Mario Williams reveals his personal goal before the regular season begins
USC‘s Saturday spring game marked the end of spring practice for the Trojans as they enter their second season with head coach Lincoln Riley at the helm. It’s also wide receiver Mario Williams‘ second season with the Trojans, and following the spring game, he revealed what his goals are for the upcoming season.
“Really just being able to help my team in any way, shape, or form,” Williams said. “If that’s just making a play, helping on a split or something, just helping the guys and making sure we all eat.”
Just like quarterback Caleb Williams, Mario Williams transferred to USC from Oklahoma in 2022, following the footsteps of Riley. Williams was an ESPN True Freshman All-American with the Sooners, recording 35 catches for 380 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate season after enrolling early in the spring of 2021.
Williams would only elevate with the Trojans, increasing his production in every statistical category and finishing last season with 40 receptions for 631 yards and five touchdowns as a vital piece of USC’s passing attack. He was one of the Trojans’ most explosive players, ranking second on the team in yards per catch with 15.8, only behind Kyle Ford who he had twice as many receptions as.
The Trojans lost their top receiver from last season Jordan Addison to the NFL, which will likely lead to an increase in the role of Williams this season. It’s clear that Williams is not only looking forward to being the Trojans’ WR1, but being a leader that helps his wide receiver room maintain their status as one of the best in the country.
Saturday’s spring game looked like a promising sign of just that, as the Trojans had 10 different players record at least one reception. Williams had three, along with a touchdown reception from Caleb Williams on the very first drive of the spring game.
Lincoln Riley says USC is ‘pleased’ with incoming players, transfers
For the second year in a row, USC head coach Lincoln Riley has taken a deep dive into the NCAA transfer portal to improve his team. But this year, the evaluation process is a little bit different for the Trojans when it comes to new acquisitions. Still, Riley says his team is ‘pleased’ with the impact of the incoming transfer players.
“We’ve been pleased. We feel like we’ve landed on the right guys, the right kind of players, (and) right kind of people,” said Riley. “And I give all the guys that have come in a lot of credit because it’s a little different than coming in last year. Last year they (had) a little bit of blind faith with us. These guys got to see a little bit last year about what we were about. And they wanted to come in and be a part of, not now establishing, but building on the standard and taking this team where we want to go.”