Jordan Addison, college football’s top receiver, finally says yes to USC. The Trojans are piling it on.
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — The top receiver in college football is on his way to USC in a seismic transfer move that’s sure to send shockwaves through a sport still grappling with its new free-market reality.
After entering the transfer portal amid a cloud of controversy, Jordan Addison made official Thursday what many had expected since his exit from Pittsburgh last month. He’s heading to USC to be the top target in a Trojan offense that’s been rebuilt through the transfer portal by new coach Lincoln Riley.
Addison chose USC over Texas after visiting both schools within the last week. His arrival in an already crowded class of Trojan transfers could prove to be the piece de resistance of Riley’s offseason overhaul.
In Addison, Riley adds one of the nation’s top playmakers to an offense that’s already added the top transfer quarterback (Caleb Williams), one of the top transfer running backs (Travis Dye) and another of the top transfer receivers (Mario Williams). Addison is the 18th transfer to join USC since Riley’s hiring last November, but few have arrived with such established bonafides.
That aggressive approach to the portal has inflamed some critics across college football — most notably in Western Pennsylvania, where officials at Pitt last month accused USC of tampering before Addison entered the portal on May 3. Those accusations, first reported by ESPN, inspired weeks of rumors about multimillion-dollar name, image and likeness deals Addison could command upon joining USC.
USC never commented on those accusations, and no evidence of tampering has emerged in Addison’s case. But in the meantime, the NCAA released new NIL guidelines last week in an attempt to crack down on the outsized influence outside boosters have had on the process.
Addison’s arrival at USC is sure to provide kindling for those accusations once again. In announcing his decision Thursday, Addison reflected on how he struggled with the decision to leave Pittsburgh, where last season he won the Biletnikoff Award as the outstanding receiver in college football.
Had he stayed at Pittsburgh, Addison would have had a new quarterback, offensive coordinator and receivers coach. At USC, he’ll face similar change, but reunite with Williams, who, like him, grew up in the Washington, D.C. area.
“The last few weeks have been very difficult. I struggled with my decision as to whether I should exercise my right to enter the portal,” Addison wrote. “Student-athletes have not always had that opportunity, and I made that choice.”
latimes.com
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Great news on a new LB
James Franklin is only 11-11 at PSU since the start of the 2020 season.
And PSU is only 7-17 against OHIO ST, MICH, and MICH ST during Franklin’s tenure.
So glad USC never got this guy. For a while there, Franklin seemed to be like the actual favorite to take over USC, right?
Wow, it sure looks like June 16-17 is going to be a big day for USC visits.
https://www.facebook.com/USCTrojans/videos/746285390144950/
USC Newest Offensive Lineman, Cooper Lovelace at 6’5″ and 300 pounds and maybe the most limber lineman in college football.
I agree completely John
OMG! I can bend and reach mid-shin with my knees bent just a little….
Adam Gorney (TrojanSports.com) — USC and Ohio State have emerged as the frontrunners at this point in the recruitment of 2023 5-star WR Brandon Inniss (6-0, 190) from American Heritage Plantation, Fla. His relationship and comfort level with new USC coach Lincoln Riley and position coach Dennis Simmons from the time he was committed to them at OU could be tough to beat. The distance from South Florida is a factor, but doesn’t seem like a deal-breaker. OHIO ST is looming, though, and with position coach Brian Hartline involved and all the success the Buckeyes have had at the receiver spot over the years, that’s not lost on Inniss. MIA is battling,… Read more »
Lane Kiffin on NIL, Recruiting, Boosters, the I-formation, and Saban: ‘We’re a Professional Sport’ (BTW, Kiffin has lost 32 pounds in the last 18 months. He’s the lightest he’s been since his days as head coach at USC nearly a decade ago. “I think I’m the only person that came to Mississippi and lost weight,” he laughs.) “We’re a professional sport,” Kiffin says, “and they are professional players. “It’s totally changed recruiting. I joke all the time about it. Facilities and all that. Go ahead and build facilities and these great weight rooms and training rooms, but you ain’t gonna… Read more »
Allen, You have always contended that Lane was really smart. This quote simply confirms that point. He is working within a new system and has clearly applying the new rules to his benefit. It is also clear that coaches like Pat Narduzzi or the AD at Iowa are simply not as bright as Lane. I would say the three smartest coaches on new rules were the Michigan State coach, LR and Lane.
Lane was also always focused as a rifle shot on a big-time football coaching career.
I’d say he got what he wanted, and he might still have a Lincoln Riley-type leap in him.
USC recruit Roderick Pleasent ran a 10.14 100 meters setting a state record for CA. He is down to BC, USC, and Oregon in his recruiting. He is a DB and would be perfect in the backfield with Domani Jackson giving them probably the fastest defensive backfield in the nation.
Also, Keenan Christon transfers to San Diego State. That hurts the track team more than football, but I sure got excited so see him get the ball when he did play.
Christon could be a great fit for the Aztec running game. Hope he does well.
Sark’s sure got his work cut out for him. Amazingly, The Longhorns haven’t had an offensive player selected in the first round of the draft since Trojan Killer Vince Young in 2006. But things may be looking up.
With 2023 4-star QB Eli Holstein (6-4, 222) of Zachary (LA) committing to ALA yesterday, five-star phenom Arch Manning (6-4, 215) of New Orleans Isidore Newman, has some thinking the Longhorns are sitting pretty for eventually landing the son of Cooper Manning over GA and the Tide.
Chicago Bulls forward/former USC star DeMar DeRozan made the ’21-22 All-NBA second team, along with Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Ja Morant and Stephen Curry. Lebron James made the 3rd team.
Hopefully, we can pop Brian Kelly in the mouth in ‘24, but Lane Kiffin will be elsewhere by 2025. JMHO.
I know scheduling is always out a few years, but no Big10 or ACC teams on there. So far the alliance has done nothing.
Primed for a Final 4 run in 2023. ND, San Jose State, and Nevada as our out of conference foes. That is an AL type schedule, two weak teams and one elite team.
USC early rivalry game predictions vs ND and UCLA: Trojans mailbag (The Athletic, Antonio Morales): “Notre Dame has a first-year head coach in Marcus Freeman but has a more well-rounded roster than the Trojans right now. Those games have been competitive in recent years even when USC has been down, but I’ll still give the Irish the edge. “That leaves UCLA, which is probably being slept on a bit this offseason. The Bruins lost a lot of talent from last season, but they utilized the transfer portal well, and the return of QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RB Zach Charbonnet should make them tough offensively.… Read more »
Last season was not a shootout. It was a massacre.
MICH ST coach Mel Tucker on the NIL phenomena in CFB: “I try to take the judgment out of it. I really do. I believe in neutral thinking, I’m not going to get too high or low, it’s not right or wrong, not good or bad, it just is what it is. You get a 1 or a 0. You get a W or an L.”
A guy who rebuilt MSU in one off season. He knows the new system.
Clay Travis — “ESPN lost a whopping 8 million cable subscribers in 2021, nearly 22,000 people a day, the most in cable history. The math is clear, the company is dead as a viable business, streaming can’t save it & Disney should sell it while it still can…”
Get Woke, Go Broke.
Obviously, they have a problem. It would be interesting to see how the management is handling it internally. I am subscribed by my Cable company. If not, I would not subscribe. My son subscribes both he and I to Sling during football season and we get all the games. I mostly turn off the announcers on ESPN games (I detest the female football announcer Beth M – just cannot stand her).
Beth M drives me nuts too (“and he gains 3 more yaaaaaarrrrrrrrrds.”) There are only two people I watch games on mute to avoid — her, and Bill Walton). This is an instance where woke particularly don’t work. The point of a color commentator is that they have played the game, or coached the game, and know it inside and out. They can offer insights beyond what our eyes can see. Thus, they ADD color. But all Beth M does is tell us what our eyes just saw, and read stats from her stat sheets or anecdotes that were communicated… Read more »
I haven’t paid much attention to Beth M, has she done SC games? I am right with you on Bill Walton. He is unbearable, rarely talks about the game he’s covering, otherwise babbles on about something trying to impress us how intelligent he is! Such a Ruin!
Walton seems to take a very good approach to playing the game, as he should since he always credits Wooden for his considerable NBA/life success.
But to me, he actually often seems to go out of his way to compliment USC, between all his weird bombastic proclamations about man’s existence, or his beloved Conference of Champions!
