Lincoln Riley Speaks Candidly About USC Trojans Position Battles Post Scrimmage

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley believes starting lineup is starting to 'clarify' after Wednesday's scrimmage.

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Following the Trojans' practice on Aug. 14, USC coach Lincoln Riley opened up about the scrimmage on Wednesday as well as the team's progression to this point in fall camp.

Lincoln Riley's Post-Scrimmage Notes

Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks the field before the CFP national championship game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the Georgia Bulldogs at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Riley opened up about the offensive line play specifically during the scrimmage.

“A little bit hit or miss. Wasn't great early in the scrimmage, "Riley said about the offense. "There was a part in the middle, towards the end, where it was pretty good…We held a few guys in some of the live situations that we thought we saw enough of.”

Riley and the coaching staff opted to see what the young player could do instead and ran the base plays instead of installing a scheme on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

“We want to see guys block, we want to see guys tackle…Put it in the players’ hands, let the players go play. Show us what you learned, show us how you’re going to respond.”

Riley said it was an overall good day at the line of scrimmage but there were a few missed blocks and errors. Throughout the scrimmage, the running back room was running hard, but during the goal line and two-point shootout periods they started to get a “little impatient."

Any fits or problems the offense was going through stemmed from the Trojans’ disruptive defensive line.

“It's been a battle against our front seven. Defensively, it's not easy to run the football against. It's been a good challenge each and every day. I think both sides have benefited from the talent of depth – the running back room, the tight end room, the O-line, certainly the D-line and linebacker room. It's been a battle out there every single day.”

Recruiting Class of 2026 Making an Instant Impact

USC Trojans freshman defensive end Luke Wafle | USC Trojans freshman defensive end Luke Wafle

Without naming names, Riley confirmed that fans can expect to see members of the 2026 recruiting class starting on both sides of the ball.

“We’re certainly going to have multiple, multiple freshmen on both sides of the ball that will play large roles. There’ll be some guys that start, there’ll be some guys that play a lot, there’ll be some guys that will be solid two’s that will rotate a lot," Riley shared. "There's gonna be a lot of presence from our freshman class on the field, special teams as well.”

Besides staying healthy throughout fall camp, Riley credited those who were able to join the team in the spring. 

“You can tell how many of these guys came in [the] spring. You can feel it. I think the benefits to that and the more we go on in this camp, the more these guys feel a little bit less like freshmen in terms of their experience in our systems…even the development of some of their bodies," Riley said. "Having all that time with them, a lot of these guys feels more like you’re dealing with a young sophomore than a true freshman. That's a good feeling.”

32 of the Trojans’ 35-player class – 16 offense, 16 defense – were able to join the team in the spring. Most notable players on offense are wide receivers Tron Baker, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley, tight end Mark Bowman, as well as offensive linemen Kannon Smith, Esun Tafa and Keenyi Pepe. 

Most notable freshmen on the defensive side of the ball are linebackers Talanoa Ili and Taylor Johnson, cornerbacks Jayden Crowder and Elbert Hill IV, safety Peyton Dyer, linemen Tomuhini Topui and Jaimeon Winfield as well as edge rusher Luke Wafle.

Kicker Competition: Caden Chittenden vs. Ryon Sayeri

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) kicks an extra point in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, it's a unique competition. You know, they're both experienced. They've both been able to produce at a high level in games throughout their career. Both of their journeys here were unique,” Riley said about the current kicker competition.

Riley credited Chittenden’s resilience in choosing to stay at Southern Cal and compete rather than transferring after his injury last season. As for Sayeri, Riley was impressed with how he stepped in after Chittenden went down. 

“I don't know that I've ever been in a situation as a coach where you have two guys that you believe in as much as I believe in them. And like they both have game reps, game success. It's unique. But I think they both respect each other. They know it's a battle.”

As the two battle it out, Riley has given them tough kicks throughout Friday’s practice and during the scrimmage – live rushes and distance. For now, Riley confirmed that Sayeri has secured his job on kickoff. PAT/field goals still up for grabs.

Starting Receiver Group

USC Trojans freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley | USC Trojans freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley

When it came to the new receiver room, Riley refrained from naming a starting lineup but that the scrimmage gave the coaching staff a look at the possible group.

“It's starting to clarify,” Riley said about the starting recovering corps post-scrimmage. “We had a few guys in the scrimmage that we really wanted to get an extended look at, so we had some guys that we pumped a bunch of reps into in the scrimmage and we have a handful of guys that we felt like we have a pretty good idea of where they're at that we didn't do quite as much with in the scrimmage.”

Riley added that there are a few non-participants that can make a name for themselves once they return. At the moment, freshman Roderick Tezeno and sophomore Tanook Hines are the only known receivers with an injury.

With the Trojans’ Week 0 matchup versus San Jose State approaching, the team will switch to their game week routine on Sunday. By then Riley will start to have conversations with the position group – who will start and what their roles will be on offense.

“Some of the conversations that we'll start to have with the team and with the players so that people have an idea of what [their] roles look like, at least going into the beginning of the season. Knowing full well that those are going to evolve and change and guys are going to move up and guys are going to move down. It'll have its natural ebbs and flows. I think right now we're starting to get a pretty good idea of what that looks like going into game one.”

Kilian O'Connor's New Role

Dec 12, 2020; Pasadena, California, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Southern California Trojans offensive lineman Damon Johnson (59) snaps the ball against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. USC defeated UCLA 43-38. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

During practice, O’Connor was seen coaching up the players from the sideline – hyping up his teammates and offering advice. With his future still up in the air, Riley still finds value in O’Connor’s leadership.

“We're kind of working through that right now, exactly what that's going to be," Riley said about O’Connor’s possible fifth year. “You know, it's a unique situation with this being, obviously, towards the end of his career here. It's probably prompted him to start thinking a little bit further ahead, maybe a little sooner than he wanted to.”

Riley added that if O’Connor had to step away from the game as a player, he knows he’d “be a hell of a coach.” 

With his skills in leadership and teaching, Riley and the coaching staff have found a way to keep O’Connor involved with the team.

“He's certainly, still absolutely one of the leaders on the team and just a big presence within the program…When he came back the other day for the first time, the guys had seen him after he came to the team room, [the] whole team just erupted. Just like having him back was pretty cool,” Riley said about O’Connor’s impact on the team. "

Fans can expect to see O’Connor on the sideline of every game in this new role he’s found on the team.

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