Offensive Lineman Tobias Raymond Offers First Impression of USC Trojans' New Facility

USC Trojans veteran offensive lineman Tobias Raymond gives an update on the team's mock game week, the importance of mental health during the season and how he's preparing to play center this season.

USC Trojans offensive lineman Tobias Raymond | USC Trojans on SI

Following the practice of Aug, 18, veteran offensive lineman Tobias Raymond gave updates on his preparation to play center, how mock game week is going at the new facility and daily battles with the defensive line.

Practicing at the Bloom Football Performance Center 

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) heads on to the field for the game 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

At the new Bloom Football Performance Center, the team is able to rotate between stations, individual drills and team periods on two fields. Another plus to the updated practice facility is its crowd noise simulation.

“I feel bad for the classes that are right here. That thing gets pretty loud,” Raymond said about the new crowd noise system. “It's nice ‘cause a lot of times during practice they put a speaker down [on the field] and it's nice, but like you don't have to get to the point where you have to yell at the person next to you. Like you're leaning right, leaning left, yelling, making sure everybody knows the call. So it's super awesome. I like it a lot.”

USC coach Lincoln Riley was also seen getting snaps in with the offense during Tuesday’s practice. 

USC head coach Lincoln Riley taking reps as the scout team QB at practice today pic.twitter.com/qSQQdcGHZH

— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) August 19, 2026

When asked what it was like having Riley in the offense, Raymond shared that the coach’s optimism was infectious. 

“We're all obviously super excited to get started. I mean, it's crazy to think that game week is next week. It feels like it was just the last week it was season, so everybody's super excited for this year and we're all excited to just get started to be honest.”

Mental Health: Psychologists and Teammates

Another plus to the Bloom is the team’s access to sports psychologists, who they can visit via appointment or walk-in.

“Mental health is a big thing. We're super grateful and super fortunate to have staff here that's there for us to go and visit,” Raymond said. “They're there in their offices all day. I mean we can go and stop in whenever we got something to talk to them about.” 

Besides seeking professional help, Raymond shared that the team coming together as brothers will play a key role in the mental health of the players. 

“Another great thing is, like yes we play football together but we're really close with each other off the field. So, if someone's going through something, we talk about it all the time – just because we play football together doesn't mean we can't be brothers off the field. So, we're definitely close in that way as well.”

Battling the Defensive Line

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive end Jahkeem Stewart (4) reacts after a defensive play against the Michigan State Spartans during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throughout fall camp and last week’s scrimmage, it's been no secret that the defensive front has been giving the offense a fit. When asked which member of the unit was his toughest blocking assignment, Raymond credited the whole front for making the offensive line better.

“We've got a bunch of great guys…You got [Floyd Boucard], you got [Jahkeem Stewart], you got um [Alex VanSumeren], you got [Jide Abasiri],” Raymond said. “Like those guys are all tough to go against and it's definitely fun to go against them through practice. It's also great because it's going to get us better and I hope we're getting better, too.”

Raymond added that the depth of the defensive line is another one of their strengths.

Preparing to Play Center 

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

With Kilian O’Connor out for the year due to an injury, Raymond is set to step in at center. 

Coming out of Ventura High, the redshirt-junior was listed as a tackle. During his redshirt-freshman year (2024), Raymond played at tackle through all 13 games. Last season, Raymond started in all 13 of the Trojans’ games but at different positions – seven starts at left guard, five at left tackle and one start at right tackle. 

With this new responsibility and position upon him, Raymond was asked how his preparation has changed.

“I'm always trying to work on communication. Pre-practice I really just get out there…like 15 to 20 minutes early,” Raymond said about his new routine. “But I mean I get out there and I'll do some snaps. I'll work some guard stuff.”

After working on individual reps, Raymond shifts his focus on communication with the whole line.

“Mostly during practice, I try and take steps for every run or pass that we have in that day. Then we get into practice and we try and make sure that we're all communicating well before we huddle up and then we're rolling.”

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