”
on3.com
We should expect GP has a guy waiting to take the job, right?
Not necessarily in my opinion. We all thought USC would be ready to move quickly when Lynn split. At least I did, because we all saw this coming from a mile away. Wrong. Every situation is different of course. But USC under Riley operates without much info disseminated outside of pure coach speak. He likes to hide info. Since Lincoln’s on the hot seat, USC always has to deal with good candidates who don’t want to risk a quick move leading them to nowhere. You never find out people’s true postures until the rubber meets the road and advanced negotiations… Read more »
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Board of Trustees for the University of Southern California (USC) announced today, Feb. 4, 2026, the unanimous appointment of Beong-Soo Kim as the university’s 13th president following a highly competitive and comprehensive search process. Kim will immediately assume his new position. “The Board’s unanimous vote reflects what we learned throughout the search process: widespread confidence in Beong’s leadership. As a next generation president, we believe that he can dramatically accelerate USC’s institutional advancement as a distinctive leader in higher education during a time of unprecedented change,” said Suzanne Nora Johnson, Chair of the USC Board… Read more »
Southern California native, parents both Trojans, Ivy League educated, solid background as a lawyer and legal scholar. Should be a huge improvement over Nikias and Folt. Good News I think.
Woo hoo. Score one for the lawyers. We need all the help we can get. 😂 😂
Hopefully he loves, or at least appreciates, USC football like John R. Hubbard did when I was in school.
Is that him? he looks like a graduate student!
As long as he puts Rufus B. VonKleinschmid’s name back on the campus, I will support him. 😎
Colin Cowherd’s Top 12 players in the Super Bowl.
The weakness of each team is the O-line. Even game. Cowherd, who is from the Pacific Northwest, picks the Patriots 23-20.
1 SEA WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba
2 SEA CB Devon Witherspoon
3 SEA RB Kenneth Walker III
4 SEA QB Sam Darnold
5 NE QB Drake Maye
6 NE WR Stefon Diggs
7 SEA S Nick Emmanwori
8 NE OG Mike Onmwenu
9 SEA DE Demarcus Lawrence
10 NE DT Milton Williams
11 SEA DL Leonard Williams
12 NE CB Christian Gonzalez
So 7 of his top 11 players are Seahawks yet he picks the Pats? Hmm. Hawks are 4.5 pt favs, he must be picking the spread?
No. It’s a straight up pick. Cowherd loves Vrabel, the NFL version of Cignetti.
God no, not the Pats again!
USC has the No. 1 recruiting class and the same question persists: Can Lincoln Riley finally deliver? Antonio Morales (The Athletic) — Through four seasons, it’s difficult to describe Lincoln Riley’s tenure as USC’s head coach as anything other than disappointing. The Trojans haven’t won a conference championship, haven’t reached the College Football Playoff and haven’t lost fewer than three games in any of Riley’s four seasons. At some point, Riley will have to make good on why he did come to Los Angeles — to win at the highest level. After a disappointing Alamo Bowl loss to TCU,… Read more »
A big part of the fun of college ball is these guys are young and still developing. Guys who didn’t do much last season suddenly bloom. The ’26 freshmen will at least push the upperclassmen and some may become starters. The new D staff and a full year will Trumain Carroll may do wonders. We’ll see, maybe they can break into the playoffs, maybe get a 1st round win. Maybe. It’s Kool-Aid time right Allen? 😉
As we’ve all learned, reality is a lot more fun than Kool-Aid, which is only temporary, filled with sugar, and too often neglects the culture deficiencies that a quick drink obscures.
At year five with USC, the least that wildly overpaid and over-rated LR can do is finally get out of the way of those who can provide the all-important dominant culture he can’t. If he does that, I give this 2026 team a good chance, especially with no Notre Dame, a likely loss, on the schedule.
My God, we’re here again. Remember when we had hope that Kingsbury could lead us to the promised land if Helton would just get out of the way? If we have better people under Riley than Riley, then we should get rid of Riley and let THEM coach. The “get out of the way, Mr. Head Coach” thing rarely works, especially when the HC is used to calling every play.
