"USC is always going to have great standards": Lincoln Riley opens up on challenges of rebuilding a program

Lincoln Rey is undergoing a major revamp at USC after the Trojans struggled to find balance in the Big Ten. Last season, the Trojans joined the league after a major conference realignment triggered by the Pac-12's implosion, during which almost 10 teams joined a new conference. This had drastic effects on strength distribution and rosters since for teams like USC, the Big Ten is a highly competitive league.

On Monday, coach Lincoln Riley contemplated the latest developments and how the program is rebuilding after star players left for the NFL and new coaches were hired last season.

The USC coach spoke to Josh Pate in a sit-down interview, where he mentioned the challenges in rebuilding the program.

“There's a reason why these things are called rebuild in the first place, right? And you've got to be willing to go through some of that. The other part of it is, as much as you try to learn about a job before you take a job, like nobody knows what these things are really like, till you get there,” Riley said to Pate on his show. [Timestamp - 16:00]

Starting from players to coaches, everyone needs to perform at the highest levels, a result that is only seen after three to four years of sheer hard work.

“There's also got to be a long term focus on what we are right now. What would we like to be in a handful of years, as we do, continue to build. And so you're kind of constantly balancing those two things. The thing, the toughest part about rebuilding at a place like USC is USC is always going to have great standards attached to it.

"No matter what's happened like it's great expectations are always going to do because it's USC, right? It's USC football, and so for somebody and a group of people to be able to manage that on their way up, I think, is really, really important,” he added.

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Lincoln Riley will have Jayden Maiava to start for the program in 2025

After Caleb Williams’s departure, Riley brought in UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava via the transfer portal. After initially being a backup, he started for USC in the final four games of 2024. With only one loss, he posted a 3-1 record.

In the postseason Las Vegas Bowl game, the youngster - throwing for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns with only six interceptions - helped USC to a Texas A&M 35-31 win. The redshirt junior aims to boost his NFL draft stock in the 2025 season, a prime opportunity to impress NFL GMs and coaches before the 2026 draft.