College Football

Inside the aggressive moves Lincoln Riley has made to revive USC’s receiving corps

Brenden Rice runs with the ball against California in October. Rice didn’t have to wait long to hear from USC coach Lincoln Riley after he entered the transfer portal. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)

The decision was made. His name, as of Jan. 1, was in the NCAA transfer portal. But now that it was finally official, Brenden Rice suddenly was feeling uncertain. Maybe a transfer was a mistake. Maybe the sophomore receiver should’ve stayed at Colorado, where he caught 27 passes over two seasons. Maybe he could still go back.

Doubt wouldn’t have long to creep in. Within a half-hour or so of his entry in the portal, Rice’s cell phone rang. It was Lincoln Riley, letting him know USC was interested.

Rice was floored.

“I’m like, ‘Wow. OK,’ ” Rice recalled Tuesday after USC’s first spring practice. “I [got] a couple of other calls, but as soon as I heard Lincoln call, you know you have to go.”

The speed of the new coach’s outreach to Rice wasn’t necessarily unique….

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