Lincoln Riley addresses concern over tight end depth

Lincoln Riley and USC are firmly ingrained into their spring practice schedule. This offseason, Riley wants to use the pain from the end of last season to fuel the Trojans on a possible championship run in 2023. However, to do that, USC would likely need some stellar play at the tight end position. And currently, that’s where his team could be much better on the offensive side of the ball. After spring practice number seven, Riley addressed the concern about the lack of depth at the position right now.

“Right now? Today? Not good,” said Riley when asked about his feelings on the position. “Yeah, Lake’s been awesome. Lake’s playing at a high level. He has really improved; he’s improved physically. What he did last year for us was impressive, especially considering all the time he had missed; I know we talked a lot about it. So the fact that he’s had like some consistent offseason work and physical work under his belt, we’ve been able to do a little bit more with him this spring, which was expected. He’s been really good.”

Lake McRee has been a bright spot for the tight end position during the spring. Still, USC will need more than just one tight end to make it through the rigorous college football schedule, especially when you are viewed as one of the top teams in the nation. So, for Riley, building depth will require patience as players return to practice and ingenuity: moving a few players around on the depth chart.

“We move Carson Tabaracci over there. He’s doing a nice job; he really has. He’s got a cool skill set for that. I don’t think there’s any question he’s gonna have the ability to have an impact. Obviously, not having Jude (Wolfe) right now is tough for us. We’ll be excited to get it back in the fall. And then we’ll have (Luke) Otte over here as well. So, it’s gonna be good. It’s just, currently, at this moment, right now, not very good.”

Riley is known as one of the best offensive minds in college football. And given that his position of concern is on the offensive side of the ball, expect the Trojans’ headman to have the ship righted at that position before the start of the 2023 season. From his statements, one can conclude that the Trojans have a handful of options at tight end. It’s just that all those options are not available for the start of the spring practice.