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Matt Leinart reveals what successful season will be for USC in 2022

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•04/23/22•

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Brian Rothmuller | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images.

The hype is building around USC as Lincoln Riley gets ready for his first season at the helm. With the excitement comes higher expectations, and Trojans legend Matt Leinart had an interesting idea.

If anyone knows how to win at USC, it’s Leinart. The 2004 Heisman Trophy winner led the Trojans to a BCS national title as a junior, and he saw Riley’s team during Saturday’s spring game. He caught up with Su’a Cravens, who played at USC from 2013-15, and shared how many wins he thinks USC needs for a successful season in 2022.

“Nine or 10,” Leinart told Cravens, via ESPN’s Paolo Uggeti.

Last year, USC went 4-8 overall and 3-6 in Pac-12 play. But expectations are rising across Trojan Nation after bringing in Riley. The former Oklahoma coach got right to work in the transfer portal and managed to get Caleb Williams to join him in Los Angeles after a standout freshman season for the Sooners. Add in Travis Dye and Mario Williams — two other high-profile transfers — and USC could be poised for a big year as the Riley era begins.

USC sets record for spring game attendance in Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams debut

Fans got their first chance to see the Riley-Williams duo in action during Saturday’s spring game. Many of them wanted to see it in-person and came out to the Rose Bowl Coliseum to watch.

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When they did, they became a part of a record day for the program.

The Trojans played their spring game in front of 33,247 fans at The Coliseum on Saturday — the largest turnout since USC started keeping track, according to The Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Kartje. There’s plenty of hype coming into this season after the additions of former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams.

Riley and Williams formed quite a bond in Norman after Williams came in as a five-star recruit. As a freshman in 2021, Williams threw for 1,912 and 21 touchdowns while completing 64.5% of his passes. He helped lead the Sooners to an 11-2 record and an Alamo Bowl appearance.

After entering the transfer portal, Williams became the No. 1 prospect on the open market, according to the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings. He completed his first nine passes during USC’s spring game, and the hype is building as he gets ready for his first season with the Trojans.