O/NSO: From defensive recruiting potential to commitment reality edition
The Obvious: The wrap on Lincoln Riley has been that he is an acknowledged offensive guru whose teams score a boatload of points, win a lot of games, but his defenses have also given up a boatload of points in some of his biggest games, which resulted in losses.
The Not So Obvious: Last weekend, USC’s defensive recruiting for the class of 2024 showed some eyebrow raising progress with the commitment of three 4-star prospects. For many USC fans, while they have tried to remain optimistic for the defensive future, it’s understandable that they lost a good deal of faith, patience, and confidence waiting for an old school USC championship defense to reappear. Exacerbated by Lincoln Riley’s first defensive product in 2022, there was, however, a jolt of positive optimism last weekend that has raised heads in a hopeful direction, as there appears to be a growing momentum that there may be indeed a recruiting light at the end of that dark defensive recruiting tunnel.
Can Lincoln Riley recruit defensive players and restore the USC dominance of the championship past?
(Photo above Jayne Kamin-Oncea | Getty Images)
The Obvious: There’s no question that for the USC recruiting class of 2024, Lincoln Riley and staff are “straining” – as they like to say in this day and age of giving extra effort – when it comes to aggressively attacking defensive recruiting.
The Not So Obvious: When Riley signed up to have his own program at USC, a storied college football program as there is, he was aware that if he could push the right buttons on BOTH sides of the football, he had a recruiting window of opportunity to reach Pete Carroll’s recruiting level of dominance, which has already been a proven template. The big question from the day he was hired was not whether Riley understood what and how Carroll had created his cardinal and gold juggernaut in Los Angeles, but could he and his talented staff replicate what was once the most feared and respected college football program in the country?
Legendary USC football coach Pete Carroll was a defensive recruiting machine during his era.
The Obvious: If Lincoln Riley is to climb and reach Pete Carroll’s USC mountain of gridiron nirvana, being a one trick offensive pony is not going to get the former Oklahoma Sooners coach to the national championship level. He needs – at the very least – a good defense to work in concert with his offense.
The Not So Obvious: The most visible and easily understood coaching challenge for Riley – who is still young by coaching standards – is not just talking a good game of defensive recruiting but transitioning it to productive reality by signing an impressive defensive recruiting haul. With USC entering the Big Ten in 2024, there’s more emphasis and scrutiny than ever to get the job done on defense. Under Riley, offensive recruiting will always be there, but to beat the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State, it will take the type of defenses that Pete Carroll used to trot onto the field – meaning future NFL talent at a majority of positions.
One of Pete Carroll’s first recruits on defense was future All-America tackle Shaun Cody #84 from local Hacienda Heights Los Altos HS.
(Photo above by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
The Obvious: Through the transfer portal this past off-season, the Trojans have given every indication they understand the defensive recruiting challenge, and last weekend Troy caught the attention of the national college football community with a flurry of impressive commitments.
The Not So Obvious: Previously along this spring’s defensive transfer portal recruiting trail, you already are familiar with the defensive transfer names of Bear Alexander, who could be Lincoln Riley’s Shaun Cody, Anthony Lucas, Kyon Barrs, Mason Cobb, Jack Sullivan, and a few more sprinkled in. The aforementioned have given pause that the 2023 USC defense will be improved. Honestly speaking, could it be any worse than the 2022 Trojans’ defense? As great as the Trojans’ 2022 offense was, as you already know, the defense was the complete opposite. The saving grace was that Riley inherited much of the leftovers from the Clay Helton defensive debacle, and the damage couldn’t be overcome in one season.
Georgia defensive tackle transfer Bear Alexander has brought a great deal of optimism to the Trojans’ 2023 defense.
(Photo above by On3.com)
The Obvious: Last weekend, the Trojans’ aggressive defensive recruiting made headlines with a series of commitments from well-respected talents who announced they were basically convinced that future USC defenses would no longer be laughingstocks, and they would and could convince other blue-chip defensive recruiting nuggets to join them.
The Not So Obvious: The exciting thrust of future optimism came last weekend with the commitment announcements from national recruits after their official visit to Troy. It was a very nice start for the class of 2024 defensive foundation with the confirmation of commitments by Georgia Edge rusher Kameryn Fountain, Florida safety Jarvis Boatwright, and elite Southern California corner Dakoda Fields from Gardena Serra High, who spurned Oregon. The question, of course, can this initial defensive recruiting binge expand in bigger numbers and can Riley and his staff get commitments from a number of Southern California talents?
The recent commitment by nationally recruited cornerback Dakoda Fields from local Gardena Serra HS was a huge “get” for the Trojans.
(Photo above by Dakoda Fields/Instagram)
The Obvious: There are strong indications that last weekend’s defensive recruiting bonanza might continue to produce more blue-chip results in the coming two weeks.
The Not So Obvious: In the opinion of the O/NSO, should Riley and staff’s mega defensive recruiting push get an eventual commitment from 5-star Georgia defensive lineman Eddrick Houston from Buford, Georgia, who visited a couple of weeks ago and reportedly was effusive in his praise of the USC program, it would be clear and irrefutable evidence that a corner has been turned. Reportedly, Houston will make his announcement on August 22, his birthday, so USC fans will have to be patient and cross fingers because the competition is extremely competitive with home state Georgia leading the charge for this stud.
Can the Trojans get a commitment from Georgia 5-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston who is getting heavy pressure from Georgia?
(Photo above by Chad Simmons/On3)
The Obvious: This weekend, the Trojans continue their class of 2024 defensive recruiting march by hosting two extremely important recruits from local powerhouse Bellflower St. John Bosco: linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, hotly pursued by Notre Dame and said to be a heavy lean towards the Irish, and safety Peyton Woodyard, a current Georgia commit.
The Not So Obvious: It’s inevitable that both Viliamu-Asa and Woodyard have been made aware of the USC defensive commitments from last weekend. Should Riley and his defensive staff get themselves in the running for the services of these two national prospects from Los Angeles, it would be yet another huge sign that USC is on its way back to potential defensive dominance. Beating out competitors like Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Georgia would be a real benchmark for Riley’s program – not to mention a confidence builder for Trojans’ DC Alex Grinch.
The Trojans are in a real recruiting battle to keep 4-star LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa of local Bellflower St. John Bosco from joining the Irish. (Photo above by Chad Weaver/BGI)
The Obvious: And finally, the last major recruiting push on both sides of the ball will be next weekend, June 16-18, when the mother of all USC official visitations takes place.
The Not So Obvious: While this weekend’s recruiting is focused on two remarkable prep defenders in Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Peyton Woodyard, next weekend’s recruiting gathering will bring together a massive amount of defensive and offensive recruits. For many, it will be the defensive talent on official visits that many USC eyes will be trained upon. Get commitments from that plethora of defensive talent, and then it’s a matter of holding on to all these June commitments until the early signing period in December. As they say, the plot thickens.
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