3 Reasons to Believe in Lincoln Riley

Blue blood tradition, a weak conference and a massive market with many of the best high school players in America set the table for what seemed to be a limitless opportunity at USC. While the full potential of USC has not been unlocked yet, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Here are three reasons to believe it can.

Improved Defense

First and foremost is the defense. Historically speaking, Riley defenses have been some of the worst in the country both before and after his arrival at USC. However, that changed last year. USC overhauled most of its defensive staff and brought in 2023 Frank Broyles Award finalist D’Anton Lynn who took USC from 121st to 58th in team defense in just one year.

An additional offseason of learning for this unit will lead to more improvement as they build on the massive strides from last year. The Trojans also brought in the best defensive lineman in the portal in Keeshawn Silver from Kentucky. Some of this could be characterized as blind trust in Lynn, but I still expect further improvement on the defensive side this year.

Schedule Breaks

Next is the schedule. USC does not play No. 2 Penn State or No. 3 Ohio State. Avoiding the two clear cut favorites to win the Big Ten will do wonders for a program still trying to find its footing in the conference. Furthermore, the season opens with two home games against FCS opponents, at Purdue, followed by Michigan State. The Trojans will be favored in all of these games and it gives them an opportunity to warm up if everything does not look perfect following fall camp.

Their season will be defined by the following four weeks that have them at No.12 Illinois followed by a bye, home vs. No. 14 Michigan and at No. 6 Notre Dame. While it is unlikely they will win all three, winning two of three puts them squarely in College Football Playoff contention, even if they were to lose at No. 7 Oregon later in the year. And depending on the rest of the Big Ten’s performance around them, that could be enough for a Big Ten Championship game berth.

On the Recruiting Trail

Last but not least is recruiting. This has also become a strong point for the Trojans recently as they’ve done a much better job of keeping southern California kids home. They currently boast the No. 2 class in America (per 247Sports), featuring the No. 1 tight end, two top-10 running backs, a top-three linebacker and a top-two offensive tackle. While nothing is official till signing day, this is an outstanding class and was desperately needed for a program that has watched countless top players in its own backyard thrive elsewhere. If USC improves this year, that class will stick together and can become a springboard for recruiting success in the future. 

There is no denying that the start of the Riley era in Los Angeles has not gone according to plan. However, things are trending in the right direction as we approach what will be a major hinge point in Riley’s time at USC. He has a lot of things pointing in the right direction for now, but he has to go and prove this program is built to last this year. Another 7-5 season and that recruiting class will fall apart and USC’s momentum will be gone. However, that seems unlikely given the necessary changes he has implemented.