Lincoln Riley reveals biggest takeaway from first practice

On Friday, the USC Trojans officially kicked off day one of their fall practices. The Trojans have a bunch of new faces, some they’ve seen in the spring, and some like receiver Jordan Addison who are fresh on campus. This practice gave head coach Lincoln Riley his first authentic look at his full roster in action since putting it together. And after practice, Riley revealed his biggest takeaway from day one.

“Great first day. Great to get back on the field,” said Riley. “Fun to see our entire roster on the field. That was good to see that for the first time. I think (we’ve) taken several steps since spring. The biggest thing I’ve noticed right now is a lot of our bodies have started to change in the way that they need to change. Both our bigs and our skill (players), we’ve really moved in the right direction. You see a little bit more pop, speed, and physicality out on the field just from an overall sense; which I think was good.

“Great start. We’re going to get in the Coliseum in the next couple of days. Get a chance to practice some in there; spend a little bit more time there, in our home. So we’ll be looking forward to one more non-padded day and then get shells on and progress it from there. But overall, really good start. A lot of energy and intensity. It’s good to see the new bodies out there that have been great additions for us.”

The Trojans have a little less than a month until they kick off their season against the Rice Owls at home on Sept 3. But if they can keep putting together solid practices, as they did on day one, USC should be able to roll through their week one opponent.

Riley gives impressive initial take on Jordan Addison

The USC Trojans got in their first day of all practice on Friday, and head coach Lincoln Riley likes what he’s seen from his team so far. Riley and the Trojans got off to a solid offseason in the spring culminating in an impressive spring game. However, one of his most potent offensive weapons was not on campus for the spring game receiver Jordan Addison. After practice, Riley spoke to the media and gave an impressive initial take on Addison’s first practice with the Trojans.

“Yeah, he’s a good player, he is. He’s very attentive. You coach the details, and then you see it show up on the field pretty quickly,” said Riley. “(Jordan) Made some nice plays for us today. He’s obviously a proven player in his past, but he’s gotta come prove it here. But he had a really strong day. For the first time truly on the field coaching him, he’s impressive.”

Looking ahead to the 2023 NFL Draft, new USC Trojans offensive weapon Jordan Addison has already established himself as a likely first-rounder.

Addison had 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns before entering the portal just ahead of the May 1 deadline. At USC with Caleb Williams, he has the opportunity to shine in the Power Five and move even further up the draft board.

In PFF’s way-too-early 2023 mock draft, they have the new Trojan coming off the board at No. 21 overall.