Lincoln Riley talks USC's roster transition, new coaches, NIL, evaluating QBs and much more as On3 visits with the Trojans

When Lincoln Riley surprised the nation with the news in Nov. 2021 that he was leaving Oklahoma for USC, one of the reasons the move was made was because of the ever-changing landscape of Name-Image-Likeness in college football.

Nearly three years later – the 40-year old Riley still doesn’t know how dust will completely settle on the upcoming revenue sharing and all the streams of player compensation – he just knows he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else navigating the process.

“There is a lot of changes we’ve had up to this point,” Riley told On3. “We have revenue share we’re staring at that a year down the road. There is a lot about that we don’t know in terms of how that plays out. How does Title IX play out? How do collectives play out? There is a lot of uncertainties in those areas, but I do know the advantages we do have here being at this school and being in this city and all that comes with that I think puts us in a great place no matter where the rest of the industry goes. We have built-in advantages here that aren’t going to get touched and aren’t going anywhere.”

Riley elaborated on those advantages.

“You have one of the most powerful cities in the world,” he said. “You talk about the city, it’s a hub to major industries. It’s a hub to the sporting world to the entertainment world to the business world. You name it, it’s here. You add in the alumni network that’s powerful and it’s kind of the perfect storm.

“When we took this job a few years ago it was looking ahead to the places you feel like are going to be in great shape no matter how this thing changes because it is unpredictable but this place’s advantages are not going anywhere.”

Those advantages have helped Riley and his staff build up the roster and there is a lot of excitement around the USC football program as the Trojans embark on the Big Ten this fall in their third season at the helm.

“What you see on our practice field is a lot different than what it was when we came to LA,” Riley said. USC opens the season in Las Vegas against LSU.

“Overall depth, especially the defensive front seven looks a lot different than it did two and a half years ago. That was an absolute weakness when we stepped foot on this campus.”

Anthony Lucas and Bear Alexander were big additions from the transfer portal, there is some buzz around Devan Thompkins and prized true freshman Kameryn Fountain on the defensive front while Jamil Muhammad, Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Braylan Shelby and Eric Gentry make for a nice linebacker room.

“That and the offensive line in terms of building those groups into what you want them to become, those things take time,” Riley continued. “They’re not easy fixes. You may hit on a portal guy here or there that can help you maybe win right away in that year but when you’re talking true championship depth, that takes time.

“Behind the scenes the last two years, everyone saw what was there, there’s been a lot of recruiting and a lot of good development that’s been going on here. People got to see that in the bowl game and I think that’s only been added to with some of the staff additions we’ve made this year.”

Riley overhauled his defensive staff including perhaps the best off-season assistant coach hire in the sport, poaching D’Anton Lynn from rival UCLA. In one season the Bruins defense went from ranking No. 87 nationally to No. 11. He is now tasked with a Trojans defense that ranked No. 116 a year ago.

“Very genuine,” Riley said of Lynn. “I think when people get around him and see how he is as person he’s extremely genuine. He’s an outstanding teacher. I mean he can sit down with anybody and has the ability to make the game of football make sense. A really, really smart guy but can articulate it to people. And then you look back great history, both in the NFL and he authored the greatest defensive turnaround in college football last year. I think all that combined, he’s a pretty special guy.”

Lynn doesn’t have to do it alone as Riley also hired Eric Henderson away from the Los Angels Rams to coach the defensive line. Henderson recently had Aaron Donald on USC’s campus. He joins Shaun Nua giving the Trojans a nice tandem up front. His new linebackers coach is Matt Entz is a two-time FCS National Championship head coach at North Dakota State. Veteran Doug Belk takes on the challenge in the secondary.

Riley finished with On3’s No. 9 recruiting class in 2023, closed at No. 18 a cycle ago and sit at No. 11 in the standings right now with summer heating up. This year’s haul includes On3 Industry five-star quarterback Julian Lewis, the No. 2 passer in the land.

“I think the beauty of this place is the combination of what you get,” Riley emphasized. He can’t publicly comment on any prospect until they sign a letter-of-intent. “Such a unique combination. There is really no other comparison in college football. It’s Ivy League level academics. It’s access to one of the more powerful cities and networks in the world. It’s a college football history that you only got one or two you can put in the same consideration of it. Then you have all the things upcoming now, the new facility that we really believe is going to be the best college facility in the country. Moving into the Big Ten, you have a coaching staff here from an experience stand point that is as good as any you’ll find.

“This place brings a lot,” Riley continued. “We’ve been trying to check off a lot of the boxes in the two and a half years we’ve been here to make sure it gets back to where it belongs.”

This class USC is building in 2025 is one Riley and his staff are excited about helping with the upward trajectory. In addition to Lewis, the other headliners include four-star prospects in safety Hylton Stubbs, linebacker Matai Tagoa’i, edge rusher Hayden Lowe, cornerback Trestin Castro and running back Harry Dalton. The Trojans are well positioned with a lot of prospects that visited this summer including five-star defensive back Dorian Brew, four-star safety Kendarius Reddick and coveted receivers Corey Simms and Daylan McCutcheon among others.

“We feel really good,” Riley said. “The class has gotten off to a great start. Really on both sides of the ball. I’d say I’m particularly excited about the defensive recruiting right now and the way that’s been received. The staff, all of it’s changing here. There is a lot of guys that see the vision that we have and see where it’s headed. Guys that really, really want to be part of it. That’s obviously been a focal point for us and that piece is exciting.

“It’s just going to get better and right now you’re starting to see people realize it.”

Lewis is the guy Riley has in mind to lead one of the next chapters. The No. 10 overall prospect in the country, and reclassification from the 2026 cycle, Lewis was the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year last fall and was one of three finalists for the National Player of the Year award. He has been named the MaxPreps National Freshman and Sophomore of the Year.

As a sophomore, Lewis threw for 3,094 yards and 48 scores, making good on more than 66 percent of his attempts. He took Carrollton (Ga.) High to the state title game as a freshman in the Peach State’s largest class, while completing more than 65% of his passes for 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns.

“I want guys that have won,” Riley said of what he looks for when evaluating high school quarterbacks. Nobody in the game has a better track record of development with Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams all winning a Heisman en route to being the No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft.

“This position is such an impact position on the game, I think if you’re good enough as a high school quarterback your team should win. I’ve seen very few guys I think oh man they’re just unbelievable players and they don’t win very much. I think you have to be a winner.

“I think there’s got to be a sense you have the ability to lead people. That people want to play for you. They want to play with with you. I think that’s very important.

“I think guys that have a hunger to get better but also the confidence and belief there is nothing in the game they can’t achieve. I think self-confidence and self-belief is a massive part of playing that position when you start talking about the college and professional level. You’re absolutely on a team and that part is critical, but quarterback always has a little bit of an island feel for those guys especially when something doesn’t go right. And guys that don’t have that self-belief at times, you can see guys kind of wilt. So that’s something we’ve always tried to pay attention to. Some of those things are easier to evaluate more than others.”