LAS VEGAS — Whereas the remainder of the faculty soccer world spent the summer season whipped right into a frenzy, swept up by the specter of income sharing or congressional intervention or one of many many different landscape-altering adjustments looming over the game, Lincoln Riley was capable of truly step away and take a breath.
In 4 years as USC’s coach, Riley hasn’t had many probabilities to essentially unplug. There was the dash forward of his first season, and the heavy portal push forward of his second. The third got here with a brand new convention, new protection, new expectations, new stress.
The fourth, by comparability, is beginning on a extra relaxed observe than Riley is used to. There have been no telephone calls taking on half a day of his household trip. His fly fishing went largely unbothered. He even golfed at Pebble Seashore in Might.
“I’d say I’m feeling as refreshed and recharged as I’ve been in a long time,” Riley stated Thursday throughout Large Ten media days.
By no means thoughts that the stress for Riley to win at USC has maybe by no means been so excessive, coming off a 7-6 marketing campaign by which the Trojans wanted a comeback bowl win to scrape previous .500. The trail to successful has arguably by no means been so unsure, both, with the appearance of income sharing fully upending how championship rosters are constructed.
Regardless of that backdrop, this previous summer season nonetheless felt much less formidable to Riley than the remaining. He says he didn’t really feel the offseason chaos that a few of colleagues have described within the wake of the Home settlement. A few of that added calm he credit to Chad Bowden, USC’s new common supervisor, and his handpicked entrance workplace, who’ve taken personnel issues largely off Riley’s plate. Instantly laying declare to the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026 hasn’t damage in constructing that belief, both.
Nevertheless it’s greater than that, in line with Riley.
“There are less big fixes going on right now, you know?” he stated. “It’s like you’ve got the house built, and it’s kind of all about the finishes now. You’re not trying to put up a wall or anything like that.”
Whether or not USC is definitely that near being a completed product is up for debate. The Trojans’ win complete has declined in every of Riley’s first three seasons, throughout which his report is worse than that of his predecessor, Clay Helton. Now the Trojans enter his fourth with a uncooked, unproven commodity at quarterback, a threadbare linebacker room, and an inexperienced offensive line that might already be down a projected starter.
There’s additionally the matter of their fourth-quarter points final season, which noticed the Trojans inexplicably cough up leads in 5 of their six losses.
However Riley seems at it in a different way.
“It’s the first time where we had an opportunity at the end of the game to win every single game that we played,” he stated.
“The really good teams separate in a lot of their games, and they win the close games they end up in. That’s typically how it happens, and that’s what we’ve got to become. And so the way to do it, every part of your program has to be pretty strong.
“We’ve graduated from being way behind in this area, and being pretty decent in this area to, like, every right now is either good or pretty darn good. Now it’s just about taking those small steps in all those areas to, I guess, hypothetically push you over the hump.”
USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn walks on the sideline throughout a sport in opposition to Nebraska on the Coliseum in November.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
The most important leap in that regard may as soon as once more be on protection, the place USC went from one of many worst items within the nation in 2023 (121st in scoring protection) to respectable (56th) below defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.
That was no small feat, contemplating the place they got here from. And the Trojans have added appreciable expertise to its protection since. The entrance seven ought to profit drastically from the return of linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive finish Anthony Lucas from damage. And on the inside, USC introduced in two large transfers on the inside, in addition to a five-star freshman.
“I think the depth, the talent level, and the size of the defensive line, I mean, there’s honestly really no comparison to this time 12 months ago,” Riley stated.
However the Trojans’ path will inevitably, sooner or later, come all the way down to their quarterback. Riley reiterated his confidence in Jayden Maiava because the Trojans’ starter, whilst he as soon as once more heaped reward on five-star freshman Husan Longstreet.
Left sort out Elijah Paige stated Thursday that he has seen a significant change in Maiava since he entered the offseason because the presumptive starter.
“He’s taken a complete 180,” Paige stated of USC’s quarterback. “[In the spring,] he commanded the offense, and that’s what this team needs.”
In fact, everyone seems to be feeling optimistic this time of yr, with greater than a month nonetheless remaining earlier than USC kicks off in opposition to Missouri State.
However Riley isn’t the one one who feels these ending touches underway.
“We’ve gone and gotten some of the very best people in the business,” Riley stated. “They’re not going to attach themselves to something where they don’t see the progress.
“And you do not get a recruiting class like this unless there’s a crazy amount of momentum within the program. Like, I don’t care what else you have. If you don’t have momentum, you do not get a class like we have.”
