IMHO Sunday: A new USC recruiting challenge
In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles:
The perception: Not to belabor the point, but recent comments by Georgia 5-star commit Dylan Raiola of Phoenix, Arizona, who selected Georgia over the Trojans, could turn a potential perception challenge for Lincoln Riley and his building program. As you are aware, the month of June will see a massive influx of high-profile recruits on campus representing the class of 2024, and Raiola’s comments may be something that Lincoln Riley may need to address or dispel.
The perception – Part 2: As you are aware or perhaps not aware, Raiola – without mentioning USC by name – said one of the reasons he selected the Bulldogs was “Georgia is not built on one person (ex. Caleb Williams) or one position group (ex. USC quarterbacks), it’s a complete program I get to be a part of.” As the Trojans began their June push aware of Raiola’s comments, which appeared to be pointed at USC. It wouldn’t be surprising if Raiola uses his subtle comments to persuade recruits who might be torn between Georgia and USC to gain a recruiting talking point.
Is USC a one-man show starring All-America quarterback Caleb Williams?
(Photo above byJerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
The perception – Part 3: At the moment, we’d all agree that currently USC is not on the same level of Georgia, but then again, who is? No question, the Trojans are moving in that direction, and it may still take a few more prep and transfer recruiting classes to look Georgia eye-to-eye. That responsibility rests on the shoulders of Lincoln Riley and his accomplished staff. They are certainly putting in the effort and the master planning to go for the gusto.
The perception – Part 4: No question that in the current state of recruiting – both high school and in the transfer portal – some universities will say anything to take the focus off a recruit’s mindset. The comments by Dylan Raiola also raises the caution flag that somebody might have put in his ear the idea of “Georgia is not built on one person or one position group, it’s a complete program I get to be a part of.” From a USC perspective, that one hits home in a hurry. It’s also a challenge for Lincoln Riley to make sure that perception is short lived, and the complete team concept replaces it.
Georgia quarterback commit seemed to imply that USC is a one-man show and that the Trojans aren’t a complete team.
The perception – Part 5: I am not totally convinced that somebody got into Raiola’s ear for that one-player team comment, but I also don’t hold it against the kid for saying it either. Such a direct reference to USC without saying USC is obvious. Regardless, somebody wanted that comment out there to paint a picture that USC under Lincoln Riley is a one trick pony. I don’t think that was why Raiola picked Georgia because the Bulldogs under Kirby Smart speaks for itself. Again, that comment got out there to set a perception with other recruits that might be deciding between USC and Georgia. Like other walks of life, recruiting folks like to carve up somebody else’s furniture to make their own look better.
The perception – Part 6: Whether you believe that somebody got in Dylan Raiola’s ear to voice a USC perception without saying USC or to get Raiola to get into the ear of other recruits, the good news is that the comments were made and have been made publicly. The USC coaching staff is aware of them and can address them or not address them as they see fit.
USC football coach Lincoln Riley watches the team’s spring game from the sideline with quarterback Caleb Williams.
(Photo above by Kiyoshi Mio / USA TODAY Sports)
The perception – Part 7: As we have learned from the past, the Dylan Raiola’s will come and go in the recruiting world, and who’s to say he will be happy at Georgia in the long run? In today’s college football world, it isn’t the end of the world if you don’t get a recruit the first time around. The transfer portal looms large, and if you don’t get a recruit the first time around, it could be the second time around through the portal. The way the recruiting and transfer game is played today, burning bridges by the school spurned or by the recruit himself doesn’t do anybody any good.
Summation: So, we are well into a new era when it comes to recruiting. The high school level of recruiting and the transfer world of recruiting, coupled with the NIL, have shown a darker underbelly than ever before. Colleges will adjust as they see how things play out, but things will never be the same thanks to the transfer portal and the NIL – like it or not.
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The Lindy’s College Football National Preview quotebook…
In assessing an overview of the 2023 USC Trojans, Lindy’s wrote:
“There’s not a USC fan who doesn’t expect the Trojans to be better, especially when Riley kept saying it during the offseason. The goals are not often stated, but it’s clear the expectations are for USC to make the College Football Playoff and maybe even win the national title. Unless the defense improves dramatically, those expectations are unrealistic.
“The schedule is not as cushy as last season, with Oregon and Washington replacing Washington State and Oregon State on the schedule, plus a road game at Notre Dame. Most weeks will feature a talented quarterback for the defense to deal with.”
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From the press box…
(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Nobody asked me…but: The Trojans have a lot of big games in the second half of the season beginning at Notre Dame, but none may be bigger than when the Washington Huskies come to L.A. to play the Trojans in the Coli on Saturday, Nov. 4. FYI, UW plays at Michigan State in September, hosts Oregon on Oct.14 when USC is at Notre Dame, and has a very good chance of being 8-0 coming into the Coli.
Nobody asked me…but: Lindy’s 2023 College Football has picked the Washington Huskies to win the Pac-12 with USC coming in second and selected quarterback Michael Penix Jr. a second-team All-American.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., scans the field as he moves around.
(Photo above Alika Jenner / Getty Images)
Nobody asked me…but: Lindy’s also predicted that Washington will be the only Pac-12 representative in a New Year’s Six Bowl Game with the Huskies headed to the Fiesta Bowl.
Nobody asked me…but: I am sure you now get the impression that publications like Lindy’s can’t let go of the 2023 Trojans defense question marks, which is hard to dispute at the moment.
