USC Football: Lincoln Riley Hints At Adding Players To Shore Up This Position
The USC Trojans football team had one of its most disappointing seasons in recent memory in 2023. They finished the year with a record of 8-5, which includes their bowl game victory over Louisville. However, the Trojans entered the season with expectations of making the College Football Playoff, giving them a major letdown of a season.
One area that the Trojans failed in last season was on the defensive side of the ball. They couldn't stop anyone, which led to them dropping multiple games throughout the season. USC brought in a new defensive coordinator, a move that they believe will help elevate them to new heights.
D'Anton Lynn comes over from the rival UCLA Bruins and is expected to turn things around completely with him running the defense and head coach Lincoln Riley running the offense, the Trojans believe 2024 will be a much more successful season.
Riley spoke about the roster and hinted at the team potentially still looking to add more help along their defensive line. With the transfer portal in effect, the Trojans would be wise to try to take advantage.
“We might,” Riley said when asked about pursuing more defensive linemen. “We’ll certainly look and evaluate the spring. That’s one of those positions you never completely shut the door on.”
Luckily for the Trojans, star defensive edge rusher Bear Alexander decided to stay with the team. He was very good for them last season and Riley helped urge him to stay with the program.
“Bear is doing fine,” coach Lincoln Riley said with a shrug. “I know there was a bunch of stuff on the outside. I know he felt the need to address it because there was so much on the outside, which kind of starts anywhere and everywhere in this day and age.”
The key to any good defense is having a strong defensive line. They can take pressure off the secondary and disrupt plays within the backfield. The Bruins had this last season under Lynn and he is looking to transform the Trojans into something similar.
