Monday’s Morass: What If The Offseason Wasn’t Filled With, “What If?”

Last week was a great week to be a Trojan. First, the Heisman Trust returned to USC and Reggie Bush what was rightfully theirs, and then a couple of days later Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft. By the week’s end, the Trojans football factory was sending its interns into the NFL workforce.

However, I have some random questions to think about.

What if USC can’t sign any “elite” linemen on either side of the ball?

Before you learn how to walk you crawl. If USC wants to stop their opponent’s run game this season, it’s going to be incumbent on Lincoln Riley, Eric Henderson, and Shaun Nua to fill some needs along the defensive line. On the offensive line, Josh Henson could use some experienced depth at the tackle spots.

There is a large pool of candidates available in the transfer portal who are interested in playing somewhere else other than where they were. And according to Coach Riley, there should be 100 guys waiting in line waiting for a chance.

What if USC can’t afford to pay the entrance fee the players want to stand in line?

What if Max Williams never got hurt?

You got a feel for one of the toughest Trojans ever to put on the Cardinal & Gold. However, with two knee injuries and a heart bigger and stronger than his body, Williams’ plans for the NFL appear on hold. Williams’s situation isn’t unique. There have been lots of players who have suffered injuries that changed their professional plans.

We’ll never know if Williams’s dreams of being drafted into the NFL would have happened without one or both knee injuries. But when Max joined USC’s program he could have gone elsewhere like most of his high school teammates who were highly recruited. Instead, he kept his commitment and tried to make USC great again. It just feels like he deserves another chance.

What if USC had more players drafted?

There were seven Trojans who heard their name called during the NFL’s draft last week. Not bad all things considered. Caleb Williams went No. 1 overall as anticipated. But after Williams and Calen Bullock on Day 2, USC’s draft turned interesting.–And frustrating for others. Brenden Rice lasting until the 7th round wasn’t what too many would have expected.

One of the interesting parts of the draft for me was, that of the 7 Trojans drafted, six transferred to USC, and the highest-drafted player that USC recruited, Bullock, lasted into the 3rd round.

Compared to Michigan who had 13 of their players drafted and Washington’s 10 players, USC did “okay.” It’s not so much about the number of Trojans who were drafted as much as when they were selected.

Getting another 2 or 3 more players drafted from USC might change the optics surrounding the program and it puts the staff in a better position going forward as they recruit for future NFL drafts.

What if USC had its current defensive staff in 2023?

Then there’s probably an excellent chance that Peyton Woodyard isn’t changing his mind for a third time.

USC wasn’t a viable candidate at the time so The local prospect from St. John Bosco committed to Georgia before flipping to Alabama. Woodyard ended up enrolling early and finishing up spring camp in Tuscaloosa. Then out of nowhere with one day left before the spring transfer window closed, the young man entered the portal with a “Do Not Contact” label attached.

Many who follow USC’s football program feel that if D’Anton Lynn was the Trojans defensive coordinator during the 2023 recruiting cycle, Peyton would have been a Trojan commit out of high school.

Had Lincoln Riley made any type of coaching change on the defensive side of the ball there is a good chance Marcelles Williams would have Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa sharing the locker room too.

This isn’t about Woodyard and Viliamu-Asa specifically. However, it’s hard to lament that keeping Alex Grinch for an extra year affected recruiting.

What if there is no longer a “team-first” locker room culture?

Coach Lincoln Riley talks all the time about building a strong culture inside the locker room that puts the team ahead of the individual. But college football is a business, and that team-first mentality is in the transfer portal trying to get paid.

Riley stated that his goal is to move away from the transfer portal and recruit guys that fit what he and the staff are trying to build.

What if NIL and the transfer portal changed the locker room culture forever?

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