Lincoln Riley reveals position group that has excelled at cross-training

Lincoln Riley was asked if there is a particular position group or player that has stood out because of their ability to train at multiple positions considering the USC football roster has been extremely thin this spring.

“I’d say the secondary right now,” Riley said. “I don’t know if we have a single player in the secondary that hasn’t had to double-train. We are pretty thin there right now, so guys are getting a ton of reps, a ton of work, but I think we have double-trained just about every single person in the secondary and some of the guys have played more than two.”

After mentioning the entire secondary as a hole, the first year Trojans coach pointed out a few defensive linemen who have flashed versatility early on.

“Tuli’s ability to play both inside and outside has been huge for us,” Lincoln Riley added. “Earl Barquet has been able to do the same thing. ”

The USC frontman pointed out a veteran offensive lineman that can play multiple positions and noted the receiver group has been impressive being able to switch it up when called to do so.

“Offensively I would say Justin Dedich, being able to work a couple of positions on the offensive line pretty seamlessly,” Riley said.

“A couple of our receivers have been able to do the same. I think Bynum and Tahj Washington, Gary, Mario and Kyren, a handful of those guys have done a nice job transitioning between both.”

As Lincoln Riley and the new staff prepare for the 2022 campaign, the Trojans’ frontman believes the players who have gotten a head start on those who will join the program closer to the season have an edge when it comes to understanding and adapting to the system.

“Listen, that’s the benefit for the guys that are here right now on this roster,” Riley continued.

“We went through spring with 60 healthy scholarship players. And when you do that, when your numbers are that low, it creates an opportunity for these guys all to get so many reps. Because honestly, it’s the lowest number of scholarships I’ve ever went into a spring with and I thought we may have to adapt practice because of numbers compared to what we did in the past. And we have not adapted one bit, in fact, we have probably pushed a little bit harder.”

Lincoln Riley challenges fans to help return USC to prominence

After a successful run as Oklahoma‘s head coach, Lincoln Riley is now living in Los Angeles and leading the USC football program. Taking over a prestigious program that hasn’t been as successful as of late, there’s high expectations for Riley to get the Trojans back on track in 2022.

While Riley compiled an impressive 55-10 overall record in five seasons at Oklahoma from 2017-2021, it’s evident that the coach knows how to build programs and win games – and that’s what he plans to do at USC, with the help of the top-tier coaching staff he has put together and the roster he has assembled by using the NCAA Transfer Portal.

While USC has spent the past month or so going through its spring football period, it will wrap it up Saturday afternoon with its annual spring game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. As the Trojans’ 2022 season continues to draw near, both the USC team and fans are getting excited.

Meeting with reporters last week, Riley was asked what he thought he and his staff could do to help reengage the USC fan base between now and the Trojans’ season opener in September.

“I think a lot of those things have been done and are already happening,” Riley said. “People, as you learn – particularly in this town – they want to support winners. They want to support excellence. They want to support success. We understand that, and we don’t shy away from that.

“I think the best experiences on these are the fans are going to expect greatness out of us, and it’s rightful for us to expect greatness out of them. And when there’s greatness on both sides, that’s when you get great football and great atmospheres – and that’s what makes college football so special. We know we’ve got to all rise up to get that done. We’re busting our tail to get our part done.”