Lincoln Riley details how USC can keep top West Coast talent home

New USC coach Lincoln Riley has done well early in his Trojans tenure to restock the roster with talent. But it’ll likely be his ability to keep the wealth of talented West Coast players home that could prove the difference in his long-term success. As it has with all recent USC coaches, in-state recruiting and home-grown talent has often become a talking point about the success or lack thereof each season.

In recent seasons, Southern California natives Bryce Young, DJ Uiagalelei and Kayvon Thibodeaux have earned five-star ratings before escaping the grasp of the Trojans in favor of options all across the country. Riley addressed the need to change that trend quickly, keeping west coast players home during a Wednesday interview on ESPN2.

“I think the number one thing is, we give them a program on all levels that makes it so good that they don’t feel like they have to leave the state of California to go get what these guys want to have as players,” said Riley. “You’ve got history, tradition, you’ve got the city of L.A., you’ve got one of the elite academic institutions in the country, one of the great college football programs of all time. So there’s a lot of great things in place, but players want to see momentum. They want to see that you’re being progressive as a university, you’re being progressive as a football program and athletic department.

“And so, I think people will be able to see the investment that this university and athletic department is making in this football program right now. And it’s our job to build this up, to be great enough that a player on the west coast would have a hard time passing up USC. We feel like we’re on our to doing that.”

Early success for Lincoln Riley

Lincoln Riley has already started the process of flipping the script, keeping five-star cornerback Domani Jackson and four-star wide receiver CJ Williams in Southern California despite surges from national powerhouses like Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame.

USC also added four-star wide receiver Raleek Brown from Mater Dei while establishing a Las Vegas pipeline with the addition of Bishop Gorman standouts Zion Branch and Fabian Ross in the 2022 recruiting class.

The 2023 recruiting class already includes two five-star commitments, one from Southern Californian quarterback Malachi Nelson and Bishop Gorman wide receiver Zachariah Branch. Riley has also earned a commitment from Nelson’s teammate, Makai Lemon, a four-star wide receiver.