How would you compare Petros to Walton? Do Bruin fans also get naused with Petros? They both seem to annoy some more than average, no? Or am I being too hard on Petros?
I am not sure if Petros is trying very hard not to be a Trojan Homer, no pun intended. When I was in LA I listen to him and Money and of course at that time we were going thru the Kiffin, Sark, Cat era and there was not much good to say. I was at SC when his Dad played for the Trojans and he is a Trojan so I am not sure. Since I am in southwest Florida I don’t know what he is saying on the radio these days. He should be happy as hell. Walton, at… Read more »
I think of the Pac-12 as the Conference of Champions for the minor sports only. Pac-12 Football and basketball, by far the biggest deals in college sports, have been anything but champions.
ARIZ was the last champion in basketball from the Pac-12 way back in 1997, 25 years ago, when they beat UK. USC last won it all in football for the Pac-12 in ’03 and ’04.
With George Kliavkoff finally trying to re-emphasize the importance of success in football and basketball, I hope this can change. At least Kliavkoff publicly hailed Caleb Williams’ arrival at USC.
I have turned off games because of her. She should do beach volleyball.
Walton just flat makes me sick to have to hear him, which I don’t because I turn it off.
Sports networking today is all about attracting the female audience as it seems to be the potential market target. I don’t blame their thinking, it’s there for the taking. But like us & others, don’t bring in female announcers & color commentators with the agenda of over simplifying talking about the game and making it sound silly. Give women some credit, they can handle the complexities of games by watching & asking questions if needed.
Jamaica, Based on the results, I think it obvious whoever came up with that marketing game plan has failed and is failing. You change your marketing to attract an audience that is overwhelmingly not interested in your products (an exaggerated example – selling feminine hygiene products to males) and which drives away your actual audience. Whoever on the management team came up with that idea and approach should be looking for a line of work – perhaps university diversity training.
In woke companies the emphasis is more on their social aspects and not net results, as you can tell. Espn, the clown network, has been going downhill for years and they always thought they were above everyone else. Not so much anymore.
ESPN.com — “QB Dwayne Haskins (OHIO ST ’16-18) was legally drunk when he was struck by a dump truck on I-595 in Florida and killed on April 9, according to a toxicology report released by the office of the Broward County Medical Examiner on Monday. “According to the toxicology report, two separate samples taken from Haskins’ body had alcohol levels of .20 and .24, both of which are above the legal limit in Florida of .08. According to the report, Haskins also tested positive for the painkiller ketamine and norketamine, drugs that are used by medical professionals as anesthetics but… Read more »
2022 Heisman Trophy odds (Vegas Insider): 1. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (+250) 2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (+400) 3. Caleb Williams, QB, USC (+1200) 4. D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson (+2500) 5. Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (+3000) 6. Jaxson Dart, QB, Ole Miss (+3000) 7. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas (+3500) 8. Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma (+4000) 9. Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina (+4000) 10. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas (+4000) 11. Kedon Slovis, QB, Pittsburgh (+5000) 12. Jarek Broussard, RB, Michigan State (+5000) 13. Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida (+5000) 14. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State (+5000) 15. Will Anderson Jr., DE, Alabama (+5000) 16. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State (+5000) 17. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama (+6000) 18. Braelon Allen,… Read more »
It has been a long time since a USC player has been mentioned for the Heisman.
Caleb Williams is no 3.
Next year he should be no 1.
After the darkness and disillusionment of the Helton Era, it’s just hard to believe that for USC in 2022, QB Caleb Williams will be throwing to WR Jordan Addison for Trojan TDs.
Ain’t life a kick?!
I will make a prediction. Absent injury, Caleb will win the Heisman. He has the best set of WRs in the nation, a perfect schedule (two top 10 teams – ND and Utah and one really good team – UCLA, combined with good to weak teams he can carve up), and a solid media presence. Young does not have the same level of receivers and AL will probably use the run game more than the passing game and Stroud lost two first round WRs and it playing in probably the most difficult conference in the nation.
Glad to see you entering the prediction business @TrojanRJJ! It’s about time USC had another Heisman winner! I agree that Caleb will win the award over the next two years.
Salute to Troy is coming back.
It out to be safe to have a Salute to Troy–Sarkisian is in Austin and he is on the wagon. Thankfully for his health….
