LOS ANGELES — USC has completed its coaching staff, the 2024 cycle is essentially coming to a close and spring practice is not too far off in the distance.
You guys had plenty of questions. Let’s get to them.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
How optimistic are you that the defense will be significantly better next year and why? — Anonymous
I think Lincoln Riley has definitely upgraded the coaching staff. I think the back end of the defense (the linebackers and secondary) should be better. And I believe the defensive fundamentals should be improved too, which should help the group take a step forward.
Advertisement
At the end of the day, though, the defensive line is still a major concern and that’s a real problem as USC transitions to the Big Ten. There’s Bear Alexander and who else? You’re hoping for Anthony Lucas to finally find some consistency or Elijah Hughes to break out in his second year with the program. And even if those guys hit, the Trojans still lack depth.
Defensive line coach Eric Henderson was a very impressive hire, but he’s got a tough task ahead of him with the personnel he inherited. So I think the defense will be better, but I have a hard time believing it’ll make a major leap because the lack of beef and strength up front could be a critical flaw.
#DAWGWORK🐕 #FightOn it’s time @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/pgVmWw9WlX
— Eric Henderson (@Coach_Henny) January 17, 2024
What has been the reaction to the new defensive coaches? Who would you consider the biggest surprise of the hires? Who do you have the highest expectations for? — Richard N.
The reaction has seemed pretty positive. It’s an impressive collection of coaches. I think Henderson was the biggest surprise considering he had a pretty good situation with the Los Angeles Rams and was coaching arguably the greatest defensive lineman of all time in Aaron Donald. I think I have the highest expectations for Matt Entz. He’s working with an All-Pac-12 linebacker in Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, and though Eric Gentry has his flaws, he’s shown he has the talent to make plays. The Trojans’ linebacker play can only improve after a dismal 2023 season.
GO DEEPER
Sizing up Eric Henderson and USC's new defensive staff, Caleb Williams' departure
Where will USC have the biggest advantages/disadvantages entering Big Ten conference play next season? And how does USC compare to the other three new Pac-12 teams entering the Big Ten (noting that USC, Washington and Oregon are all losing quarterbacks to the NFL in the early part of the upcoming draft)? — David E.
I believe the speed/athleticism USC has at the skill spots offensively will be one of its greatest advantages as it transitions to the Big Ten. Outside of Ohio State and Oregon, nobody else in the conference can probably match the Trojans in that department.
And to finish off the cliche, the line of scrimmage will be a disadvantage — mainly because of the defensive line, as I mentioned above. We’ll see if the offensive line can hold up as well. It’s a bowl game, so I don’t want to take too much from it, but the run blocking in the Holiday Bowl was not great. The coaching staff has some things to sort out.
Advertisement
As for the other Pac-12 teams headed into the league, I put USC second (among the four) behind Oregon. The Ducks have talent on both sides of the ball and should be in contention for the Big Ten title in their first year in the conference. Washington brought in a solid coaching staff but lost so much in terms of personnel, and UCLA lost a lot of talent from the roster and the coaching staff. I’ll put the Trojans ahead of both of them.
Do you anticipate many major additions to the roster before the start of the season? Via transfer portal or uncommitted recruits? — Anonymous
The spring portal window has been pretty kind to USC during Riley’s tenure. The Trojans landed Jordan Addison two years ago and Alexander last year. By my unofficial count, USC has about four or five scholarships to operate with and will probably be in the mix for whatever big-time names enter the portal in the spring. The defensive line is the most pressing need, but the offensive line could stand to add another veteran, and the Trojans could bring in one more running back for depth.
As far as recruits go, three-star defensive lineman Ratumana Bulabalavu committed to USC on Tuesday. The former Washington staff was pretty high on his potential. That’s a solid addition. The Trojans are also in the mix for Jadyn Walker, a three-star linebacker who committed to Michigan State last September. Those are the only 2024 recruits I could see USC adding.
Hey Antonio, is it just me or has there been a major uptick in the quantity and quality of recruits that SC has been visiting and more importantly getting on campus? It seems that there has been some newfound aggressiveness and combined with the legitimacy of the defensive staff, it looks like some doors are opening that wouldn’t have been last year. Am I just imagining things? — Erik W.
