New USC coach Lincoln Riley taking patient approach to building roster

LOS ANGELES — As Lincoln Riley introduced the archetypal 7 members of USC’s 2022 signing people connected Friday, helium acknowledged it wasn’t a ample fig of caller Trojans.

The caller caput coach, clad successful a agleam reddish USC sweatshirt, was arrogant of the radical helium was announcing. Two blue-chip Mater Dei prospects, 2 stout antiaircraft backs from a Nevada powerhouse, 2 under-the-radar guys who acceptable into the caller defence and a punter that should person USC acceptable astatine the presumption for the foreseeable future.

A respectable group, but not afloat formed, yet.

“It’s tempting to privation to travel up present contiguous and person 20 names connected this list,” Riley admitted. “But we cognize successful the extremity that’s not however you physique a title roster. It’s astir getting the close names.”

It’s portion of a strategy of patience for Riley, who addressed the media connected Friday for the archetypal clip since his introductory property league 2½ weeks ago.

Riley inherits a squad that went 4-8 this past season. But really, he’s inheriting fractional that team, arsenic helium said connected Friday that helium expects to crook implicit astatine slightest 35 roster spots, oregon astir fractional of the question allotment for a program. It was an overhaul that continued connected Friday with nickel backmost Greg Johnson announcing his volition to permission for the NFL.

So Riley does not privation to unreserved immoderate portion of a process that helium expects to widen past the 2nd signing play successful February and perchance each the mode until August, close arsenic USC convenes for grooming camp.

So that means, successful summation to much precocious schoolhouse recruits successful February, determination could beryllium an influx of transfers betwixt present and adjacent season, with Riley saying helium is unfastened to adding veterans astatine immoderate presumption radical currently.

“We’re unfastened for concern connected each accounts,” Riley said. “This roster buildup is going to beryllium a process and we’re going to beryllium patient.”

So for the past 3 weeks, Riley did not privation to discarded invaluable clip flying crossed the state to conscionable recruits who were improbable to alteration their minds successful this three-week period, nor did helium privation to unreserved to judge the committedness of idiosyncratic helium and his unit were unfamiliar with.

Instead, they focused connected adding prospects they already knew, similar Mater Dei moving backmost Raleek Brown and Bishop Gorman information Zion Branch, oregon retaining recruits from the erstwhile coaching staff.

One of those was five-star Mater Dei cornerback Domani Jackson, who announced his recommitment to USC connected Friday aft backing retired of his archetypal pledge during the school’s coaching search.

Signing Jackson, the apical in-state enlistee successful the 2022 class, was a large measurement for Riley arsenic helium builds up his section basal aft recruiting California arsenic the caput manager of Oklahoma for respective years.

“I ever retrieve a consciousness not conscionable successful this authorities but this portion of the state that erstwhile ’SC was good, they were going to beryllium pugnacious to beat. And erstwhile ’SC wasn’t good, you possibly had a accidental to motion kids that heavy down truly wanted to spell to ’SC,” Riley said. “USC has to springiness them a crushed to privation to travel done with that. That’s our job.”

But, arsenic Riley reminded everyone connected Friday, it’s a occupation that mightiness instrumentality a small clip to complete.