The prototypical Lincoln Riley recruit: Wide Receiver

I have embarked on a new series of content, which I will do position by position. After a recommendation by a few WeAreSC readers, I will take a look at the prototype prospects at each position under Lincoln Riley. This means trying to find what it is about a prospect that makes them fit on a roster of Lincoln Riley’s.

In this exercise, I took the five previous signing classes from Lincoln Riley, going to be his time at Oklahoma, to find the measurables and data on each of his signees at each position. For the first write up, we will take a look at the wide receivers signed by Riley in the 2019-2023 classes.

Disclaimer: The head coach is not always the primary factor in determining the best fit or need at a position, but they are the best constant in an exercise such as this one. Coordinators and position coaches may have their own preferences in recruiting.

From a measurables and data perspective, the primary points I have recorded are: Height, Weight, 40-time, Vertical Jump, Shuttle Time, and Hand Size. On3 and other major sites in the recruiting industry do a good job of recording “combine” numbers and other data points at various camps and events.

There will always be intangibles to certain prospects that outweigh the measurables or numbers, but combine data is also important in the scouting process. In fact, it is often one of the first methods of identifying prospects.

Lincoln’s Wide Receiver

I have gone back and found each wide receiver signee under Riley the past five cycles, of which there are 14 of.

Riley is known for his offense and his quarterback development across his career, but he has also been an elite producer of wide receivers.

In terms of measurable data points, there will be coaches who prefer wide receivers who are big bodied with large frames but may not have elite speed while others may prefer wideouts with speed and athleticism (jumping, acceleration, etc.) but may not be a prospect with great size.

After looking at the numbers, I have found that Lincoln Riley surely values athleticism and speed more than he does size in his offense. Some fans may see a 5-foot-11 or 6-foot wide receiver and think they don’t have enough size, but if Riley finds the right athleticism and skillset, that prospect is a perfect fit.

And something important to note is that there are no major differences in results from Oklahoma to USC.

Here are the average measurables of the 14 signees over the past five cycles for Lincoln Riley.

Averages

HeightWeight40-timeVertical JumpShuttleHand Size72.1 (6’01)182.14 lbs4.57 seconds33.16 inches4.3 seconds9.55 inches

For sake of variables of recording numbers at camps and events, giving a buffer one inch and five pounds one either side account for slight changes.

What This Means

So, based purely off of averages in the data, the average wide receiver Lincoln Riley signs will be 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-1 and weight in between 177-187 pounds. They will run in the range of a 4.6-second 40 yard dash and jump roughly 33-inches in the vertical.

Are there prospects who fall outside of these parameters? Absolutely, but a majority fall in this range.

Class of 2024 commit Xavier Jordan fits the type well. He stands at 6-foot tall and is currently 160 pounds with a full season left to play before signing with USC.

Outliers

Some outliers in the data that Riley has signed more towards the height measurement than the weight.

Of the 14 signees, four of them have been 6-foot-3 or above, including USC freshman Ja’Kobi Lane, who is 6-foot-5, although he falls within the weight range at 180 pounds. Another outlier is the former Trojans CJ Williams, who is 6-foot-3.5, but also falls within the weight range. There has also been three signees under the average height, two of which are Zachariah Branch and Raleek Brown, both of which possess other elite skillsets.

There have been only three prospects who have weighed 200 or more pounds, two of them being 200 pounds exactly when they signed.

Who is the “perfect” Lincoln Riley wide receiver?

To be honest, the term “perfect” here is an imperfect way to describe this as a prospect like Zachariah Branch may be the best Riley has ever pulled in. When I say “perfect” here, it is only in comparison to fitting what Lincoln Riley brings in a majority of the time.

After looking through some of the numbers, I think it is accurarate to say that USC freshman Makai Lemon is the ideal prospect.

Lemon measures in at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, and jumps 31 inches in the vertical.

All four measurements of Lemon’s fall perfectly within the range of Riley’s tendencies.

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