Time to leverage “the alliance” and get Pitt on our schedule. Let those guys get all the retribution they want.
You must admit, it is unreal that the O/U on USC this season is 9.5, while OU’s (like UCLA’s) is only 8.5 (down from 11 when LR was their coach).
I would take 10 wins this year. Totally possible seeing as how there is a whole new culture at USC football now.
10 is CD a fair number. Utah, ND, and the gutties are our toughest games. We will win the other 9. No way we get swept in those 3. I think 10-2 us the number. At Utah and back to back rivalry games to end the year will be tough.
The way I see it if USC makes it to the final two games undefeated, then I can see going all the way and winning those last two also. Momentum!!
When running backs ruled the earth, USC was known as Tailback U.
Now that wide receivers rule the earth, USC has become Wide Receiver U.
Not bad, huh?! ✌
Still Tailback U always sounded fearsome. WR U sounds kind of finesse. QB U sounds like where they really are.
Per SI.com (as of April 6, 2020) Alabama is the new Linebacker U. (USC is not top 10) LSU Is the new Defensive Back U. (USC is not top 10) Alabama Is the new Defensive Line U. (USC is #8) Stanford Is the new Tight End U. (USC is tied with OU for #5) Notre Dame Is the new Offensive Line U. (USC is #6, surprise) Alabama is the new Running Back U. (USC is not top 10) Clemson is the new Wide Receiver U. (USC is tied with BAY for #6) Oklahoma (LR) is the new Quarterback U. (USC… Read more »
Over the weekend I read an article about a radio personality in Pittsburg who is threatening to body slam Lincoln Riley. I had a lot of thoughts about threatening someone in a public forum, but of course it was all bravado. He said he’d like to find Riley in a dark alley. Also thinks Riley is small and weak.
It’s good to get people talking about USC football again. I doubt this blubber-jaw will ever find Riley alone in a dark alley. If Riley has proven anything it’s that he’s smarter than that.
I doubt Riley is worried. I figure he is in pretty good shape and being an old Texas boy could probably handle the situation. The guy is a complete ass to say something like that.
i coached a group of 14 and 15 year olds playing in a 17U basketball tourney this weekend. Tourney director failed to tell me they didnt have any other 15U teams.
long story short. They were in over their heads and lost the first 3 games, all pretty close games. This morning we went out winners on last second tip in. They were on cloud nine.
sports sure does provide some great moments.
can’t wait to see USC football bring us those moments next season.
“Excited to join the Trojans as a Preferred Walk On,” SJS DL transfer Sinjun Astani (6-4, 260, L.A. Loyola) told WeAreSC, with two years of eligibility.
on3.com
It would be great to see a Loyola Cub be productive for the Trojans. It has been awhile.
USC baseball lost to STAN 22-3 last night, and 7-1 on Thursday.
Maybe STAN coach David Esquer has decided to get Trojan baseball coach Jason Gill fired too. Gill’s only 8-21 against Pac-12 competition this season. Sadly, Trojan baseball has been so hopeless for so long, that it seems almost silly to bring up USC’s stupendous 12 baseball NCs under Dedeaux and Gillespie.
Gill is awful, almost as inept as Helton. Bohn has to fire him, and go National again. No matter the results, we should end up with a big upgrade over our current situation. There is no reason for SC Baseball to be dead last, ever!
Who would Bohn go after as a replacement? I personally have no idea seeing as how Tommy Lasorda can’t do it.
Here is a list of the top 25 winningest active college baseball coaches. Maybe Bohn can do for baseball what he did for football.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-25-winningest-head-coaches-in-division-i-baseball/
Any names there anybody likes?
The guy from GA Southern sounds good. Too bad we couldn’t get the coach from Oklahoma, just for fun.
I echo your thoughts Allen, completely. As both an undergrad and grad student from 1973-1979, I often caught a game at Dedeaux Field between classes if I didn’t have to work. The Trojans were always strong in all phases of the game. I’ve always believed that you could put an all-time USC Baseball Team together that could compete with anyone. Imagine a team with a starting rotation of Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Steve Busby, Barry Zito and Mark Pryor to name a few. A batting order with Fred Lynn, Ron Fairly, Dave Kingman, Mark McGwire, Don Buford, Rich Dauer, Roy… Read more »
As a Freshman in 1969 I was briefly on the Frosh team and I got to pitch batting practice to Dave Kingman. What an imposing figure at the plate. And Jim Barr used to hit us ground balls. USC baseball had always been a who’s who of great baseball players most of my life. As a freshman the Varsity was as good as it could be. I hope we can get back to those days again. There aren’t many Rod Dedeaux’s around anymore.