Personally, I think the only thing keeping Riley at USC is his exorbitant contract buyout. He’s done nothing else to earn the right to coach USC in year five as I view his performance. JMHO.
IMO one of Rileys many problems….has been fixed…..raw recruiting…..the issue moves to will he hold on to them……and develop them.
Prediction……his next excuse…..the USC NIL needs to be enhanced.
I just wish we could switch head coaches with not just Indiana but others like Iowa, Illinois, Penn St etc and watch who wins and who loses…..and by how much.
Those coaches might all go unbeaten…..Riley might not win a game.
The stage is totally set at USC for success. Jen Cohen has literally rebuilt the program to shield Lincoln Riley from the inadequacies of his own talent level. Since a rising tide lifts all boats, maybe (just maybe) USC is ready to play with the big boys in 2026. I predict a pre-season poll rank of 15-16 for USC. That’s pretty darn good for a team that couldn’t handle lightweight TCU (losers to ASU, KSU, IA ST and BYU) with so many of our best players off the field. Better times have to finally be coming for USC. The simple… Read more »
Just for fun I goggled preseason rankings for the top 25. Six different sites have us from 14 to 11. So…..looks like they expect us to make the playoffs.
With Patterson anything could happen.
In Gary Patterson we trust.
He’s got to be the guy who can finally give Lincoln Riley a really good defense. Patterson’s resume indicates he’s the perfect coach to repair USC’s long standing defensive woes.
I’m banking on him for his ability to install a better culture at USC too, since Riley flat out hasn’t been able to do it.
At least we have a chance based on reason….which is a lot better than hope with only hope.
Maybe Patterson will be the lesser version of a Riley influencer that we hoped we would have when Pete Carroll came back to campus to “teach a class” before he took the Raiders job.
The whole premise of this article irritates me. Not that it isn’t true, it’s that culture is created by the leaders of the program, as in the coaches. If they’re relying on 18-20 year olds to define, cultivate and sustain a winning culture, all is already lost.
Everyone knows that as goes the King, so goes the Kingdom. Riley is a bigger clown than I imagined if he’s looking at the kids for a defining culture.
The College Football History of USC Trojans begins on 1/2/1923 and over a hundred pages later, ends with “It’s Time For RileyTo Step Up” dated 12/29/2025.
BTW, Trojans are still waiting Riley.
For the graduate purists, this tome includes many of Jim Murray’s classic columns. Once had an autographed compilation of Murray columns, lost to fire in 2019.
I sure hope Riley has figured out how to get Maiava to be as good on the road as he is at home. That would really be a huge difference in the 26 season. His 2025 road record and stats were pretty unimpressive, compared to his home record and stats. Gotta win on the road or forgetaboutit.
I have my doubts but the last couple of decades have left me pretty cynical about my Trojans.
Maybe Maieva will fool all of us in a positive way.
“He (Maiava) was really a totally different player (as compared to 2024),” Riley told reporters. “And now he’s got all that added experience, which is hard to replace. Look at the guys in the [national] championship game the other day – both those guys played a lot of ball. It’s hard to replace having that at that position. It just matters so much that we have it right now.” I can see why Husan Longstreet didn’t feel like staying at USC was in his best interests if he wanted to play in 2026. Riley’s obviously all-in on Maiava for this season. I’m… Read more »
I would have been pleasantly surprised to hear Riley mention something about the two teams’ defenses instead of the quarterbacks. Too much to hope for, I guess.
To paraphrase Alfonso Bedoya (as the bandit “Gold Hat”) in the 1948 film “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre”, “Defenses? We ain’t got no Defenses. We don’t need no Defenses. I don’t have to show you any stinking Defenses!”
Hilarious! and so appropriate.
Don’t forget the same role he reprised in “Blazing Saddles!”
Did Riley watch the TCU game?……..sorry……I forgot…..he had other things to do.
I highly recommend the just released, fantastic Netflix doc on America’s greatest Olympic victory ever.
Miracle: The Boys of ’80