Lincoln Riley, USC have continued optimism in Korey Foreman

Korey Foreman is still a work in progress for the USC Trojans, but that doesn’t mean Lincoln Riley and the rest of the coaching staff have given up on him, though. It’s actually quite the opposite as Riley detailed ahead of 2023’s fall camp.

“You see it in [Foreman’s] approach,” Riley said. “You can just watch a film even with no sound and you can tell if a guy loves football. The passion and intensity is really there. You can just see a difference in that approach, and you see it consistently. That’s been the climb for Korey. He’s certainly come a long way.

“Right now he’s practicing the most consistent with the least amount of busts that he ever has. Our continued optimism with Korey is he does continue to get better. And we see no sign of that stopping, and there’s no telling where that ceiling is, which is a lot of fun. I’ve continued to be proud of his progress. Five practices in, he’s taken another jump this camp.”

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound edge rusher has recorded a respectable 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 23 games through his first two seasons at USC. Still, those aren’t the numbers most expected of someone who was regarded as a blue-chip prospect coming out of high school.

In fact, he was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. Comparatively, last year’s No. 1 overall prospect, Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen, finished his true freshman season with 29 tackles, one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Foreman appeared in nine games for the Trojans last season, compiling just nine total tackles but was still able to record his first-career interception in a 48-45 win over rival UCLA. His best games came on the road against Stanford on Sept. 10 and at home vs. Colorado on Nov. 11, where he totaled three tackles in both games.

The former top-rated recruit is only expected to improve on his career numbers next season. And who knows — Foreman might turn into the EDGE rusher that every recruiting expert believed he could be back in the preps ranks.

Our questions will be answered when the Trojans open their 2023 season against San Jose State on Aug. 26 at home. The Trojans are heavy favorites early, which means Foreman could begin his season in a big way against what on paper is a less opponent.