Brenden Rice reveals what sealed decision to transfer to USC

It didn’t take long for Lincoln Riley to convince Brenden Rice to transfer to USC. Rice, the son of NFL Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, was having second thoughts about his decision to transfer from Colorado after entering the portal on Jan. 1.

That all changed after Riley, who was recently hired as the Trojans coach, called Rice. The two didn’t speak long, but Rice was sold and announced his decision to join USC on Jan. 18.

“When I hopped in the portal, I was still shaky about it,” Rice said in a recent interview at the Trojans’ spring practice. “I thought about going back to Colorado. Next thing you know, I’m on the phone with Lincoln and within the first 15 minutes, 30 minutes I’m like, ‘Wow.’ He sells me. I get a couple of other calls, but as soon as I heard Lincoln call, you’re gonna have to go. Especially being in a situation where USC has the biggest names, biggest wide receivers. You have to. …I went straight to my mother and texted my dad that I’m going to Cali.”

Brenden Rice comes to USC as the No. 60 receiver according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings. He played in 10 games this past season at Colorado, recording 21 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns. The Trojans also added former Oklahoma receiver Mario Williams, the No. 4 receiver in the transfer portal, and return second-leading receiver Tahj Washington. That group should give new quarterback Caleb Williams plenty to work with as he takes the reigns of the offense under Riley.

An Arizona native, Rice was a four-star prospect coming out of high school and the No. 79 overall receiver in the 2020 class according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He chose to attend Colorado over offers from Michigan, Oregon, Texas A&M and many others. Although his name will draw plenty of attention, it will ultimately be up to him to carve out a role for himself on the Trojans in 2022.

Rice will get his first chance to show off his skills to USC fans during the annual spring game scheduled for April 23. After that, his next opportunity will come in the 2022 season opener on Sept. 3 against Rice.