Lincoln Riley names Woody Marks his starting running back

In a move that surprised few, USC head coach Lincoln Riley named Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks his starting running back for the season opener against LSU on September 1. This decision should give the Trojan offense a new element because of Marks' ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

"It’s always the toughest [position] to evaluate," Riley said, "because you’re not going a million live snaps, and that’s one of those positions, it’s a little tough to eval when it’s not straight live. But I think Woody asserted himself as the starter.”

Last season, Marks racked up 740 total yards and six touchdowns for the Bulldogs. 573 of those yards and four of those TDs came on the ground.

But it is as a receiver where Marks is unique. In four seasons in the S.E.C., he racked up 214 receptions for 1,225 yards and five scores.

In all, Marks amassed over 3,100 total yards and 27 touchdowns during his time in Starkville. That makes him by far the most accomplished USC running back heading into 2024.

Quinten Joyner, a sophomore from Texas, is still coming into his own as a collegiate. He made six appearances in 2023 racking up 125 yards on 18 carries.

Meanwhile, A'Marion Peterson and Bryan Jackson are freshmen who have yet to break the seal on what they could become for the Trojans. Interestingly, both of them are also from Texas.

Riley is counting on depth more than star power to carry his running back room this year.

“Quinten is certainly firmly in the mix and will certainly get an opportunity to play a bunch,” Riley said. “And we like the other two quite a bit. I can absolutely see a scenario for both A’Marion [Peterson] and Bryan Jackson contributing majorly to this team. We feel very good about those four. We feel like we have four contributors. And we know, if history is any indication, we’re going to need them all at some point."

However, Marks is likely going to have to be the leader of the pack. He's the most proven commodity that the Trojans have on the roster and his explosive speed could be an asset for Riley and Co. Hopefully, this unit comes together and brings some balance to what is expected to be an offense that will have no trouble putting up points.