Lincoln Riley Gives Expectations, Evaluations for Jordan Addison, Caleb Williams

The USC Trojans aren’t going to win the Pac-12 on the strength of just two players. It’s going to take the entire program and full roster to pull the Trojans out of a four-year lull to make a run to the conference championship. But two players will likely receive more attention than most this season. And neither has taken a snap in a game for the Trojans to this point. Quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Jordan Addison have received a bulk of the attention this offseason. It’s due in part to their successful 2021 season as well as the national headlines they made when entering and exiting the transfer portal. It’s also because that’s simply the attention that elite USC quarterbacks and receivers routinely receive.

USC fans likely can’t wait to see the duo take the field for the Trojans’ home opener against Rice on September 3. The countdown is closing in on two months. And early this week, head coach Lincoln Riley provided a few more thoughts on what Trojan fans can expect to see from those two in cardinal and gold.

Earlier this week, Riley was a guest on the Haberman & Middlekauff Podcast, with former NFL scout John Middlekauff and Pac-12 Play by Play announcer Guy Haberman.

The hosts asked Riley specifically what excited him the most about having Addison on the roster, as well as a breakdown of what Williams brings to the field.

Riley on Addison

Obviously, the topic of Addison’s addition to USC comes up in every interview with Riley. He spoke about his move earlier this month and will absolutely field more questions about the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner later this month at Pac-12 Media Day.

But it’s always fun to hear what Riley has to say about perhaps now the best offensive player in the Pac-12. Riley praised Addison’s proven production. That’s a big asset Addison brings to a roster that just lost far and away its best offensive threat in Drake London.

“He’s a very good football player,” Riley said of Addison. “I love the versatility he brings. Did a lot of really good things last year. From catching the ball underneath and maximizing yards after the catch, to also being a deep threat down the field.”

Riley said previously that he was blown away by Addison on his official visit, specifically when it came to how much attention he placed on the football fit at USC.

“Probably my favorite thing about him is he wants to get better,” Riley said. “He wants to learn. He wants to grow. When he decided to make a move and we sat down and talked to him about why would you do this, that was the number one thing. ‘I want to keep developing and expanding my game.’ He felt like this was going to be a good situation to be able to do that.

“It’s always good to have proven players and guys that are talented players,” RIley said. “But when they’re hungry to get better, even if they’ve had some real success already, that’s a great thing. And so we’re gonna push him to get better and get him acclimated. And I would fully expect that he would be an explosive playmaker for this team.”

USC lost 27.6% of its receptions, 30.2% of its receiving yards and 33.3% of its touchdown catches when London left for the NFL. It’ll be difficult for Addison to hit the same stats he did when he was the focal point of the Pitt offense last season. But there is an opportunity for him to make a sizeable impact in his first (and likely only) season at USC.

Riley on Williams

Riley is far more familiar with Williams than Addison at this point. He recruited him to Oklahoma, inserted him into the starting lineup as a true freshman, recruited him again to USC and coached him throughout spring ball. It’s clear Riley likes a lot of what he’s seen already from Williams, but also believes there’s more to be found.

“He’s a very talented player, one of the guys that can certainly beat you a lot of different ways,” Riley said of Williams. “And we’re trying to kind of add to that right now as we continue to build up his skill set and develop him.”

Williams said this spring that he’s working on a few improvements, including staying in the pocket longer. Riley clearly sees the balance as a runner and thrower to be a benefit.

“He’s an athletic kid that can run away from people,” Riley said. “He had a lot of big runs in his freshman season — 40, 50-plus yard runs. He can really hurt people with his legs and knees. And he’s also got a little bit of thickness to him, too. So there’s some real durability there.”

Williams is on the short list of Heisman Trophy favorites heading into the season. The one area where he struggled a bit as a true freshman was with intermediate accuracy. Riley is looking forward to Williams showcasing his improvement there.

“He’s a very talented thrower,” Riley said. “Has the arm strength to make a lot of throws. [He has] the arm creativity to be able to change arm angles and throw on the run. I think he has really developed in the last year or so as a thrower. And I think has got a chance to be really, really good in that department…So I mean, skillset-wise and talent-wise, he has a lot of the things that you would want and he’s developing quickly. So I certainly believe his best ball is ahead.”