LIVE: Notes and quotes as Lincoln Riley and new USC assistants speak to the media
USC head coach Lincoln Riley will address the media on the traditional February signing day. He will also introduce the new assistant and staffing hires in General Manager Chad Bowden, linebackers coach Rob Ryan, tight ends/inside receivers coach Chad Savage and cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed.
We’ll have running updates of the key notes and quotes from all coaches speaking.
What Reed wants in a cornerback
02/05/2025 02:03:16 PM
Reed said you’ve “got to be a dog” to play cornerback for him.
“The stars are cool, but if I watch that film and I see you out there biting, I consider you a dog.” Reed said.
Reed on Pete Carroll
02/05/2025 01:58:34 PM“He inspired me to be a coach,” Reed said of playing for Pete Carroll in Seattle, adding that Carroll is the favorite coach he’s played for. “That’s not just my favorite coach, that’s one of my favorite people ever.”
Reed said Carroll taught him how to play corner.
“I’m forever grateful for him,” Reed said. “He’s going to get the biggest hug from me…That’s my guy.”
Why Reed picked USC
02/05/2025 01:53:45 PM“Man, it’s ‘SC,” Reed said. “When they called, it was basically a done deal. My heart was here. I dreamed of playing here…When they called, of course it was a no-brainer.”
Reed said there were two schools chasing him but he said he’s looking to learn from Doug Belk.
“I want to be a sponge,” Reed said. “I want to learn everything…I’m going to follow his leadership. We’re going to get it.”
Reed’s energy
02/05/2025 01:50:56 PMReed said he coaches full of energy and might be a coach who gets “a flag or two” in terms of celebrations if there are some big plays made.
He said you’ll hear him on the practice field.
Dream come true for Reed
02/05/2025 01:50:25 PMNew cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed said when he was a kid it was a dream of his to be at USC.
Savage on expectations
02/05/2025 01:47:11 PM“Realistically, I just talked about the standard of our room,” Savage said of his quick meeting with his players.. We’re going to set the standard high and we’re going to go after it every single day. It’s my job to take them to a standard they can’t take themselves.”
Savage said they’re looking for playmakers with and without the ball in their hands. Guys who can create big plays and guys who are willing blockers without the ball.
Savage on using his youthfulness to connect
02/05/2025 01:45:30 PM“I know what music they’re listening to,” Savage said. “Some of these inside jokes they’re making walking down the halls, I might have heard them a time or two.”
And of his practice style, he’s full energy.
“I’m going to be flying around, I’m not going to be walking,” he said. “If you perform with high energy, it’s contagious.”
Splitting time
02/05/2025 01:42:55 PMSavage said they’re still working on how he’ll split on-field time between tight ends and inside receivers, which is in the planning stage now.
Chad Savage takes the mic
02/05/2025 01:39:25 PMSavage said building connections in recruiting is about relationships and spending time with people.
“If you invest the time, people are going to appreciate that,” Savage said.
Savage said wearing the USC logo carries weight across the country but his recruiting values are going to stay the same.
Ryan’s return to college
02/05/2025 01:35:55 PM
Ryan said D’Anton Lynn brought up the idea of a return to college at the end of the season.
“I’m 62 years old,” Ryan said. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I wanted to give my son a chance to be around a great program.”
“To hear the way D’Anton spoke about this place, about Lincoln, about the players. That safety is sweet. I’d be bragging on him even more than D’Anton does.”
Ryan said as he met more people at USC, the decision became easy.
“These people are legit,” Ryan said. “I can’t say no to this. This is going to be great. I’d like to say I asked my wife’s opinion, but I said man I’m going to USC,” Ryan said. “Now she’s packing for what she says is the last time.”
Ryan on his linebacker room
02/05/2025 01:29:24 PMEric Gentry: “He’s a tall guy and he’s done everything this school has asked of him. He’s built his body up. He does the unnatural, natural. This kid makes more plays, my God. This guy’s going to be fun to work with. I do great with those guys with those long arms. He’s going to hit people before they hit him. He reminds me of Honey Badger (Tyrann Mathieu), stick him anywhere and he’s going to make a play.”
