USC Football: Lincoln Riley Faces New Problems As Trojans Jump Ship En Masse
Your USC Trojans' 2023 NCAA season was one of the more disappointing in recent memory for the program. After entering the year with championship expectations, the Trojans stumbled throughout the year, falling to 7-5.
At times it seemed that head coach Lincoln Riley may have lost the locker room, but he was able to quickly rebound with some solid coaching hires. Bringing in new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn should help the USC defense, but they also have bigger issues.
Multiple big-time recruits have entered the transfer portal, leading many to wonder what has been going on at USC.
“But by Monday, two full recruiting cycles later, the spoils of several early recruiting wins for Riley had lost much of their luster. In the two weeks since the transfer portal opened, USC has already lost its one-time heir apparent at quarterback, former five-star Malachi Nelson, as well as a five-star running back in Raleek Brown, both of whom signed with USC as top-two prospects in the state.”
Riley recently spoke about the rising number of Trojans players entering the transfer portal around the country. He understands that we are living in a new world of college football, but it also doesn’t excuse the questions that have arisen about the state of the team.
“Look, we’re at a really unique place right now,” Riley said Monday. “We’re having obviously not just one small change on the defensive staff, but a pretty large change, and then we’re kind of caught in this period where transfer portal and NIL have even gone up a level in terms of the craziness and the impact on it more than ever before.”
Players often want stability and playing time. These seem to be areas that the Trojans can’t guarantee to anyone right now, which could be why players are leaving.
The program will need to buckle down as time goes on. They need to find a way to keep the players that they have, while also bringing in some new talent. It won’t be easy, but this is why they brought Riley to town in the first place.
