Lincoln Riley talks goals, expectations for USC quarterback room this spring

USC head football coach Lincoln Riley took some time out of his day to go over the progression of the Trojans so far during spring practices. One of the positions on everyone’s mind, for Riley’s Trojans, is the quarterback. And on Tuesday, the USC headman fielded questions and went over his expectations and goals for his quarterbacks.

“My expectation for that position, I mean individually, for those guys just to become the best players and leaders that they possibly can be. Everybody knows that there’s going to be competition here at every spot. We make that, I think, very very clear to our guys. So for those guys, it’s ‘Hey here’s where we think you can be as a player, here’s the steps that you need to take to get to that, here’s where we think you can be as a leader, here’s a steps that you need to take to get to that.’ And then it’s just a constant push, every single day,” said Riley.

Riley acquired the highest-ranked player in On3’s transfer portal rankings in quarterback Caleb Williams during the offseason. And Riley is quite familiar with the young signal-caller as a team worked together just last season for the Oklahoma Sooners. And while Williams is the odds on favorite to be the starter for the season opener, the coaches are keeping it an open competition.

Riley explains the environment in the quarterback room

So far, throughout spring practice, Riley is enjoying the energy and environment provided by his young signal-callers. As he explains, the group has been competitively working together to improve the overall quality of the position.

“All those guys have done a really nice job of, you know, good environment in there when we’re meeting. Competitive environment but also kind of helping each other; kind of guiding each other which has been, it’s been a really healthy, I would say quarterback room right now. So I like the way they’re competing I like the way they’re improving.”

As for individual goals for each quarterback, Riley does not appear to have singular plans for each. In fact, for him, it’s pretty simple; be the best version of yourself that you can be every day, and model that leadership on the field.

“Again, goals for them are just, you know, the best versions of themselves. So we get the very best you possibly can be, and a lot of times, if you do that things will take care of themselves. And then, from a from a leadership standpoint, I don’t know if there’s many great football teams that the quarterback is not certainly one of the leaders on the team, and a very positive competitive tough presence on the team. So, at other positions, we obviously need that here and there; you gotta have leaders on the team. Quarterback, it’s a must,” said Riley.

The USC Trojans will kick off their 2022 season on September third at home against the Rice Owls. Kickoff time has still yet to be determined.