Lincoln Riley calls cornerback competition very even for USC

The battle at cornerback for USC is neck-and-neck with fall camp kicking off, according to coach Lincoln Riley. Coming off of a season in which they ranked 112th in the FBS in passing yards per game, the Trojans are looking for answers on defense.

They’ll have plenty of options to choose from with cornerbacks Ceyair Wright, Jacobe Covington and Domani Jackson all back from last season. They also added Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace, the No. 7 cornerback in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

After the fifth practice of fall camp on Wednesday, Riley offered an update on where they’re all at.

“I would say the competition there is very even,” the coach said. “We continue to be very impressed by Ceyair and his improvements. Jacobe, I think, carrying over some of the momentum he had at the end of last season. His good plays are so, so good. We’re working on his consistency, but he’s flashing more and more as times goes on.”

Wright started 11 games this past season and one would figure that should give him a path to again earning a starting role in 2023. Covington started three games in 2022 while appearing in all 14.

However, Riley was extremely complimentary of Jackson in Wednesday’s media session, saying he is “right in the middle” of USC’s cornerback competition. A former five-star recruit, he ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2022 class according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Jackson missed the start of the 2022 season after suffering a knee injury his senior year of high school, but went on to play seven games at the end of last year. Now fully healthy, he figures to challenge both Covington and Wright for time at the position.

“Domani’s been really good,” Riley said. “He had just an average first day then he’s really accelerated after that. Really playing well and confident. For him, it’s just being able to stay on the practice field. Just being able to get reps. It’s been a long time since he’s had this much sustained football. Probably his junior year in high school. You can see he has really started to get back into it. You see his long speed, which is obviously something he was really known for, is back. He’s running like you would expect. Confident. He’s right in the middle of that battle. You leave there today saying all three of those guys will play a lot.”

Finally, Riley touched on how Roland-Wallace will fit in with the group of returning players. Riley lauded him for his ability to play multiple positions, saying he could move over to another position if cornerback ultimately becomes to crowded.

He showed that ability this past season at Arizona, making an impact all over the field with 58 tackles, six passes defended and a pair of forced fumbles.

“Obviously, Christian Roland-Wallace is a fun piece for us because of his experience and how smart he is,” Riley said. “His skillset. He can play anywhere. I could see him playing corner, see him playing nickel, see him playing safety. He can play any of the five, which is a great thing. He’s certainly been impressive in camp. We didn’t get to see him much in spring. He got injured early. So it’s been nice to watch him and he’s been as advertised.”

USC has a few more week of fall camp before kicking off the season on Aug. 26 against San Jose State.