LOS ANGELES — USC is through another week of practice and is 21 days from kicking off a critical 2024 season against LSU in Las Vegas.
Here’s what we learned about the Trojans during the second week of camp.
1. When Lincoln Riley sat down with The Athletic for an interview in late November, he pointed to USC’s 2023 recruiting class. Those players were freshmen at the time and witnessed firsthand what life is like when adversity hits at a program with sky-high expectations.
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“We have one of the most fantastic, talented, high-character freshman groups that I’ve had anywhere, anytime,” Riley said at the time. “The true freshmen here right now, all these guys, whether they played or not this year, are getting a front-row seat into what to do, what not to do, what it’s like. They’re not getting it individually, they’re getting it together.”
That group has experienced some high-profile departures — five-star quarterback Malachi Nelson and four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis transferred after one season — but the majority remain with the program, and several are expected to have significant roles this fall.
I thought back to Riley’s quote when second-year wideout Ja’Kobi Lane, who will have an expanded role in the offense, was asked about becoming more confident and more of a vocal leader this offseason. Lane said there wasn’t some switch that flipped. He’s always been vocal. But the nature of the team this year also contributes to it.
“It’s more about realizing, in order to communicate with your teammates, you need to have relationships with your teammates,” Lane said, “and I feel like I have a relationship with all of my teammates. A lot of my teammates I have handshakes with. I talk to them a lot so there’s no teammate I don’t know or can’t approach (in) any type of way besides a good way.
“All of our team is more together as far as being able to accept the fact that a teammate might have something to say, a teammate might have something to coach you on. And everybody’s realizing that. And just being able to have a level head and take coaching well or take what your teammate says for the better of the team is what everybody’s mindset is.”
USC was a talented team that lacked chemistry last season. This team is probably less talented than the 2023 group, and though it’s impossible to know until adversity hits, from the outside looking in, this team appears to have better chemistry.
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Vibes are difficult to quantify, but I’m interested to see how much of a difference things like cohesion and chemistry really make this season.
2. This goes for every program, but remaining healthy along the line of scrimmage is paramount for the Trojans because they lack ideal depth on offense and defense. So it set off some alarms when true freshman left tackle Elijah Paige hobbled around after practice ended Friday.
Afterward, Riley said Paige is “fine” and it’s nothing long-term. Defensive lineman Braylan Shelby and offensive lineman Amos Talalele appeared limited Friday as well, but Riley said “all good” on that front.
3. Talalele, a redshirt freshman, is involved in what Riley described as “one of the biggest position battles right now” on the team — at right guard.
Talalele, sophom*ore Alani Noa, redshirt senior Gino Quinones and redshirt freshman Micah Banuelos are all in the mix.
Offensive line coach Josh Henson provided some insight on what will be the determining factor there.
“How many times when we go to execute a certain block or certain assignment can we do that when we’re facing a very similar situation?” he said. “Right now, we’re doing it really well a few times and you’re like, ‘Gosh where did that come from?’ Then we’re back to it. So we’re just a little up and down right now, but you are seeing flashes of it being done, executed the way it should be. It’s whoever becomes the most consistent at doing it the right way — that’s who’s probably going to get the most playing time.”
If I had to guess, Talalele and Noa seem like the two front-runners to start there.
4. In June, the NCAA’s Division I council approved a rule change that essentially removes the lid on coaching staff limits. Any staffer can coach on the field now.
Riley was asked whether he’ll structure his staff differently now or whether that’s something he’ll examine after the season.
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“We’ve got a few things internally that we have restructured in some different ways,” he said. “As those come about and we get to the right point, we’ll announce those. We do have a lot of people taking more active roles, especially some of the guys who are very experienced in the (quality control) world for us. We will have a few title changes and some shifts that’ll happen. Some before the season, some after. It already feels a lot different in a way that we’re using our staff personnel.”
Under the prior coaching staff limits, Riley said he didn’t believe in having a full-time special teams coordinator. He said a special teams coach could become alienated at times during practice and wanted position coaches contributing to different special teams units.
USC’s special teams have had some ugly moments during Riley’s two seasons as head coach, and fans have been vocal about the need for a dedicated special teams coach.
