LOS ANGELES — USC’s 2026 recruiting class jumped to No. 1 in the country, and then the Trojans bolstered it with two blue-chip commitments this week. New general manager Chad Bowden has hit the ground running. And spring ball, when we’ll learn a bit more about this team, is just a few weeks away.
The Trojans have a lot going on. Let’s get to your questions about it all.
(Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.)
What do you think was the contributing factor to the (long overdue) shift back toward local and in-state recruiting? Was it Bowden stating the obvious in his interview, a push from above from athletic director Jennifer Cohen or did Lincoln Riley himself finally recognize the folly of ignoring all the talent in his backyard? — Brad D.
It was probably a mix of everything. I wonder if there was a lesson that came from the 2025 recruiting cycle. USC chased high-profile, out-of-state prospects and even got commitments from some. There are exceptions, mainly blue-chip defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, but it was an unproductive exercise for the most part, and those players signed elsewhere — somewhere closer to home or with a more established program.
USC bypassed talented locals for highly touted out-of-state recruits and ended up without much of either. That’s a bad formula for a program that needs to add more talent across the board.
I can’t really speak for Cohen’s role, but based on the moves that have been made this offseason, it seems clear she wanted to put every resource in place to improve recruiting.
And Bowden arrived with his own emphasis on prioritizing local recruiting in a major way. Bowden said in his first talk with Riley that USC’s coach shared the same excitement about recruiting locally.
The Trojans received two more in-state commitments this week (three-star offensive lineman John Fifita and four-star receiver Trent Mosley). USC’s 2026 class is at 14 commitments, and nine are from California. There are still eight months until the early signing period, so the Trojans have to finish this cycle strong and sign those players, but the program signed just five players from California last cycle. So USC’s shift toward its backyard is noticeable.
Jayden Maiava had 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in seven games last season. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
How wide-open is the QB room? Is this Jayden Maiava’s job to lose? How much of a shot does Husan Longstreet have? — Sam W.
Antonio, who’s going to be the starting QB because it can’t be Maiava? — Tim S.
I’m fairly certain Maiava will be the guy for the same reason I was confident it was going to be Miller Moss last season. Maiava has time and experience in the system. He’s played in it under real game pressure, starting the final four games last season.
Maiava wasn’t overly impressive, and I believe USC could stand to upgrade (even though it’s not realistic at this point in the offseason). But those reps count for something, and they’re more than Longstreet has. It’ll be tough for Longstreet to overcome that between now and the start of the season.
So even if a competition takes place, I have a hard time believing Maiava doesn’t open the season as the starter. Could we see Longstreet later in the year if Maiava struggles? Sure. That’s how Maiava was thrust into the role last year.
What does the depth chart on both lines look like going into spring ball? — Felipe M.
We haven’t seen any practice yet, so this is only a projection for the starters.
Offensive line (from left to right): Elijah Paige, DJ Wingfield, J’Onre Reed, Alani Noa and Tobias Raymond.
Defensive line: Anthony Lucas (if he’s recovered from his lower leg injury/surgery), Keeshawn Silver, Devan Thompkins and Kameryn Fountain.
Raymond has played in just two games, and it’s quite a risk to have him start at right tackle for an entire season. USC should look at the transfer portal for another tackle because it needs to build depth there.
And I’m probably sounding like a broken record, but USC still lacks an elite pass rusher on the defensive line. We’ll also have to see how defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn plans to deploy Stewart, who is the best defensive lineman the Trojans have signed during Riley’s tenure.
Why is no one talking about the performance of the head coach? Hiring his friends who can’t and/or don’t recruit and coach; disregarding SoCal recruits; abysmal play calling and time management evident in every loss last year; leading in almost every game in the fourth quarter and losing; having so many five-star players transfer out? — Anonymous
Yep. No one. Nobody is talking about Riley’s performance. Nobody at all …
I want Lincoln Riley to succeed, but if this year is near .500, is it firing time? Does the need for new leadership outweigh the buyout? — Daniel L.
If, hypothetically, the Trojans struggle and Riley gets the (expensive) heave-ho, does Cohen immediately lock in Lynn as head coach, or does she start a national search and risk him walking? Put another way, how important of an asset would Lynn be in a post-Riley world? — Scott G.
Even if USC disappoints this season, I’m not sure it’s going to be in some sort of rush to fire Riley if his buyout is around $70 million to $80 million. USC didn’t want to fire Clay Helton when his buyout was around $20 million. So unless someone wants to write a really, really big check, I’m not sure how realistic that would be, especially in the upcoming revenue share era when schools have to pay student-athletes millions of dollars.
As for the second question, I’m not sure how long Lynn is for college football. He’s always seemed bound to the NFL in a few years. That’s where he spent most of his career, and he’s not a dynamic recruiter. Make no mistake, he’s valuable to USC — the extension he received a few months ago proved that. But I’m not sure he’s going to be someone who is coaching in college football in four or five years.
Also, the last time Cohen promoted a defensive coordinator to head coach — the Jimmy Lake experiment at Washington — it failed miserably. So not sure that would be the path she’d go down again in a hypothetical world where she has to make a hire at USC.
Is it right to say the team lacks an identity? If so, how much does this impact recruiting and game planning? It seems most positions are at best a “B,” with many performing at a “C” or lower. I don’t even know where to start for creating an identity and successful niche for game planning. — Justin B.
In my opinion, it lacks an identity. What’s the program’s calling card? What is it elite at? The best thing the team did last year was run the ball, and Riley was only halfway committed to it.
I’ve been harping on it for a while, but the program needs to make something its calling card because it’s been without a true, defining characteristic other than Caleb Williams’ stardom.
Bowden has a vision to recruit Southern California intensely, so at least there’s some guiding light there. But we’ll see what his directive is when it comes to building the roster over the next year.
In your view, what would qualify as a successful season in 2025, record and recruiting-wise? In my mind, a top-five class and at least an 8-4 record (or a top-10 class with a 9-3 record) would be a very positive step forward for the program. — Mathieu L.
I have USC pegged at 8-4. I need to see the Trojans win some games against quality competition on the road before I predict them for more.
But I don’t see 8-4 qualifying as a successful season. Not when USC is coming off an eight-win season in 2023 and a seven-win season in 2024.
I don’t know if people can say tangible progress has been made if they win fewer than nine games. USC would be stuck in neutral if it went 7-5 or 8-4.
Do you see SC as being in the 1-10 range or 10-20 range nationally in terms of its financial resources? What got me thinking about this is that, this offseason, SC retained a couple of roster players it needed to keep and is seemingly bringing name, image and likeness into play in high school recruitments, but it also just lost two projected key players in Quinten Joyner and Emmanuel Pregnon for financial reasons. — Jessica S.
USC’s NIL budget for football was about $13 million last year. That probably wasn’t at the level of Ohio State, Oregon or Texas, but it’s still a lot better than most schools — and was much more than Notre Dame, which played for the national championship. Money wasn’t an issue for USC last year. I don’t expect it to be this year, either.
The number for this year is unclear, though, because revenue sharing hasn’t been introduced yet. Cohen told The Athletic she’d talk more about specific numbers if and when the House settlement is finalized.
I’m always struggling with the volatility of NCAA roster shuffles with duration caps, transfers, incoming freshmen and early NFL exits.
Why doesn’t USC put the players’ last names on their jerseys? I assume improved player identification helps more easily store players in memory structures and could lead to stronger fan/team connection. — Jordan Hodgson
You must want to start a riot. I’ve said this before, but there are some USC fans upset about having to buy Nike jerseys with player names on the back. I’m not sure how they’d take the school’s actual jerseys having names on the back.
Not having names on the back of the jersey is part of USC tradition. Would I be surprised if it happened someday? No. Tradition means less and less in college football every year. USC’s rivalry series with Notre Dame might be in jeopardy soon. I’d be surprised if a change on the jersey front was imminent, though.
(Top photo of Lincoln Riley: David Becker / Getty Images)