Danelmcd1: Thank you for sharing!
Just read an article about a kid in Nebraska that is an ambidextrous QB, he can throw with both arms. Class of 2025. Link:https://brobible.com/sports/article/ambidextrous-quarterback-mikey-gow-recruiting-college/
Former 5-star recruit Su’a Cravens calls out SEC schools for paying players “Another former college football player who was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, Su’a Cravens, who played for USC from 2013 to 2015, went a step further, claiming that he was offered money by just about every school that wanted him. “I’ll just say this since people wanna cap and accuse others,” Cravens tweeted. “I used to be a 5-star recruit. Only schools that didn’t offer bread were Pac-12 schools cuz it would’ve been the death penalty for them, not just a slap on the wrist like… Read more »
I always figured Alabama and the rest of the SEC had some slick secret way to pay players without getting caught. Now if the NCAA turned a blind eye? WOW! Can’t wait till USC takes these good ole boys down!
You just never can tell what’s coming down the pike. Why Nick Saban, one of the smartest football coaches in history, decided to publicly instigate this paying-for-players fight with Jimbo Fisher is beyond me. It’ll be interesting to see where ALA football goes in the immed future. LR just beat him head-to-head for the best WR in the country. My, how things have changed.
A&M plays ALA on Oct. 8 in Tuscaloosa. Can’t wait for that one.
My guess – Nick is losing a lot of the recruiting battles he used to win. And, the methods of recruiting he used are no longer working, largely because of the NIL. That makes me think that Saban’s run was aided significantly by illegal payments (just like John Wooden’s basketball run was). He is now losing those battles and is mad about it. Notice how the SEC commissioner was honest about NIL: in many cases, it is simply straight cash payments to the players from the boosters. If he was really honest, he would admit that the SEC has been… Read more »
I remember the Cam Newton thing at Auburn, there was a lot of money discussed for him to come there.
$200k to his Daddy’s “church.” Big story down here….
Stewart Mandel ranks USC at #13 because of questions on D Who’s a team everyone needs to pump the brakes on in 2022? Mandel — “Definitely USC. I saw where one national writer moved the Trojans all the way up to No. 4 in his preseason rankings following Jordan Addison’s commitment. As Dolores says to Mariano toward the end of Encanto: Slow down. “I got a pretty detailed glimpse into USC’s personnel while reporting our behind-the-scenes story earlier this week on the Lincoln Riley transition. While that is quite a star-studded offense now with Caleb Williams, Travis Dye and now Addison, its defense remains woefully undermanned. “USC made some… Read more »
It is still like Christmas everyday.
Under rated. Mandel does not think highly enough of …… Clay Helton. Clay Helton and crew were so adept at sucking the life and talent out of players, that he took sure fire contributors and made them weak and obsolete. I can guarantee that those left over from last year will dramatical improvement.
I have no doubt our defense will be better. Grinch has had good defenses at WSU. No way those teams had better talent than we have now.
Chris, I hope you are right, but I am more on Mandel’s side. I think Mandel is the only writer who saw Helton for what he really was. He never rated SC pre-season in the top 25 during the last 3 years of the Helton era. The 2022 Trojan O may be lights out, but the D looks to be really a problem. The only way Mandel is wrong is if you are correct – the players under Helton was so miserably coached that they can turn it around in one year of competent coaching. I think that is asking… Read more »
I think the huge influx of transfers will be starters. I can honestly see 7 transfers as starters.
