Lincoln Riley explains how USC will attack recruiting inside California

No matter who the head coach of the USC Trojans has been, locking down the state of California in the recruiting world is the top priority. Nothing will be different for Lincoln Riley, who was hired away from the Oklahoma Sooners.

Riley appeared on The Herd on Tuesday, discussing how he will attack recruiting California as the USC head coach. He said prior experience with the Sooners will help but now he’s focused on the whole state, not just a few prospects.

“I’ve been very impressed,” Riley began. “I really have. As you said by my previous stops, we’ve recruited California on more of a spot basis for a specific player here and there. So it’s been fun to really get to know the whole state, to get around the coaches, to see all the talent that there really is here. I think there’s as much talent in this state as there’s ever been. Certainly, we’ll get outside of the state here and there to spot guys but our priority is going to be doing the very best we can to bring in the very best of USC from the state of California. I’m very excited about the talent. That was certainly part of what makes this USC opportunity so unique.”

USC is already off to a hot start with the 2023 class, signing two of the top five in-state players. On3 Consensus Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson comes in at No. 1, while his Los Alamitos High School wide receiver teammate Makai Lemon ranks at No. 4.

Locking down the state of California alone can win a national championship. Pete Carroll proved it, creating a dynasty with the Trojans during the early 2000s. Riley will be looking to replicate the feat within the next few years.

Lincoln Riley says he did not take players away from Oklahoma

There has been a lot of cross-over between the Sooners and Trojans ever since the move was made official. While there might be some upset people in Norman about Riley taking some star players with him, the head coach explained why that’s not the case on Tuesday.

“We didn’t take players from Oklahoma,” Riley said on The Herd. “We took players from the transfer portal. Those players and their families had to make a decision to stay at that university … or to enter the portal where they could be recruited by anybody.”

Heading into spring practice, three players who were on Oklahoma’s roster last season will now be wearing USC colors. Quarterback Caleb Williams is the highest-profile name, while wide receiver Mario Williams is not too far behind. Cornerback Latrell McCutchin was the first of the three to make the switch, teaming back up with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch.