Ceyair Wright Gets Significant Praise from Lincoln Riley

Cornerback Ceyair Wright is one of the standouts of the first six spring practices according to USC head coach Lincoln Riley.

USC relied heavily on Mekhi Blackmon last year during his one year with the Trojans. He led the team with 12 pass deflections, grabbed three interceptions, forced a fumble and recovered another. Blackmon also provided a steady, consistent presence at cornerback. He played more defensive snaps than any other USC player, by a fairly wide margin. One of the challenges for the defense this season is to take a big step forward while also replacing some of last year’s biggest contributors. Blackmon and Tuli Tuipulotu are the names at the top of the list there.

On Saturday, Riley seemed upbeat about the cornerback position. And that was especially so when it came to his discussion of Wright’s play nearly halfway through spring ball.

“The corner competition’s been good,” Riley said. “We’ve got more bodies, more talent there.”

Riley said Wright has been one of the “breakout players” of spring ball. He then stopped himself, acknowledging that it’s a little strange to call Wright a breakout player considering he started 11 games and played in all 14 last season. He tied with linebacker Shane Lee for the fifth-most snaps played on defense.

“His improvement and some of the playmaking that he’s had, the difference has been as substantial as anybody on our roster for six practices,” Riley said, adding Wright has recorded multiple interceptions so far and had another one on Saturday.

“It’s what you hope would happen for a guy that got some phenomenal experience and game reps last year, but really been pleased with him,” Riley said of Wright.

Embracing the Competition

Riley said Wright had some ups and downs throughout the 2022 season. Fellow corner Jacobe Covington replaced Wright in the starting lineup for the final three games. And Covington continues to have a tremendous offseason, according to Riley. But Wright is fighting back, which is the expectation of a position battle for Riley’s Trojans.

“I think he’s like a lot of guys on this team right now,” Riley said. “There’s a little bit the realization that, whatever I did last year, it’s probably not going to be good enough to get me on the field this year. If I’m going to go do this, I’ve got to go. And I give him credit. He’s had a really good offseason.”

Riley said Wright is playing with a lot more confidence. Riley credited cornerbacks coach Donte Williams and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch for helping Wright instill that. He added that he’s seen it in several cornerbacks and other across the defensive side of the ball.

“It’s six practices in and he’s got to keep it going,” Riley said. “But he’s certainly been one of the most improved players. And I think confidence has a lot to do with it.”

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