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B1G Thoughts: Should the Big Ten be concerned about USC?
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images
After revamping its defensive staff, USC has been on fire on the recruiting trail. Is that cause for concern for the rest of the conference?
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. This now also features conference’s the newest members — Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
After failing to capitalize on future No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams’ career by employing an objectively bad defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley finally came to his senses and hired a new defensive staff. Led by new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, USC hopes to fix its defensive woes and chase a national championship.
Now is a great time for the Trojans to work on their defense, as the road to success has gotten much harder with them joining the Big Ten.
Riley’s quest to fix his defense may be led by his 2025 class, which is currently on fire. USC has eight commits, with six of them being on the defensive side. USC landed all six of its defensive recruits in the last two weeks, adding three top-100 players, including two five-star defensive ends from Georgia on March 24.
Since the 24th, USC has landed the No. 13, No. 17, No. 71, and No. 95 ranked players in the country — all on the defensive side of the ball. For reference, last season USC only landed two top-100 recruits total, with only one being on defense.
In this class, USC already has a five-star quarterback, which is to be expected. Under Riley, USC will always recruit well on offense and have a star quarterback. It has historically been his defense that’s held him back from reaching the pinnacle of the sport. That same defense stopped Riley from even winning a PAC-12 championship with his most talented quarterback in Williams.
Heading into the 2024 season, the favorites to win the Big Ten are Ohio State and Oregon. Penn State has historically been a great team and hopes to be better now that it doesn’t have to play Ohio State and Michigan every year. The Big Ten is a much tougher conference than the PAC-12, and USC is facing an uphill battle in the trenches.
USC is going to compete to have one of the best offenses in the country, but its consecutive losses to Utah — a team that is built like a majority of Big Ten teams — shows the Trojans they have a long way to go before consistently being a threat to win the conference or a national title.
If Riley’s new defensive staff can create a complimentary defense to go with his high-scoring offense, the Big Ten could be in trouble. This type of recruiting is just the beginning. It’s one thing to land them in March, it’s another thing to keep them on signing day.
USC has a ways to go before it can realistically consider itself among the best of the Big Ten. One class that hasn’t made it on campus yet won’t change everything, but for once Riley is taking defense seriously.
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images
After revamping its defensive staff, USC has been on fire on the recruiting trail. Is that cause for concern for the rest of the conference?
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. This now also features conference’s the newest members — Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
After failing to capitalize on future No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams’ career by employing an objectively bad defensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley finally came to his senses and hired a new defensive staff. Led by new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, USC hopes to fix its defensive woes and chase a national championship.
Now is a great time for the Trojans to work on their defense, as the road to success has gotten much harder with them joining the Big Ten.
Riley’s quest to fix his defense may be led by his 2025 class, which is currently on fire. USC has eight commits, with six of them being on the defensive side. USC landed all six of its defensive recruits in the last two weeks, adding three top-100 players, including two five-star defensive ends from Georgia on March 24.
Since the 24th, USC has landed the No. 13, No. 17, No. 71, and No. 95 ranked players in the country — all on the defensive side of the ball. For reference, last season USC only landed two top-100 recruits total, with only one being on defense.
In this class, USC already has a five-star quarterback, which is to be expected. Under Riley, USC will always recruit well on offense and have a star quarterback. It has historically been his defense that’s held him back from reaching the pinnacle of the sport. That same defense stopped Riley from even winning a PAC-12 championship with his most talented quarterback in Williams.
Heading into the 2024 season, the favorites to win the Big Ten are Ohio State and Oregon. Penn State has historically been a great team and hopes to be better now that it doesn’t have to play Ohio State and Michigan every year. The Big Ten is a much tougher conference than the PAC-12, and USC is facing an uphill battle in the trenches.
USC is going to compete to have one of the best offenses in the country, but its consecutive losses to Utah — a team that is built like a majority of Big Ten teams — shows the Trojans they have a long way to go before consistently being a threat to win the conference or a national title.
If Riley’s new defensive staff can create a complimentary defense to go with his high-scoring offense, the Big Ten could be in trouble. This type of recruiting is just the beginning. It’s one thing to land them in March, it’s another thing to keep them on signing day.
USC has a ways to go before it can realistically consider itself among the best of the Big Ten. One class that hasn’t made it on campus yet won’t change everything, but for once Riley is taking defense seriously.
Continue reading...