Lincoln Riley admits Malachi Nelson transfer was unexpected, shares USC could land two transfer QBs

The USC Trojans recently lost quarterback Malachi Nelson to the transfer portal. It was a loss that head coach Lincoln Riley admitted was unexpected.

Despite Nelson leaving the program, Riley praised him, explaining that he is going to be a fan of his regardless of where he ends up transferring.

“There’s a chance,” Lincoln Riley said. “There’s certainly a chance that we will, obviously, you know the Malachi piece was a little unexpected and I know something came out, I got asked the question the other day, Malachi was fantastic here. He’s a great kid and I will root for him forever and ever. He’s gonna go make somebody a heck of a player. I’m a Malachi Nelson fan forever. He and his family are tremendous.”

Malachi Nelson was a five-star recruit, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, in the Class of 2023. He was also the 11th-ranked player overall and the fifth-ranked quarterback in the class. He played in one game this season, throwing three total passes.

“Now, with him gone, it certainly changes things. Now that you’ve got a pretty big gap in the program in terms of where Miller [Moss] currently sits being, obviously, kind of down the line in his career. So, we are certainly going to look at taking a younger quarterback and we’re looking at options there. It’s obviously a very intriguing position for obvious reasons. So, starting to sift through some of those options because that choice for us will be an important choice,” Riley said.

“So, certainly, the possibility right now exists that we could take as many as two quarterbacks in the portal. Potentially one older one and one younger one.”

At this point, Miller Moss is expected to start USC’s bowl game against Louisville.

Miller Moss reacts to Malachi Nelson choosing to enter transfer portal

Miller Moss, the only quarterback on USC’s roster to throw a pass in a game now that Malachi Nelson has entered the transfer portal, shared his thoughts on Nelson’s decision to leave the program.

“I mean obviously everyone has to do what’s best for themselves. We’re happy with the group we have here and whoever wants to be here is here and we’re excited to come together in that way,” Moss said.

“I mean, it’s kind of a crazy environment these days. Everyone has to do what they think is best for themselves, but we’re happy with what we have here.”