Inside the Trojans' Huddle: Two huge USC decommitments and another big recruiting weekend

Lincoln Riley took a Bob Stoops team that was ready made and turned it into a perennial playoff contender at Oklahoma. Asking him to build from the ground up at USC, which has its own natural challenges is asking him to do something he’s never done.

We suck! 😢 😔

Chris is not worried about losing his press pass. 😂😂

The entire NCAA is laughing at us😢

Chris Arledge is speaking facts and has been for the last 2 years. I've been saying this for the last 2 years about Riley and yes Riley is narrow minded for putting this defensive coaching staff knowing they'll be gone in a year or 2. 💥🔥💥🔥💥🔥

They really should have paid what it took and even overpaid with their NIL for these recruits. The timing of moving to the big10, hiring new defensive coaches, and Riley on the cusp of being known as an offensive coach only, necessitated that USC get the top DL recruits to show all the other recruits this is a defensive destination too. If USC could have made a splash with their defense this year, it would have snowballed all future recruits. This was the moment.

Great show, guys…thank you! Chris could not be more right about what other schools are telling recruits, and about LR focusing on the wrong recruiting geography!

USC needs to fix their NIL. This is not acceptable losing 5 star defensive lineman.

So SC threw next season away by not signing portal d-lineman because they needed to keep the 2025 class together, which they can't do either. Got it.

I agree with Chris. Lincoln does not know what he is doing. Plus he is afraid of marquee matchups that if played well would ascend the program. Instead, he is coming off as a scary little punk.

Riley's stubbornness has gotten us to this point. The 2024 DL interior will get tested to the max every weekend

CHRIS SPOKE STRAIGHT FAAAACCCTTTSSSS

Our Program is in Trouble!

This is not surprising. Recruiting requirements- 1) SC education, alumni tradition 2) Develope 3) Winning 4) Nil - pay to play - Without the four you won’t keep players . These recruitments are meaningless if they don’t sign . The rest is just unjustified excitement content . Riley should have demanded NIL money for DL 2024 to start the winning mark and then 2025. This will be a merry go round and until they build a winning 9 plus season and pay the players , the team will do nothing .

This weekend our coaches are going to do a great job recruiting but what happens when they go to the NIL department and they promise these guys the world and then give them NOTHING just like they did Gibson and Terry?

Great debate boys

Ya know with Leech passed on and Stoops at Oklahoma who does Riley have to mentor him now? His ego may be too big and that may be the problem.

Loved Riggin…..loved Friday Night Lights!

Here goes the new episode. I know it will be a great one. By the way I am hearing that NIL was a big issue for these prospects. Apparently there was a problem with promises that were made, but the money was not forthcoming afterwards. This could be a big problem for USC going forwards. Another point by Chris: If Lincoln Riley isn’t able to field a defense that is in the top third of the BIG this year, then “he’s done”, as in his reputation as a coach who can create great offenses is there, but he just can’t field a good defense. Hence, Riley will never be seen as a true elite coach, able to field offenses and defenses in enough of an equal way that his teams will be able to win championships. In my analysis, Chris is spot on. This season is Riley’s chance to cement himself as either an elite head coach, or only a person capable of being an elite offensive coordinator in effect.

2004 USC Championship Roster 80+players total....57+players from California.