Riley was asked, jokingly, if the new staffing rules definitely meant a special teams coordinator was on the way. “Yes, there is a special teams coordinator,” he said.
Pure speculation here, but the logical leap is that Ryan Dougherty, the program’s senior special teams analyst who has worked with Riley at Oklahoma and East Carolina, will likely get the special teams coordinator title.
5. USC recently posted a video on social media of walk-on receiver Josiah Zamora being put on scholarship.
who doesn’t love surprises? @_JosiahZ_ pic.twitter.com/zkbtsdBVlI
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) July 29, 2024
It was a really cool moment for the redshirt junior who has been with the program since 2021 and recorded the first two catches of his career last season against Nevada.
“I had no idea,” Zamora said. “I had zero expectations for it. I just show up to work, try to make the team better. That wasn’t even a thought in my mind. It was just a normal Friday for me, show up, work. It’s a blessing. Really excited for the moment. It caught me by surprise for sure.”
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Receiver Duce Robinson shared a good anecdote about Zamora, whom he calls “Mr. Reliable.”
Robinson said Zamora had an internship in New York that took him away from the program for a week during summer lifts.
“He was out there every single day. He was up (at) 5 a.m., sending us videos of him doing all the lifts we were doing,” Robinson said. “Literally, same exact lift that we did in the weight room at that same time, and he’s getting it done 3,000 miles across the country before he starts his internship. If that doesn’t tell you what type of character he has, what type of leadership he brings, I don’t know what else will.”
6. One of the more interesting subplots to track over the next few months will be USC’s 2025 quarterback recruiting.
Five-star Julian “JuJu” Lewis has been committed to USC for a year. Lewis still took trips to several other programs in the spring and to Auburn, Colorado and Indiana — in addition to USC — this summer.
In the past, Riley has been adamant about not recruiting a quarterback when he has another one committed in the same class.
But in April, Husan Longstreet, a four-star prospect who plays at Corona (Calif.) Centennial, visited USC’s campus days before he committed to Texas A&M. Kevin Longstreet, Husan’s father, said USC quarterbacks coach Luke Huard organized the visit.
“That’s who invited us out,” Kevin Longstreet said. “Lincoln didn’t really speak to us in the spring. That was a problem. So coach Huard was the one. He really loves Husan a lot because he wanted to try to find a way to make it work, but it’s really late in the game now.”
So USC has a quarterback committed, but that has not prevented the staff from showing interest in the Aggies’ pledge.
“Not much,” said Kevin Longstreet, when asked whether USC’s staff has said much about its current situation with Lewis. “It was just more that they love Husan’s game and would love to have him as a Trojan, which is what they said (to us).”
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Friday, Riley was asked what circ*mstances would push him to recruit two quarterbacks in the same class.
“I don’t ever want to say never, but it’s highly, highly unlikely,” Riley said. “The more likely scenario in this day and age that is more common is you might take a high school guy and possibly look at somebody in the portal to add to it. I’ve just never believed in trying to stack guys up that are the same age. Not saying never. There’s always a possibility, but it’s not something I believe in.”
So Riley wants just one high school quarterback in the class, but the staff is giving attention to two prospects.
It makes sense. If Lewis is still flirting with other programs this late in the process, USC needs to have another plan in place to protect itself. It’s just tough to decipher how realistic it’ll be to flip Longstreet.
“We’re solid with A&M right now,” Kevin Longstreet said. “USC understands that and they respect that.”
Kevin Longstreet said Texas A&M hasn’t asked Husan to reaffirm his commitment because “we gave them a reason not to. … It’s just that USC’s a school in the backyard. Lincoln Riley is freakin’ phenomenal so you’ve got to respect. Texas A&M respects that and they understand.”
What could change those circ*mstances?
“Whew,” Kevin Longstreet said. “If they’re not what they said they are or they’re not running the offense that they said they were going to run.”
The Longstreet family seems firm with the Aggies right now, but recruiting has taught us to never say never — especially with four months left until the early signing period.
USC’s QB recruiting will be fascinating to watch regardless.
(Photo of Lincoln Riley: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales
