Three priorities for new USC head coach Lincoln Riley

USC shook up the assemblage shot satellite connected Sunday with its reported hiring of Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley to beryllium the Trojans’ adjacent caput shot coach. Riley arrives successful Los Angeles with six years of caput coaching acquisition with the Sooners and a College Football Playoff quality connected his resume.

He inherits a USC programme that has struggled to scope its historical heights successful caller seasons, including a 4-7 people this twelvemonth for its 2nd losing grounds successful 4 seasons. So determination is simply a batch of enactment for Riley to bash upon arriving successful Southern California beyond location hunting. Here’s a look astatine the caller caput Trojan’s to-do database astatine USC.

Rebuild recruiting

This is the lifeblood of immoderate program, but USC’s 2022 recruiting people has mislaid its 3 apical commits since Clay Helton was fired successful September. With the aboriginal signing play looming successful December, it’s a abbreviated play of clip for Riley physique the instauration for what his 2022 people volition look like. Maybe helium retains the 8 players presently successful the class, possibly helium tries to find different prospects to capable those holes.

But Riley has the credibility to locomotion into immoderate recruit’s location and merchantability USC, adjacent if that imaginable is already committed elsewhere. His Southern California  (and national) connections tally deep, and could assistance person five-star Mater Dei moving backmost Raleek Brown flip from Oklahoma backmost to USC.

Assemble a coaching staff

Like successful recruiting, Riley should beryllium capable to pull a beardown coaching unit with him to Los Angeles. If helium were to instrumentality anyone from Norman with him, antiaircraft coordinator Alex Grinch would beryllium a large coup for USC.

Riley volition besides person to find who connected the existent USC coaching unit helium wants to retain. Interim caput manager and cornerbacks manager Donte Williams is expected to return, but Riley besides has connections to different members of USC’s coaching unit from his days astatine Texas Tech.

He was teammates with USC OL manager Clay McGuire successful Lubbock. Then Riley was the Red Raiders’ receivers manager erstwhile existent USC violative coordinator Graham Harrell and choky ends manager Seth Doege were players astatine Texas Tech.

Evaluate the roster

The Trojans person struggled this season, but the cupboards aren’t bare. True freshmen similar QB Jaxson Dart, DE Korey Foreman, S Calen Bullock, CB Jaylin Smith and TE Lake McRee are a coagulated foundation, not to notation much seasoned guys similar WR Gary Bryant Jr. and DE Tuli Tuipulotu.

The adjacent measurement for Riley volition beryllium to find which seniors with an other play of eligibility helium wants to clasp and enactment connected convincing them to instrumentality to USC for different season. Examples that travel to caput are C Brett Neilon, OL Andrew Vorhees and RB Keaontay Ingram.