Trojans looking to get 'Gold Plated' this spring

Members of the USC football team aren’t just looking to earn a spot on the roster or depth chart this spring. Thanks to a new “gold plating” process created by head coach Lincoln Riley and staff, the Trojans are also looking to earn their full uniforms.

Players have worn the cardinal and gold practice uniforms this spring, but conspicuously absent was the Trojan decal on the sides of the helmet. Instead, players came out in a solid cardinal helmet.

That logo is something the players now need to earn under Riley. The team refers to earning that decal as getting “gold plated.” And Riley has his reasons for the change. He said Monday night on the Trojans Live Radio Show that he wanted the players to understand the history of the program and what has gone into making it one of the iconic football programs in the country.

“It’s not anybody’s right,” he said of being a Trojan. “It’s an honor.”

Earning the decal has become another way Riley has reset this football program. This is an offseason where 20 scholarship players have entered the transfer portal. In addition, 13 others have arrived in similar fashion. This is a way to send everybody back to the starting line.

“Guys don’t need to be able to wear that helmet with that logo without having earned it first,” Riley said. “A roster spot’s not enough.”

The Process

The players understand what needs to be done in order to earn that Trojan decal. The process is “all-encompassing,” according to Riley, determined by work done in the classroom and on the football field. They go to players who show up on time and stay late. This process didn’t just start with spring ball. But the coaches wanted to wait until they got a few practices in so they could make sure the on-field output matched the classroom work and winter conditioning.

“We didn’t start gold plating anybody until we got on the field because you got to be able to combine that with being a consistent and elite competitor on the practice field,” Riley said. “And so guys that bring all of that to it, we wanted a way to honor them and set them apart.”

Riley said after Saturday’s practice that the team is in the low double digits in terms of players who have received the Trojan decal. Visible during Saturday’s practice were wide receiver Tahj Washington and defensive backs Mekhi Blackmon and Max Williams. There are several position groups wearing pads over their helmets. That makes it difficult to tell who across the program has earned them. Those groups include the offensive and defensive lines, linebackers, tight ends and running backs.

Players can be nominated for the award and if the staff agrees with it, the player will get the decal. The Trojans have come up with some interesting ways to extend the honor. Riley said on Saturday that Taylor Mays and Lenny Vandermade, both former players now on staff, were able to deliver the news to players this past week.

Gold Plated as a Motivational Tactic

The players are responding to the gold plating practice.

Last week, offensive tackle Courtland Ford became one of the first to discuss this gold plating process. He made it clear it was having the intended effect.

“You work your ass off, you get a gold plate,” Ford said. “And that’s what everybody is really trying to strive to get…That shows you’ve put the time and the hours in and you’re a competitor.”

There is no wiggle room when it comes to getting gold plated. It certainly sounds as though the end result is that a player will have earned it, or he won’t be on the roster.

“Guys that aren’t gold plated, you probably won’t have to worry about seeing them on the sidelines,” Riley said when asked if some players could end up with the decal and others not by the time the season opener comes around. “I doubt we’re going to put a player out there that hasn’t earned that in our program. So I highly doubt that you’ll see somebody out there without it.”