Lincoln Riley satisfied with production from Arizona transfers

USC head coach Lincoln Riley brought 14 players into the program this offseason through the transfer portal ahead of his second season at the helm. And a trio of those players went to Arizona last season, as Dorian Singer, Kyon Barrs, and Christian Roland-Wallace are now all Wildcats turned Trojans.

Riley may have been able to see all those players perform last season up close and personal when Arizona faced USC in Week 9 last year, but he’s gotten an even better look at them now that fall camp in underway in Los Angeles. And following the team’s practice on Friday, Riley spoke about what he’s seen from his former Pac-12 opponents, starting with Roland-Wallace.

“Love all three. First time to really see Christian full go, he wasn’t able to do a whole lot with us this spring. He’s done a really nice job, we moved him around a little bit positionally and he’s handled that very well,” Riley said.

Roland-Wallace started all 12 games of the season for Arizona last year and lead the team in tackles in the process with 58, adding 6 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles to his stat line. He joins a USC secondary that struggled at times last season and lost shutdown cornerback Mekhi Blackmon to the NFL Draft, as he’ll competing with transfers like Tre’Quon Fegans and returning players like Domani Jackson for playing time.

“Kyon, especially the last couple days, has really come on and I know we’re certainly counting on him,” Riley admitted. “Expect him to really reach his potential, which we think is quite a bit past what he’s played. So we’re pushing him there and he’s really responded, especially the last two days. Been excited about him.”

Adding to the defensive line was a big point of emphasis for the Trojans this offseason, as Barrs joins Bear Alexander and Jack Sullivan as new additions to the USC d-line through the transfer portal this offseason. Like Roland-Wallace, he also started all 12 games for the Wildcats last season, brining size and experience to their defensive front after recording 102 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks during his 38 game appearances (23 starts) in Tucson.

“Dorian’s playing well, he’s fit in well with our guys, learned our offense well, is a playmaker, ball skills are off the charts, and I think he’s really starting to get a feel for the offense, where he’s supposed to be, kind of the flow of it,” Riley said. “See him really starting to settle in in the last couple.”

Singer represents another receiving option in the passing game for Lincoln Riley and reining Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams. He had a breakout season for Arizona last year as a sophomore, earning AP All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Pac-12 Second Team honors after posting 66 receptions for 1,105 yards and six scores in 2022.

He has the potential to be an impact performer for USC in 2023 along with his other former Arizona counterparts, as they’re all hoping to maintain or increase their previous production from a season ago, but this time on a winning team.