USC Receiver Competition Taking Shape as Lincoln Riley Weighs Options

USC coach Lincoln Riley’s squad enters the season as one of the most veteran teams in college football with an FBS-leading 15 starters returning. Although there is much certainty surrounding the Trojans roster, there is less certainty at the wide receiver position.

A season ago, the Trojans possessed one of the most dangerous receiver duos in college football. Receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane led the Trojans passing attack with 128 receptions for 1,901 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley wide receivers Tanook Hines Terrell Anderson Boobie Feaster Jayden Maiava 2026 football season fall — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) takes the ball on a kickoff return 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

Replacing nearly 2,000 receiving yards of production will undoubtedly be one of the biggest challenges for USC’s offense heading into the 2026 season. However, luckily for the Trojans, there are plenty of options in the position room who are eager to take on an increased role.

With Lemon and Lane now in the NFL, the offense will look different, leaving opportunities for new playmakers to emerge. USC’s receiver room is hungry to become the next top target for quarterback Jayden Maiava, and after 14 days of fall camp, Riley believes the competition is beginning to take shape.

“It’s starting to clarify,” said Riley of the side receiver competition Friday. “Starting Sunday those are some of the conversations that are obviously ongoing some of the conversations that we'll start to have with with the team and with the players so that people have an idea of what what roles look like at least going into the beginning of the season.”

While the competition is not completely settled, several receivers have positioned themselves to take on larger roles. With USC nearing the end of fall camp, the next step is determining which players can consistently translate their ability into production.

USC Receivers Poised for Larger Roles in 2026

One player already anticipated to take an increased number of reps in 2026 is sophomore Tanook Hines. Hines enters 2026 as USC’s most experienced returning playmaker at wide receiver and one of the players with the most to gain from the departures of Lemon and Lane.

Hines finished 2025 with 34 receptions for 561 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 16.5 yards per catch. His ability to create explosive plays gives USC a dynamic option on the outside and in the slot.

However, Hines is not the only receiver expected to see a significant increase in opportunities.

USC made one of its biggest additions at the position through the transfer portal. Riley brought in former NC State receiver Terrell Anderson. The 6-3, 204-pound junior gives the Trojans something they lost with Lemon and Lane, and that is an experienced Power Four receiver who has already proven he can handle a significant role.

Anderson led NC State in receiving yards last season, finishing with 39 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns.

That experience could crucial for a receiver room that also includes several younger players fighting for opportunities. One of those young receivers is Ethan “Boobie” Feaster. The five-star freshman reclassified into the 2026 class after a dominant high school career in which he recorded 100 receptions for 1,777 yards and 21 touchdowns.

The next step will be proving he can consistently execute the smaller details that come with playing receiver at the college level.

“He's shown the ability to make some explosive plays, and like a lot of young guys, it's gonna it'll be a battle of consistency for him,” said Riley of Feaster, The explosiveness and the wild plays are there, but sometimes it's the ones that the world doesn't see or that aren't going to end up on the highlights that obviously matter a lot to winning too. Really bright future, humble, hardworking kid.”

Behind those three, USC has additional options that could make the competition even more difficult to sort out.

Zacharyus Williams is yet another option who has flashed his ability as a deep threat despite limited opportunities last season. Corey Simms also brings size and physicality to the outside. The 6-3 sophomore appeared in 11 games last season, primarily on special teams and in a depth role, and now has an opportunity to push for more offensive snaps.

Riley indicated that those roles are beginning to become clearer, but he also understands that the depth chart is not necessarily going to stay the same.

“Those are going to evolve and change, and guys are going to move up and guys are going to move down, and it'll have its natural ebbs and flows, but I think right now we're starting to get a pretty good idea of what that looks like going into Game 1.”

Lincoln Riley Evaluating USC’s Receiver Room Through Fall Camp

With the first scrimmage now in the books, USC has another important evaluation tool as it works toward settling the receiver competition. The game-like situations allowed the coaching staff to give extended opportunities to some players while taking a closer look at how others have developed.

“You know, we had a few guys in the scrimmage that we really wanted to get an extended look at, and 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, and we didn't do quite as much with in the scrimmage. You know, we still have a couple of guys that are limited and not full participants in practice yet that should be here pretty quickly. That, I think, we're certainly going to have their say in it too.”

That evaluation will be especially important for USC’s younger receivers and transfers, while Riley already has a strong understanding of what some returning players can provide based on last season.

Despite losing Lemon and Lane, the Trojans have built enough depth to give themselves several options. That depth could become crucial during a physical Big Ten schedule where injuries, matchups and performance can change roles at any point.

“We're gonna have some tough decisions to make on some of the starting point for reps,” said Riley.

“When you have a talented team and some depth, that's part of what comes with it. And making sure that our team understands that whether they start out playing as much as they hoped or less, their understanding of like we're going to need this entire team. There's going to be a lot of unpredictable ebbs and flows throughout the year, and your team's ability to adapt as these different things come up, these different challenges—it’s huge, right.”

USC still has time to make those decisions, but with the season opener against San Jose State approaching, the receiver competition is becoming much clearer.

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