Nobody asked me…but: Longtime University of Iowa athletic director Gary Barta announced his retirement recently, and he will officially step down on Aug. 1. That may be significant as the Trojans and now the Hawkeyes will be both looking for new athletic directors. In a year, the Trojans will be in the Big Ten with Iowa, so there could be competition in terms of hiring an AD that wants it, as it pertains to the Big Ten.
Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta announced his retirement today, effective August 1, 2023.
(Photo above by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nobody asked me…but: One of the huge factors in attracting candidates for the vacant USC AD position is how well a future candidate believes in USC president Dr. Carol Folt. In a recent story in the Athletic by respected college football authority Bruce Feldman, the scribe says that across the college football world there’s the perception that Dr. Folt is difficult to deal with, which is not a winning talking point.
Nobody asked me…but: Does it seem it’s a little too quiet on the USC transfer front – either coming or going?
Can Lincoln Riley get another portal transfer like defensive lineman Bear Alexander before training camp starts in July?
(Photo bytrOn3.com)
Nobody asked me…but: When is Salute to Troy? Is there even going to be a Salute to Troy?
Nobody asked me…but: It didn’t take long for former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian, currently at Texas, to make his way into the 2023 preseason college preview magazines’ “hotseat” sections.
Steve Sarkisian, on the hotseat again?
(Photo above by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
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The post-game show…
(Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)
Viva Las Vegas: The Pac-12 Conference announced last week that, in partnership with Las Vegas Events and the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, for the first time ever the Pac-12 will hold its annual kickoff Football Media Day in Las Vegas. The 2023 Pac-12 Football Media Day will take place at Resorts World Las Vegas on Friday, July 21.
AC: The LSU Tigers will wear air-conditioned helmets for all practices and games in 2023. The helmets will reportedly have a five-hour life span before needing to be charged, and last up to four years. The Trojans’ first two games are in the afternoon in a likely hot Coliseum on August 26 (5 p.m. PT/San Jose State) and Sept. 2 (3:30 p.m. PT/Nevada). Might the Trojans follow the lead of LSU and have air-conditioned helmets for those two “heated” games?
Might the Trojans have air conditioned helmets in the future like LSU?
(Photo above by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Pop Tarts: FYI, Trojans fans should begin to know some of the Big Ten bowl possibilities in the post-season of 2024. Pop-Tarts, the iconic brand, has become the title sponsor of the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, beginning this December.
Pop Tarts – Part 2: The Pop-Tarts Bowl, features top teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big 12 Conferences, and will take place on Thursday, December 28 at 5:45 p.m. ET, broadcast live on ESPN. This year’s Pop-Tarts Bowl will be the 34th edition of the game but the first time Pop-Tarts has sponsored an NCAA college football bowl. The game is organized by Florida Citrus Sports.
Such a deal: The USC ticket department is reminding fans that they can purchase full season tickets for as low as $65 dollars per game. Such a deal.
Looking ahead: So that you know what’s coming down the TV pipeline, The Big Ten’s new partnership with CBS and NBC commences this fall. CBS will debut Sept. 2 with Ohio State at Indiana at 3:30 p.m. ET and is also airing Northwestern and Rutgers that Sunday at noon ET. NBC previously announced it will air West Virginia at Penn State that night.
Attention Pac-12: The Big 12 Conference just completed three days of spring meetings in West Virginia, and commissioner Brett Yormark says he has a plan for expansion. According to The Athletic, potential candidates to join the Big 12 include Pac-12 members Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah.
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The Call-in Show…
Caller No. 1: Greg, do you sense that everybody has moved on from the Mike Bohn resignation?
Caller No. 1, yes, I believe it’s time to move on and look towards the anticipation of a new athletic director.
Caller No. 2, Grego, did you think that there will be some changes in the athletic department when the new athletic director takes over?
Caller No. 2, Absolutely. The challenge for the new AD will be morale of the folks that Mike Bohn brought from Cincinnati and the staff members that were in the department before Bohn’s arrival.
Who will replace Mike Bohn as athletic director and what changes will he/she make?
(Photo above by Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
Caller No. 3: Mr. Katz, are you still concerned about recruiting when it comes to offensive and defensive linemen?
Caller No. 3, aren’t you? The physical monster that is the Big Ten is just over yonder, and the Trojans are still trying to lure young offensive and defensive linemen to play at USC. That being said, we’ll have to see if this month’s recruiting surge on campus brings any future linemen to the table.
Caller No. 4: Katz meow, on paper, who’s better: Washington, Oregon, or Utah?
Caller No. 4, I know that Washington is getting a lot of pub, but I wouldn’t discount Utah by any means. They are still a team very capable of winning a third consecutive Pac-12 championship. Including USC, this 2023 season may have as much to do where and when conference games are played than in recent seasons.
Don’t count out the Utah Utes in 2023 as they try for their third consecutive Pac-12 championship.
(Photo above by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Caller No. 5: GK, in your opinion, who are the four greatest standup comedians in your lifetime?
Caller No. 5, for me, it would be Don Rickles, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, and Woody Allen.
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The last word…
In Tuesday’s edition of “Inside the Trojans’ Huddle, panelists Mark Kulkin, Erik McKinney, Chris Arledge, and Greg Katz provided commentary and perspective on the new USC “interim leadership team” for athletics, discussed how the USC offense affects the Trojans’ defense, which opponent defense will test the USC offense in 2023, ranked the Pac-12 stadiums and locations, and viewers’ questions and panel’s answers.
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