During today's media availability to a group of gathered reporters, USC answered a wide variety of questions regarding his new-look program. Under the context of a near-complete tearing down and rebuilding of his defensive coaching staff, Riley was asked by Scott Schrader of On3 about his new defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator Eric Henderson's recruiting ability.
"He's just got a great kind of demeanor about himself, a great energy, a great confidence, and then you combine that with the history and the success that this guy's had. And you know, he left a great job right? He left a great situation, he certainly didn't have to make that move. It's just something that he really wanted and he was really energized by."
Riley then went on to explain how Henderson's enthusiasm has carried over onto the recruiting trail, which in part has led to at least one commitment in the form of Army and Navy Academy (Carlsbad, CA) class of 2024 defensive lineman Ratumana Bulabalavu.
Eric Henderson also took to the podium to field questions himself, oftentimes highlighting how he looks at the defensive line coaching position at USC as a worthwhile challenge at this point in his career. Henderson also spoke about his work with the recruiting staff.
"Making sure I get out there to see the defensive lineman from a recruiting standpoint. When you talk about Dave Emerick, the GM, Weston (Zernechel) and those guys who do a tremendous job here of identifying those guys and then pputting together a plan of attack, if you will, that we need."
USC's ability to recruit defensive linemen is improving; The evidence comes to fruition in the form of three 247 Sports four-star and one three-star defensive line prospects. Eric Henderson previously coached, for the last two seasons, future NFL Hall of Famer Aaron Donald. Being able to throw that name around during recruiting conversations should help the Trojans acquire more sure-fire talent along their defensive front.
So sure, maybe Henderson hasn't coached in college for a while, and yes the introduction of NIL has changed a lot since then.
But given Henderson has been spending his time away from college coaching at the level that virtually all football players (whether they admit it or not) want to be at, it's not exactly fair to assume Henderson is behind the 8-ball. With the 2024 recruiting cycle (for high schoolers) officially closed, Henderson might now focus his recruiting efforts on the transfer portal. USC needs help on the defensive line now, not after the 2025 cycle.
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