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- The Lincoln Riley era at USC is already off to a scorching start.
- Things are going so well for the Trojans that coaches around the country are worried about recruiting against them.
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When it comes to college football on the West Coast, the University of Southern California is king. Despite the fact that the Rams just won the Super Bowl, when the Trojans are good, they are Los Angeles’ football team.
It has been a few years since the Pete Carroll, Reggie Bush and Lane Kiffin days at USC, when Snoop Dogg and Will Ferrell were regular visitors to practice. However, in just the last three months, the program is on a meteoric rise back to relevance with a national buzz turning into more of a deafening uproar.
Lincoln Riley was hired to take over for Clay Helton, he and his staff landed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country after bringing Caleb Williams over from Norman, and the recruiting Class of 2023 is already Top 15 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12. There is no reason that USC should not be atop the Pac-12 for years to come and there is no reason that the Trojans shouldn’t be landing the top recruits both in-state and in the region, as well as nationally.
What Riley has done in such a short time is impressive. Once the on-field results follow, because they are going to, then it will be hard to dethrone USC in the Pac-12, and College Football Playoff births should be within reach year-in and year-out.
In terms of recruiting, there are palpable nerves in the conference and across the country.
Coaches in the Pac-12 have taken notice of what is going on in Los Angeles and they know that it’s a big hill to climb.
“I hate to say this, but we’re already seeing USC and Oregon taking some big leads on guys in Los Angeles and other key recruiting areas for us,” a rival Pac-12 coach told On3’s Jeremy Crabtree. “We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
The shockwaves are even being felt in other conferences, like the Big 12.
“It’s been USC and Oregon for a while out there,” a Big 12 recruiter told On3. “But it’s going to be even more that way moving forward. If I’m a school like UCLA or Washington, I’m really worried.”
Obviously, there is always the possibility that the trajectory of the Trojans crashes and burns, but it certainly doesn’t seem that way. USC is back and here to stay.