"Recruiting is always a great barometer": Lincoln Riley explains why he thinks USC is thriving & not regressing 

Lincoln Riley believes the USC Trojans are currently in the best state they have ever been in. Even though the records say otherwise, the veteran coach claims that the spirit of the coaching staff and strength of the roster make it a powerhouse program in the Big Ten.

Speaking with Josh Pate in a sit-down interview on Monday - where he gave a closer look at the team and explained why he believes the program is on the rise - not in a regression stage. He pointed out two factors that decide the strength of a program. It's the recruitment trail and the strength of the coaching staff.

In both areas, the Trojans have been doing exceptionally well. The spring transfer portal closes on Friday and the program has been heavily pursuing players from across the country.

“I think recruiting is always a great barometer of where your program is at, right? Because you've got, you've got high school players that a lot of these guys are recruiting, have the options to go just about anywhere in the country they want to. You know high school coaches, right? That know the game and understand the game,” Riley said to Josh Pate on his show on Monday. [Timestamp - 5:05]

Similarly, the high school visits have ensured that USC remains at the top of the leaderboard as one of the most attractive destinations for amateur athletes. The coaching staff is already loaded with veteran stars and former Super Bowl champs.

“I think you look at the staff right, like the people that are in this business, day after day, they see what's coming. Like, you could go put any of us in another field, and yes, we might see on the surface what's going on, but we're gonna have no idea behind the scenes, like what that really means, because we don't live it day in and day out.

"You don't have the type of staff members that we're bringing in to retain coming into a place like this, unless they really are very positive about what's getting ready to happen here, and same thing with recruiting,” he added.

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Lincoln Riley is content with USC's performance in 2024 season

After a major conference realignment, the Trojans became part of the Big Ten conference last season. Unlike the expectations, the program struggled to cope with challenges posed by big sharks like Penn State in the league. However, Riley believes the team has performed pretty well.

Even though the 7-6 season record does not justify his claims, Riley mentions that the team gave its 100 percent. After Caleb Williams's departure to the NFL, USC faced a challenging phase of rebuilding and regaining relevance, a process that is still ongoing as of 2025.