Lincoln Riley looking forward to seeing the USC defensive line on the field
The end of another long offseason is finally coming into view as we are just a handful of days away from the USC Trojans taking the field against the LSU Tigers. For USC, plenty of new faces will be on the field and in the starting lineups. But one position group has head coach Lincoln Riley’s attention a bit more than any other. And it’s one that’s been discussed more often than any other this offseason.
“There’s a lot of them that I’m excited to see,” Riley said of the Trojans’ position groups on Monday’s edition of Trojans Live. “I think our D-Line is probably there at the top.”
The USC defensive line was front and center when it came to the physical transformation of the entire roster this offseason. The change from Alex Grinch to D’Anton Lynn at defensive coordinator came with the directive to beef up big-time across the defensive front.
“We’ve made obviously a lot of changes there,” Riley said. “Pretty much every single possible way you can change it, we’ve changed it. How we practice, certainly the size, the nutrition factor…Obviously the weight and the strength that we’ve put on these guys and we’ve brought in. Certainly how we’re playing, not just call-wise, but from a technique standpoint, is very different as well.”
That defensive line isn’t going to be able to ease into the 2024 season by any means. While the Trojans, like every other program, have typically eased into the season with a cushy home game, USC will take on a ranked LSU team that brings arguably the best offensive line in the nation.
“To see us get a chance to go put that on display is important,” Riley said. “I think of any of the changes that have happened, that position room has been the most extreme. And so I think, naturally for me, that’s the one that I’m most excited to see.”