Allen, Thanks for posting that article. Mandel is the only national writer that correctly evaluated SC under Helton. I think his analysis of the 2022 Trojans is right on the money. We had a dreadful D last year, a dreadful culture, and kids who simply did not understand how to play winning football (and a HC who had no clue how to coach it). You have quoted several experts on football culture change that we clear that it takes 18 months. SC is playing 4 very difficult games next year: at Utah, at UCLA, at Oregon State, and ND (the… Read more »
Being the USC homer that I am, I think USC will easily hammer STAN and just squeak by UCLA this year, though don’t quote me on my UCLA pick. I bet the college football pre-season rags don’t even rank STAN in the top 50 schools. The word is out that David Shaw’s lost it. I can’t for the life of me figure out why you think a short trip up to Palo Alto will be so hard for the Trojans. Why? The last two games STAN played at home last season, they lost to CAL 41-11, and ND 45-14. PS… Read more »
Nice to see someone else agrees with me that USC cannot take Stanford lightly. Since 2000 they have pulled some big surprises although USC has won more of the games. Fresno should be better than they were last year and cannot be taken lightly. Their new coach knows the team and the QB quite well and I think they will give USC everything they can handle. I just hope not to much.
I couldn’t resist — USC’s new-look offense
Actually it looks more like our offense under Clay; no center and no blocking! 🙂
Happy Days are here again. The Trojan Portal highlights per 247Sports:
No. 1 QB Caleb Williams
No. 1 WR Jordan Addison
No. 2 WR Mario Williams
No. 2 LB Eric Gentry
No. 3 RB Travis Dye
These have always been two of my favorite USC photos.
Tim Rossovich (#88) was one of my early USC heroes, and here he is kicking one between the uprights vs UCLA, surrounded by a packed Coliseum, eventually becoming a wild, crazy Trojan All-America DE in 1967, before further honing his legendary wildness with the Eagles, Chargers, and Oilers. Rossovich died in 2018 at the age of 72.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sec-commissioner-on-nil-deals-were-seeing-just-straight-payments-174126956.html
SEC commissioner on NIL deals: ‘We’re seeing just straight payments’. The public display of displeasure with NIL policies comes as collectives, often organized by wealthy university donors, have taken over the NIL industry with direct payments to players regardless of what their name, image and likeness is worth.
I guess the slick under the radar pay offs at Alabama aren’t working anymore. Nobody said the NIL deal had to be worth the pay out. Take a couple of pictures, put them on some ads and give the kid a million dollars.
Who wants to be the politician that looks like they want to take money from poor families to keep multi-millionaire coaches happy?
College football rankings: Updated Way-Too-Early Top 25 Mark Schlabach (ESPN) — While college football’s spring practices are over, the transfer portal never stops churning. And with Thursday’s addition of Biletnikoff-winning receiver Jordan Addison, USC continues to move all the way up to No. 4 in our rankings. An offseason that already featured the arrival of former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley and QB Caleb Williams, somehow got even better. The Trojans have completed an offensive makeover that should make them instant Pac-12 title contenders — and possibly more. 4. USC TrojansPrevious ranking: 12 2021 record: 4-8 (3-6 Pac-12) Returning starters: 6 offense, 5 defense, 1 special teams Key departures: WR Drake… Read more »
It is a hell of a turnaround without playing a game
Has any other team made such a turnaround in a single season?
Will be happy with a winning season right now.
And if end up in the top 20 will take it.
The past 10 years USC would start the season ranked
and end up not ranked.
Long live the Portal, a total godsend for USC in these absolutely crucial times.
LR has just killed it. I have no idea how this player exchange mechanism will exist, evolve, change, or morph.
CFB seems to be teetering on a giant ledge, with USC sitting pretty after a long, bizarre era of darkness.
I am hoping we won’t see too many 52 to 48 game finals this season but it is very possible if the our offense can’t be stopped but we can’t stop the opponents offense either. When this happens could we see both teams play slow down ball control to game manage for who can get the ball the last two minutes of the game? Could happen with Utah, ND, UCLA, the PAC-12 championship?
I don’t think USC’s D is gonna be as bad as some fear. Even if it’s just “decent”, which seems entirely likely with several strong newcomers and itinerant Todd Orlando now at FAU, USC’s offense should get USC 9-10 reg season wins, and into a good bowl game. I think this team plays for the Pac-12 championship, which seems like a miracle after the 2021 USC team managed only four wins and lost six of its last seven. Also, I think a couple of more Portal transfers could still show up in the Coliseum. But even if the transfers are… Read more »
Welcome news I was growing tried of the shoe dangling. However unlike recent years when “stars” were snagged by the coaching staff, this time I expect a significant contribution.
Also the fact that the O line during spring practice looked better than last season’s O line did during games, makes me optimistic they have improved.