Desman Stephens – “I’m really excited about Des. He plays the way I like. He plays violently. He’s going to hit people and I enjoy players like that.”
Rob Ryan on recruiting
02/05/2025 01:25:12 PMRyan said it’s a people business and feels recruiting is something he’ll be successful with. He did joke that they didn’t trust him enough to send him out on his own and added that he hit the road with Eric Henderson. He said Henny is Pete Carroll in terms of being a magnetic personality whenever he shows up anywhere.
Ryan on D’Anton Lynn
02/05/2025 01:22:08 PM“This is a young Mike Tomlin,” Ryan said.
Rob Ryan takes the mic
02/05/2025 01:19:32 PMRyan heaped huge praise on Lincoln Riley
“Lincoln Riley is right there with [Sean] McVay,” Ryan said. “They’re the best offensive guys in the country, I don’t care what league it is. That’s the truth.”
Bowden’s sign off
02/05/2025 01:18:38 PM“You are who you surround yourself with,” Bowden said. “We’re hiring the very best across the country. We want to be around the very best. I want to make sure this program is being pushed in every avenue. There is not a day, there is not a moment where we can be lax.”
“We have the best staff in the country, Bowden said. “We have the best front office in the country…We’re going to make sure this place reaches its full potential,” Bowden said. “It’s going to take every day. It’s going to take the right people. That’s what we’re going to do.”
The USC pitch
02/05/2025 01:15:52 PM“It’s USC, it’s the place to be,” Bowden said. “We’re going to recruit that way.”
Bowden said the education at the school, the marketability of the city and everything USC has to offer covers everything someone could be looking for in a school and a program.
Anything goes with recruiting
02/05/2025 01:13:36 PM“We’ll do whatever it takes with recruiting,” Bowden said when asked about some of his unusual recruiting pitches. “If it makes sense, we’re going to do it.”
Bowden mentioned that they might have Rob Ryan jumping out in a parachute (Ryan happened to be in the back of the room listening)
Bowden on the roster
02/05/2025 01:11:54 PM“It’s an incredibly talented roster,” Bowden said. “All we’re trying to do is enhance it.”
Bowden on building culture
02/05/2025 01:09:40 PM“It’s all about culture,” Bowden said of why he likes an emphasis on high school recruiting. He said having them in the fold longer is how you can build the right culture and get everybody moving in the same direction.
Bowden also made sure to point out that you don’t just recruit a player, you recruit an entire family. And again, getting them locked in early is culture building.
Bowden’s recruiting philosophy
02/05/2025 01:07:41 PM“We’re going to major in high school and minor in the portal,” Bowden said
“It’s the best high school football in America, is played in California,” Bowden said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get the very best players in California to stay here and play for USC.”
USC pushed hard for Bowden
02/05/2025 01:06:38 PM“It was an aggressive, attacking mindset on behalf of Jen and Lincoln,” Bowden said of their recruitment. “I knew it was the place to be.”
Chad Bowden takes the stage
02/05/2025 01:03:48 PMBowden first took time to thank everybody at Notre Dame.
He said he’s been staying with head coach Lincoln Riley since arriving in Los Angeles.
“It’s the happiest I’ve been in a very long time,” Bowden said. “I’m excited to get to work.”
“Everything that we’re going to do here is going to be all together as one,” Bowden said, adding that he’s a collaborative guy.
“It meant more to me,” Bowden said of USC, adding that USC was “his team” growing up, mentioning Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Dwayne Jarrett.
Looking for the right GM
02/05/2025 12:59:37 PM“We were looking for someone that the college landscape right now is not foreign to,” Riley said.
He included things like working with salary caps, building the roster, the ability to manage people, the ability for them to be personally involved in the recruiting process and building a staff as requirements.
“It’s a new enough phenomenon in college football right now that it’s not like there’s 100 of these guys,” Riley said, adding that once Bowden came on the screen it was clear he’d be a top guy.
Riley working with Bowden
02/05/2025 12:56:25 PMRiley said it’ll be a recruiting partnership with Chad Bowden. He said he’ll settle in with the top targets for the Trojans but might be involved in less day-to-day recruiting activity.
Riley said Bowden told him he wants to make this so that Riley can pour everything he has into coaching and know that recruiting is taken care of.
Huard as offensive coordinator
02/05/2025 12:53:17 PMLuke Huard added the offensive coordinator title this offseason but Riley said he will continue to call plays as he’s done previously at USC.
Riley said Huard is “somebody I’ve grown to trust very much.”
Assistants on the road
02/05/2025 12:52:22 PMRiley said the rules dictate have to designate 10 coaches who will be on the road recruiting. But he added that they could use someone on the off-the-field staff as one of the 10 as well.
USC has 11 full-time assistants now, so at least one of those at all times won’t be able to be on the road.
What Bowden brings
02/05/2025 12:49:04 PM“One of our biggest goals with this was to allow our coaches to coach more,” Riley said. “Our coaches are still going to have a big role in evaluating, a big role in recruiting.” But their department is going to spearhead evaluating”
But Riley said that department is going to spearhead recruiting, evaluating, salary cap management and other off-field areas. He stopped short of comparing it exactly to an NFL front office, but it’s clear that it’s approaching that.
The new world of college football
02/05/2025 12:46:28 PMRiley said they always believed this transition to a new General Manager was coming. He said Emerick was hired to do the job he’s going to start doing now, but the landscape changed quickly. And Bowden is the right guy at the right time.
Riley said they could have rushed the hire but wanted to do it right.
“I think our patience was tested throughout this process,” Riley said. “There’s an excitement. and eagerness to get it done.” But Riley said it was too important to get it right. He added that this was the most difficult hire he’s been a part of in his career.
Extending D’Anton Lynn
02/05/2025 12:44:29 PMRiley said signing Lynn to an extension was important.
“We understand the value of continuity,” Riley said.
“When your alma mater comes after you, that pulls at people in different ways,” Riley said. “But I think in the end, D’Anton wanted to be a Trojan.”
Riley said he thinks Lynn sees the path forward here with the investment in the program and all the new player additions coming in.
USC’s two new recruiting additions
02/05/2025 12:42:47 PM
Riley commented on the two new additions in Jadyn Ramos and AJ Tuitele:
“Under the radar and guys we have had our eyes on for a long time.”
Ramos – “Highly productive player, great frame. Excited to be able to sign him.”
AJ Tuitele – “A linebacker that really jumped off the tape, blew up a little bit his senior year. He’s one of those guys that you go pop on this kid’s senior tape and it really stands out. Felt fortunate to be able to identify him.”
Reassignments for two personnel
02/05/2025 12:40:42 PM
Dave Emerick is transitioning to senior associate AD for football administration. Riley credited Emerick for helping put together the coaching staff and roster. He’ll have a role in oversight for the entire program.
Clark Stroud is going to transition to executive director for player development and university relations.
Riley said the player development side of things is something they will continue to invest in as a program.
In the works
02/05/2025 12:36:53 PMRiley praised Jen Cohen and others for helping put the new staffing additions together, including General Manager Chad Bowden. He said part of that process was in the works from before the start of this past season.
Riley said there are more personnel additions that will be announced in the coming days.
“I think it’s going to be the best personnel, off-the-field staff in the country,” Riley said. “They see the opportunity here. They see the momentum here.”
Riley speaks on new hires
02/05/2025 12:34:20 PMLincoln Riley welcomed linebackers coach Rob Ryan, tight end/inside receivers coach Chad Savage and cornerback Trovon Reed.
Riley on each coach:
Rob Ryan — “Not hard to find out about his history and the type of coach he is, the type of players he’s coached.”
Chad Savage – “A guy that really stood out to us very quickly in the process. Somebody that caught our eye in terms of being an elite developer of talent, an elite recruiter.”
Trovon Reed – “Bringing Trovon in as a former NFL player – another guy who is a tremendous recruiter.”
