USC Finding the Balance Between Recruits and Transfers

Riley Had an Unusual Advantage

The Trojans landing Riley was the story of 2022. After coming off another horrible year under fired coach Clay Helton, USC’s options seemed to be dwindling when then-athletic director, Mike Bohn, pulled a rabbit out of his hat and pried Riley away from Oklahoma. Yet, in addition to bringing in a coach who had taken his team to the College Football Playoff three out of the previous four years, in getting Riley, USC also had unusual access to the most extensive transfer portal talent, as Caleb Williams had already been starring for him at Oklahoma.

So it came as no surprise when Williams became the highest profile transfer and left Oklahoma to join his coach in Los Angeles, as well as his favorite target, wide receiver Mario Williams, who would soon follow suit. Though Riley brought in more athletes from the transfer portal in his first year, having the eventual Heisman-winning quarterback was enough to overcome a poor defense and get the Trojans to within one game of making the College Football Playoff. But just as quickly as that transfer situation boosted the program, it also left with the same speed, with a subpar 2023-24 campaign. Riley soon realized that the transfer portal was best used to fill gaps rather than build your entire team structure around.

USC Moving From the Foundation to Plugging Holes

When the transfer portal became wide open, many schools used it to completely alter their roster, but it was soon found that building your entire program around this apparatus was foolhardy, and wise coaches began to use it as a supplement rather than the main part of their roster-building diet. This is exactly what Riley has begun to do. While the Trojans still brought in a healthy number of transfers — with 14 additions via the portal in 2024 — they have will also have 22 incoming freshmen. In addition, many of these portal transfers are late adds due to USC losing players on the other end.

With New Staff, Recruiting Has Hit Another Gear

Another reason the Trojans have picked up the pace on their high school recruiting is because of the new defensive staff that Riley has brought in. The Trojans were beginning to suffer in gaining the attention of high school prospects due to Alex Grinch’s anemic defenses. But with an impressive staff now in place under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the impact has already been seen. Of the twelve recruits that the Trojans have already landed for 2025, seven of them are on the defensive side of the ball and the recruiting class is currently ranked fourth in the nation according to 247 Sports. This includes five-star recruit Justus Terry, and four-star recruits Matai Tagoa’i and Hylton Stubbs.

Trojans Are Approaching the Portal Strategically

Unlike some schools, such as Colorado, who seem to be trying to latch on to everything with a heartbeat that lands in the portal, the USC staff is taking a very strategic approach to the talent that is available by focusing on their needs rather than quantity. Case in point, when Caleb Williams made himself available to the NFL, there was no scramble to land three or four quarterbacks out of the portal. In all, USC only went after one quarterback, Jayden Maiava who came in via UNLV.

Since the end of last season, USC has tried to fill gaps in the offensive and defensive lines through the portal, despite the fact that there were available athletes at some of the more glamorous positions. This represented a significant departure from the previous two seasons in which they brought in high-profile offensive stars such as running back Marshawn Lloyd and wideout Jordan Addison. How this will impact the upcoming season is yet to be seen, but the strategic shift from the transfer portal to high school recruits bodes well for the Trojan’s foundation and future.