On3 Roundtable: Evaluating how much better USC defense will be in 2023

Lincoln Riley has always struggled to figure out the defensive side of the. ball. Whether it was Oklahoma or his first season in Los Angeles at USC, the defense has prevented his teams from ever seriously competing for a national championship. He will be hoping things are different in 2023, especially after hitting the NCAA transfer portal.

WeAreSC‘s Scott Schrader joined the On3 Roundtable to discuss how much better the Trojans’ defense can be. He believes the front seven is significantly improved, especially the defensive line. Some SEC and former five-star status was added his offseason before Riley went back to the Sooner State to grab a linebacker.

“The front seven was the glaring weakness last season,” Schrader said. “They’ve upgraded significantly there. Anthony Lucas, Bear Alexander, Jack Sullivan from Purdue. Kyon Barrs from Arizona. You’ve also added Sam Green who came in and had an excellent spring. He’s expected to be a factor this year as well.

“Then the linebacker position was upgraded significantly with Mason Cobb from Oklahoma State Jamil Muhammad is a part of that group now. Then, you have Tackett Curtis who came in and he’s expected to make a significant contribution as a freshman this year.”

If there was a positive for USC’s defense last year, it was their production from the secondary. Even so, defensive coordinator Alex Grinch still had some work to do, needing to further his player’s development. Getting another year in the system, Schrader thinks the secondary will take another step forward too.

“I think some of those upgrades along with the defensive backs that have developed and gotten another year in the system,” Schrader began. “Like, Ceyair Wright had a really, really strong spring. There were some guys whose cover skills were maybe lacking from a developmental standpoint. Whether it was physically or technically and I think that has been straightened out.”

USC wound up leading the Pac-12 in interceptions, consistently gaining possessions for their high-level offense. Still, the front seven was not good enough to keep up on a weekly basis. Opposing offensive lines were able to have their way.

The difference this year could be a significant one. Schrader tends to imagine if USC had the 2023 roster last season, they would have made an appearance in the College Football Playoff.

“If they had the personnel they had right now defensively last year, they probably would have been in the playoffs,” Schrader said.