USC football is back.
Is that too early?
The Trojans finished last year’s season 4-8, and are 22-21 in their last four campaigns. They’ve gone through one of the worst four-year stretchs in school history and haven’t won a game since the 2017 Rose Bowl. They’ve also never qualified for the College Rugby Round.
But I stick with it: USC football is back.
After firing longtime head coach Clay Helton and making it clear that interim head coach Donte Williams is not the permanent answer, USC’s search for the coach appears to have failed. All of its top contenders appear to be picking other schools, and the Trojans are set for another mediocre season.
Then, one fateful night in late November, everything changed.
Somehow, the team, seemingly out of nowhere, snatched Lincoln Riley from his throne in Norman, Oklahoma and arrived right into the bright lights of Los Angeles.
Riley is excited to bring the relevance back to the West Coast, and for a short period of time, that’s exactly what he did.
It wasn’t long before Riley launched rookies and landed the top transfers in this year’s class, including two of the top three and three of the top nine.
Caleb Williams. . The double-threat midfielder threw for 21 touchdowns and ran six more in 11 games.
Jordan Addison, last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner as best wide receiver in College Football, is the top non-fielder to transfer. He reeled in 100 catches with 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and picked Trojan over the Texas Longhorns.
Then there’s 5-star cornerback Domani Jackson, who left the Trojans in early November amid uncertainty surrounding their head coach position. But only about a month later, in mid-December, he announced he was going back to LA, select the Trojan on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ever heard of them?
These are big names, but far from the only ones to switch to Cardinal and Gold this season. Top transfers and rookies on both sides include full-backs Raleek Brown and Travis Dye, wide-fielders Brenden Rice and Mario Williams, and defensive backs Zion Branch, Fabian Ross and Latrell McCutchin . The 20 (and continuing) transfers USC has made have made it the top class in all of college football, and set this team up for immediate and future domination (even before that). when they moved to the Big Ten).
It’s hard to predict how long it might take for all of USC’s new products to succeed under their new leadership.
It could be a week. It could be a year. They may be ready.
But one thing is for sure.
In a short period of time, USC has completely retooled its roster and restored its relevance in the world of college football – something they have been lacking for the past four years.
It won’t be long before the Trojans scramble for the Rose Bowls. They could join the College Football Playoff conversation as early as this season.
Whatever the case, it can be said: USC football is relevant again.
By the way, the 2023 College Football Qualifier National Championship will take place on January 9 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Let’s talk about one way to reintroduce yourself to the world of College Football.
