USC Coach Lincoln Riley Reveals What He Looks For When Recruiting Quarterbacks

USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley went on CBS Sports College Football show with Danny Kannell. The Trojans kick off Big Ten conference play on Saturday, Sep. 13 when they take on the Purdue Boilermakers on the road.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on CBS.

Lincoln Riley on Pocket Quarterbacks: "I Think It's Going To Get More Rare"

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Quarterback Pocket Passer Jayden Maiava Baker Mayfield Jalen Hurts Caleb Williams Kyler — Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley greets quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans starting quarterback this season is Jayden Maiava. Maiava is a quarterback that has a lot of mobility in addition to his ability to pass in the pocket. Danny Kannell asked Riley if he believes that pocket passers without mobility in football are becoming a “dinosaur.”

“I think it’s going to continue to get more and more rare. I think a guy is going to have to be so good from the pocket to justify not having somebody that can move, or at least be a threat to the defense,” Riley said. “The margin for error for those guys is just so different.”

Riley acknowledged that the game has changed and having a quarterback that can’t extend plays with his legs out of the pocket and be mobile will become more rare as time goes on.

“The game at our level has changed. The game at the NFL level has changed a lot, especially with the amount of time those guys have with their players,” Riley said. “I do think you’re going to continue to see more athletic guys.”

He also added that in recruiting, USC tries to find quarterbacks with that type of athleticism.

“We certainly look to recruit guys that have some athleticism. I never want it to be the first thing that they do,” Riley said. “I definitely want to have that tool at our disposal.”

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Lincoln Riley’s Line of Quarterbacks

Lincoln Riley has a long line of great college football quarterbacks dating back to when he was the coach of the Oklahoma Sooners from 2017 through 2021 and now with USC.

Riley has coached three different Heisman trophy winners that ended up being the No. 1 pick in their respective NFL Drafts'; Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams. He even coached Jalen Hurts one season at Oklahoma. Hurts wasn’t as highly touted as the other three but to this point in their careers’, has had by far the most NFL success.

Hurts was the starting quarterback for the Eagles when they won Super Bowl 59 over the Kansas City Chiefs this past February, wining Super Bowl MVP. Two years prior, Hurts finished second in league MVP voting and had the Eagles in Super Bowl 57.

USC’s quarterback is Jayden Maiava. It’s unfair to have the expectation that he will have the success of Riley’s other top quarterbacks, but it shows that Riley could be the right coach to get the most out of him.