LOS ANGELES— It’s Lincoln Riley’s fourth year leading the University of Southern California, still looking to take the program out of its darkest days and back into national relevancy. Last year USC was close–but as the old saying goes, that only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades.
Riley’s Trojans tied or led in the fourth quarter in 11 of 12 regular season games last season, but ended up just 7-5 in the regular season. Their late-game losses included a disastrous 49-35 defeat to arch rival Notre Dame, the national runner-up, and a devastating 33-30 overtime loss to playoff powerhouse Penn State. They say it's a game of inches, but in Southern Cal’s case, the program was just a few plays away from a potential playoff berth.
The Trojans have spent the better part of a century playing in the Pac-12 or its predecessors, but after shaking the college football world by leaving for the Big Ten in 2024, concerns rose about how a university nestled under palm trees and sunshine and rebuilding at the line of scrimmage could compete with schools in the rugged midwest thousands of miles away.
It’s a question that USC players get a lot, but at media day the theme was familiar amongst the players: football is football no matter where you play it.
Redshirt junior Killian O’Connor will compete for a starting job at center this season after three years in the program.
“I don’t think it’s as big of a factor as a lot of people think,” O’Connor said of getting used to the Big Ten. “At the end of the day it’s football. You put the ball down, you line up, and you play. Our coaches have done a great job of preparing us for that.” At 6’1’’ 295, O’Connor played nine games last year, with one start.
“Everybody wakes up and ties their shoes just like we do,” echoed junior safety Christian Pierce. “We’re a very competitive team, and we’re really looking for all the smoke.”
The Big Ten’s Ohio State Buckeyes are the reigning national champions, but the college football universe has been centered on SEC programs like Georgia and Alabama. The Trojans have used the transfer portal in their favor to beef up the trenches this offseason, snagging 6’5’’ 349 lbs defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett from Georgia this spring. “Football is football,” Jarrett said. It’s the same game. You get the same type of work, same type of competition, it’s everyone on both sides working their tail off to prove a point.”
In 2023, the Trojans gave up an abysmal 34 points per game, 121st in the nation. After firing defensive coordinator Alex Grinch in 2023, Riley convinced UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to leave Westwood for USC. In his first year, the defense gave up ten fewer points per game. He’s earned high praise from defenders.
“Coach Lynn is a smart man, especially when it comes to schemes. I’m so looking forward to playing within his scheme,” said defensive end Braylan Shelby.
“He’s a terrific coach,” said Pierce. “He’s really developing the guys, he’s really developed me as a player.”
Nick Lucero/The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune's Anwar Stetson interviews safety Christian Pierce
On the offensive side of the ball, it’s year two as a Trojan for quarterback Jayden Maiava. A native of Hawaii, Maiaiva played at UNLV before transferring to USC last year. Initially the backup to Miller Moss, Maiava started the last four games for the Trojans. His last start was a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M.
A stoic and quiet leader, Maiava said his leadership skills grew by “spending time with the guys off the field,” bonding over the offseason with beach workouts and even a team barbecue.
With the hectic end to the regular season Maiava is approaching the year by not getting too low or too high. “The back end of last season was a lot of ups and downs and emotions for me,” Maiava said, “so I think [I’m] just trying to keep that neutral mindset and take it one day at a time.”
“The biggest thing for the team is just to stay neutral,” he reiterated. “We go by this, ‘we still ain’t sh–’ mindset.”
At Big Ten media day in Las Vegas, Riley said that this year's quarterback room could be the deepest he’s ever seen at the program. “We love to make each other better,” Maiava added.
Five star Class of 2025 quarterback Husan Longstreet will keep Maiava on his toes, but the team has confidence in the redshirt junior as the projected starter.
With only a month until the start of the regular season, it could be a make-or-break season for Riley, who has yet to win a New Year’s Six bowl game or make a playoff appearance in his tenure with the program. But the players are starting the year with confidence, and that’s the first step to success.