There’s a different feel this year and Mrs. Rialto has already started hunting for tickets.
USC is a 34-point favorite over RICE on Sept. 3 at the Coliseum. .
Nick Saban Backtracks and Apologizes for Singling Out Jimbo Fisher, Deion Sanders in NIL Comments Saban’s Spin — “Hours after Jimbo Fisher blasted Nick Saban and labeled him a narcissist after questionable comments from the Alabama coach, Saban apologized to not just the Texas A&M coach but also Deion Sanders. “I should have never singled anybody out,” Saban said on ESPNU radio’s Off-Campus. “That was a mistake and I apologize for that part of it.” “He later added, ‘I really wasn’t saying anybody did anything illegal in using NIL. That was something assumed by what I said. It’s not what I meant. There’s nothing… Read more »
Have to respect Saban for recognizing the error of his ways in saying what he did, or in how he said it. He has to do commercials with Dion.
It wasn’t Saban recognizing that he was wrong. It was Fisher pointing out that Saban was a major rules violator and the fact that Fisher knows first hand of some of those shenanigans. Just look at the chatter on twitter today from former college football players about bags of money being handed out down south for just a visit let alone a commitment. Even Sanders weighed in warning Saban and others not to point fingers because he is aware of why the SEC is so far ahead of every other conference. The term “Bag Men” was used.
I can’t remember when USC had such a stable of receivers. These guys are going to really light up the scoreboard, is 100 points a game inconceivable? You think about the aerial threat USC brings and then along with the renewed running game it is going to be tough on opposing D coordinators to stop the new USC. I have not looked this forward to a season starting since Pete was here.
All well & good, but if the transfer portal doesn’t get us offensive lineman soon, Caleb’s going to have to dump that ball as soon as it’s hiked.
What you see in the portal is all there is and it isn’t much. What makes you think that they haven’t made improvements in the O line. The coaches we have now are a lot better than what we had, the players are more experienced, they are training better, their schemes are different, and techniques are improved. I am not that worried about getting new linemen, basically because they are just not out there so lets get it done with what we have now. If you watch Caleb at all last season, he generally threw to his first look, or… Read more »
I disagree, Yes, I’d like one more good O-lineman to come but the guys we have returning weren’t the problem. Clay and Graham never taught the QBs how to adjust to blitzes, never allowed audibles to change plays that were doomed from the start nor did they work on Red Zone, ever, according to Miller Moss. Harrell thinks an RPO play is just like an audible. Plus Slovis was slowish of foot and of decision making and Dart had a bum knee. Teams pinned their ears back and came hard without much to worry about. No D coordinator will be… Read more »
93, I actually think the O Line will be good to very good next year unless injuries hit. I think the first 6 maybe 7 are quite good. Then the drop off is huge. The much larger problem is the DL which has only one proven quality player on it.
I remember when SC had Robert Woods, Marquise Lee and George Farmer. Farmer rarely played but came up big vs Notre Dame in 2014. Cody Kessler had a big day too!
rlee, I think that the SC WR group of Drake London, Micheal PIttman, Jr., and Amon Ra St.Brown was better. This group had 3 NFL starters on it, and, if he did not get hurt, Drake London would have won the Biletnikoff. Last year’s tOSU had the best core of 3 receivers I have ever seen – they had 3 first rounders. This SC group has a chance to be one of the better 4 deep set of receivers ever: Addison, Rice, Williams and Byum. Notice all four are transfers.
I agree. I was thinking of the past and can’t remember if 2 of the 3 I mentioned or all three (Woods, Lee and Farmer) came from Serra High School. Plus I’ve always felt Kessler was underrated.
Farmer, who never caught on in the NFL, was over-rated IMO and also injury-prone. He had amazing size and speed (6-1, 200; 10.4 100m; 21.22 200 m) out of HS, but lacked the quickness and playmaking ability of both Woods and Lee, each successful in the NFL, especially Woods. Per Wiki — Farmer’s soph year (2012), he suffered a serious bite from a brown recluse spider, before the start of the summer workouts. He was used even more sparingly in his soph season, with only 1 catch for 7 yards. Farmer then tore his ACL and MCL in a preseason practice, causing him to miss… Read more »
To quote Sark, “Let’s get ready to f**in Fight On!!!”