The end of spring ball is here, but USC's roster building will continue

When the final whistle blows to end USC’s spring game on Saturday, it will put an end to the Trojans’ 2022 spring camp and put a renewed focus on Lincoln Riley’s roster building effort to put the best product possible on the field this fall.

USC brought in 13 players via the transfer portal prior to spring ball and Riley said this spring that they could add another group of transfers numbering in the double digits.

Riley said it’s going to be “a pretty active time” for the USC coaches chasing transfer portal targets over the next few weeks. Recruiting high school players has always revolved around establishing an early connection and building the strongest relationship possible. That’s the case with transfer players as well.

Riley said the first step is quickly evaluating the player. Second is doing homework on his background and potential fit. But these are things that might need to be done in minutes for transfers. That’s compared to days or months or even years with high school recruits.

“It does move quickly,” Riley said. “You gotta make up your mind pretty quick on if you want to pursue them or not.”

Riley said the success the USC staff has had this offseason in chasing targets has helped them streamline the process.

“We kind of have our routine when a guy goes in of exactly who’s responsible for what,” Riley said. “How it gets to each coach, how we evaluate not only the on-the-field, but the off-the field — the academic situation and all that. Just trying to find guys that check all the boxes.”

Where Could USC Add Transfer Players?

USC brought in two running backs out of the transfer portal in Oregon’s Travis Dye and Stanford’s Austin Jones. But both Riley and running backs coach Kiel McDonald said this spring that USC will look for another addition at that position as the Trojans continue building the roster. USC has just three scholarship backs this spring.

Quarterback is another spot where a transfer could be beneficial. Even if Mo Hasan returns this fall from an Achilles injury, USC will have just three scholarship players there.

Riley consistently says there isn’t a position on the roster where they wouldn’t entertain recruiting a player. Adding a dominant wide receiver, an experienced H-back or a sure-thing starter along the offensive line would be interesting. But the “needs” for the Trojans appear to be in the front seven. USC added four players there in defensive linemen Tyrone Taleni and Earl Barquet, rush end Romello Height and inside linebacker Shane Lee. USC is already a potential destination for a player who entered the portal this week. And the Trojans also offered defensive lineman Casey Rogers, who previously played at Nebraska.

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch spoke this week about what USC coaches look for in building the roster through transfers.

“There’s a lot of individuals that want to be USC Trojans, so it’s not just bringing in bodies to fill the roster,” Grinch said, adding that size and speed are the top two qualities they look for. “Are they an individual that is going to be able to produce this fall?”

Grinch said they weigh college experience and whether they feel the player will be able to pick up the scheme quickly in order to contribute five months from now. If that’s not the case, then that scholarship might be better used on someone who can.

USC has just four players for its rush end spot for position coach Roy Manning right now. That’s another position that could see an addition. Manning said his No. 1 priority when evaluating players is seeing how much effort they play with.

“If a guy is not just absolutely playing with his hair on fire, I just turn the film off,” Manning said.

Manning reiterated that the Trojans will play looking to add players at any and every position this offseason and he stressed the importance of making sure the coaches successfully connect on those players.

“This isn’t a rebuild,” Manning said. “The expectation is to win and that’s how we have to approach this from a roster standpoint.”