Lincoln Riley being hired as the new USC Trojans football coach sent shockwaves throughout the country.
Months later — after the addition of Jordan Addison — the shockwaves haven’t settled one bit.
The Trojans are sporting a loaded roster heading into the 2022 campaign and are being discussed as not just Pac-12 contenders, but also College Football Playoff contenders as well.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Trojans’ roster is the lack of high school talent he brought in during national signing day. Instead, Riley and his staff hit the transfer portal hard, and the new head coach gave a reason as to why (h/t Antonio Morales and Steward Mandel of The Athletic).
“The thing we didn’t want to do is reach on high school guys that we didn’t know or hadn’t recruited — especially knowing that we needed some immediate help on this roster. The biggest thing with the college guys is they’ve already been in college. it’s just an easier eval.”
The four-win roster needed a massive overhaul — as Riley stated — and they have done just that. The portal additions include Brenden Rice, Mekhi Blackmon, Travis Dye, Shane Lee, and a couple of former Oklahoma Sooners in Mario Wiliams and Caleb Williams.
The list just keeps growing, and now we can add Addison to the list. Riley felt the portal was the best way to quickly change the roster, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t recruiting high school players.
The 2023 recruiting class already contains five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson and four-star defensive back Braxton Myers, and many more highly-rated prospects will be coming to USC.
Times have changed in Los Angeles, and Riley and his staff have won the portal season by a landslide.
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