Lincoln Riley: This USC team has a different feel to it

Lincoln Riley has his second roster at USC ready to roll for their opening game of the season this weekend. However, compared to last year’s team, the Trojan’s head coach can already tell a difference between the two.

Riley contrasted last year’s squad, which went 11-3, to this fall group in an episode of ‘Trojans Live’ on Tuesday. He said they’re already in a different spot than last fall because they’re kicking off their year a week earlier during Week 0.

“Camp was a lot of fun. It’s been very unique with the Week 0 game, right? That changes a lot in our world,” Riley said. “I mean, literally, 75% of camp was done with our guys still in class, which was a little unique. We’ve got our first day of game week here and also our first day of class at the same time. The calendars and body clocks are a little bit different there.”

To get into the nitty-gritty, though, Riley believes this team is different for no other reason than roster construction. He split them into three groups that, in his mind, their 2022 roster didn’t have as much of: experienced veterans in their system, impact transfers out of the portal, and a fully rounded recruiting class.

“Listen, the guys have done well,” Riley said. “The group has got a different feel to it, right? You’ve got that one group of players that are coming back, that know a little bit about what to expect. You know a little bit about them. There’s, I would say, more knowns, certainly, at this point than 12 months ago.”

“The group that came in? Both the transfers and I would really highlight just the freshmen? They’re really an outstanding group,” Riley explained. “That first class when we came in? That first high school class was so limited and we all kind of know why. It’s been fun this year to not only welcome back returning players, bring in a few transfers but, really, have a full, true class of freshmen that you feel like you’re developing. The roster depth, because of that, feels like it’s in a much different place.”

USC is going to have the horses to pull their wagon all the way to the Pac-12 Championship and, potentially, the College Football Playoff. Riley and his staff will just need to combine those three ‘units’ in order to maximize the Trojan’s chances of doing so.