Major USC spring game news shows how far Trojans have come since hiring Lincoln Riley
By Evan Desai
USC football's spring game is always fun for Trojans fans, but now ALL college football fans are going to experience it. USC has announced that they will be playing their spring game on April 23rd, and it will be broadcasted live on ESPN, with a full star-studded broadcast crew of Kirk Herbstreit, Joey Galloway, Molly McGrath, and Matt Barrie.
Unfortunately, all the other spring practices will be closed to the public. We will, however, be able to take in the most important one in the spring game. And it's the most important spring game in college football this year. It's the only one ESPN is broadcasting.
It truly is fascinating that all USC needed was a USC-caliber head coach at the helm for the program to reach this status again. I mean, it makes sense. The last time SC had an elite coach, they were tied for the most National Championships in the country. They were considered the best football program in the country, as they also posted eight straight top four finishes with that coach, and established themselves as the best NFL factory in America as well (many correctly believe they still own that title).
USC football is nationally relevant again and they haven't even played a game with Lincoln Riley yet.
Lincoln Riley has absolutely taken the college football landscape by storm ever since he signed with USC football. He has brought in the No. 2 transfer portal class in the country for 2022, and he's brought in the No. 10 overall class for 2022. This is despite the overall class being ranked outside the top 100 before he took the job.
It's not just that he brought in a top three QB in America in Caleb Williams. He brought in four other four-star transfers (Williams was a five-star). And on the high school front? Riley immediately found three 2023 commitments in the high school ranks--ALL five-stars (247Sports)...
He's a magician when it comes to bringing in talent. He did it at Oklahoma, and he's doing it at USC. SC is coming off of their worst season in history, yet there has never been more excitement for SC as there is right now since Pete Carroll was winning National Championships and Rose Bowls here. That speaks to the Riley effect more than anything.