USC brought in some high-profile recruits on visits each of the past two summers and several signed elsewhere, so I’d stop short of saying there’s some big recruiting shift until we see players sign on the dotted line.
I do think this new defensive staff gives the program a much better chance on the recruiting trail. I never got the sense high-profile recruits really had a ton of belief in Alex Grinch, especially after his first season at USC. So the Trojans have been recruiting at a disadvantage on defense the past few cycles. There are still questions about how this new defensive staff will recruit, but it likely won’t start from a deficit like the last staff.
Advertisement
The defensive staff is set. While not as top-heavy as last year, the California recruits are once again very talented. How many have to land at USC to convince you that the ship has course-corrected? Or are there specific names that cannot end up in Eugene? — Branden E.
I’m not sure there’s a number that will convince me one way or the other. This staff wants the best local players, but it also prioritizes national recruiting over local players more than any other recent USC staff.
I’ll have a story looking ahead to the 2025 recruiting cycle in California later this week. It’s more defensive-heavy at the top than in years prior. USC’s struggled to land quality linebackers for quite a few years, and the state is deep at that position in the ’25 cycle with three top-80 prospects nationally. The staff needs to land some of those guys. Four-star Bonita (La Verne, Calif.) linebacker Noah Mikhail is the first who comes to mind, but there are other strong local prospects.
GO DEEPER
Lincoln Riley on Year 2 at USC, rumors on his future and more: 'I’m going to be the coach at SC. Period'
On paper, USC has assembled a pretty impressive defensive staff. But nothing in this sport is guaranteed, and there are certainly questions about just how much sustained success they can bring to that side of the ball. How would you rank the following from most to least concerning in regards to the Trojans having a consistently solid-to-good defense within the next few years? Are there other potential concerns?:
- Cohesion: Are there too many good cooks in the kitchen?
- Retention: How long can this staff be expected to stay together?
- Recruiting: Is this staff capable of quickly bringing in the talent necessary to be competitive in the Big Ten?
- Riley’s philosophy: The consistent concern that seems to come up from informed neutral observers is that overhauling the staff won’t matter much if Riley doesn’t allow wholesale changes to how the team practices. — Joseph D.
I’d rank them like this …
1. Retention: D’Anton Lynn did a great job at UCLA. The Ravens-style defense is so in vogue right now and everyone wants a piece of it. If Lynn orchestrates a massive defensive turnaround at USC, that would make him more desirable for the NFL, where he’s spent the vast majority of his coaching career. There could be coordinator opportunities for Entz and secondary coach Doug Belk, too, if the defense does well.
2. Recruiting: As noted earlier, there are still questions about how this staff will operate as recruiters. There are reasons for optimism — Henderson seems like he has the makings of a really solid recruiter — but we have to see it accomplished first. There’s still a talent deficit on USC’s defense, and recruiting must improve if the program is going to compete for a national championship.
3. Cohesion: Lynn is the defensive coordinator. Entz is a former head coach. Belk is a former DC. Henderson won a Super Bowl with the Rams as the defensive line coach. All these coaches have had success in different roles. Not saying they all can’t work together, but there’s also the chance each might have different ways they go about having success. We’ll see how it all coalesces.
4. Riley’s philosophy: I think his staff hires have indicated he’s open to change. He went outside of his Rolodex and outside of the typical Air Raid tree to hire Lynn. They’ve hired a quality staff — after laughable message board and social media speculation that Riley wouldn’t give a defensive coordinator the control to hire his own staff. Are there still things that need to be changed? Sure, but right now the indication is Riley is willing to do something different.
Advertisement
In your estimate, is Lincoln Riley truly on the hot seat for 2024, or have his new hires deflated the calls for his immediate and expeditious firing? — Chris C.
No, I don’t believe he’s truly on the hot seat for 2024. Riley has an .804 career winning percentage, and his worst season prior to last fall was the 11-3 campaign in 2022 when USC nearly missed the College Football Playoff.
Riley and his staff had a disastrous 2023. No ifs, ands or buts about it. He is 40 years old and still learning. The defensive staff hires suggest he’s learned from some of his mistakes, though there’s clearly still work to be done on that side of the ball.
But I’d table any hot seat talk until we see how the 2024 season unfolds.
(Photo of Lincoln Riley: Jason Parkhurst / USA Today)
