Lincoln Riley outlines USC's depth at wide receiver in 2025

Throughout his career, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley has had some of the best offenses in the country. Now, looking to take a step forward as a team in 2025, Riley knows he’s going to need to provide every bit of help he can to quarterback Jayden Maiava.

Luckily for USC, Riley is confident in the receivers he has around Maiava. As he explained on Always College Football, the Trojans are returning their top two wide receivers. After that, he’s confident in the team’s depth to round the offense out.

“We return our best two,” Lincoln Riley said. “And those two guys, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, are proven weapons at this level. I think with a full offseason, getting the continuity with Jayden [Maiava], I mean, those two guys are as good a pair of receivers as there is in the country, in my opinion. We’ve had the chance to be around a couple of really good ones, but these guys can really play.”

Makai Lemon came to USC as a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He’d break out last season with 52 receptions for 764 yards and three touchdowns. Ja’Kobi Lane, meanwhile, was also a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 who would break out last year. He did so with 43 receptions for 525 yards and 12 touchdowns. If those two take another step forward, they’re going to become a difficult tandem to slow down quickly.

“I think building the depth around those guys is going to be super important. Both at the tight end position, certainly the other receivers,” Riley said. “Which we’ve got a number of guys we feel like can certainly make big plays and be big factors for us.”

Lincoln Riley and USC did lose star wide receiver Zachariah Branch who transferred out of the program this offseason. Along with Branch, Duce Robinson, Kyron Hudson, and Charles Ross, all have also transferred out of the program. At the same time, Riley has been active in adding from the portal as well, bringing in Prince Strachan and Zacharyus Williams.

“And the other big piece of it always for a QB is the run game. Obviously, the offensive line, the running backs, being able to run the football effectively,” Riley said. “And when we’ve been at our best that’s been something we’ve been very, very good at and really lean on. So, all of those factors will go into it, but I see nothing here offensively that leads me to believe that this shouldn’t be one of the best groups in the country.”

USC and Riley will have just under three months to get the offense ready for the 2025 season. That opens on August 30th against Missouri State.