USC head coach Lincoln Riley is making it clear that he’s all in on turning the Trojans’ defense into one of the best after criticism followed his teams’ defenses in the past, beginning with his time with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Lincoln Riley Confident in His Team’s Defense
Last season, Riley entrusted USC’s defense to D’Anton Lynn, who made headway as the team allowed only 24.0 points per game, compared to 2023’s 34.5.
Discussing the defensive production, Riley issued a warning that their defense is going to be even better in 2025.
“Of course we keep receipts,” Riley told On3’s JD PicKell.. “We’re competitors, right? That’s how we’re all wired. The politically correct thing is to say ‘No,’ but we all do. And that’s part of it.”
Riley knows getting to that level won’t be a walk in the park. Bringing in a new defensive staff, altering the scheme, and changing the personnel made him see results, as he put it.
“Great start there in year one,” he said. “So we’re trying to take a look at every part of the program that way, right? It’s either at a championship level now, or rapidly trending that way, or we’ve got to fix it. It’s in one of those three categories, period. That’s how we viewed every single part of this.”
Riley mentioned the excitement within the team, which he credited to patching up “leaks.”
“A lot of these things are starting to settle, and now you feel like some things are in place, and now you just build,” he said. “That, to me, is one of the most exciting parts.”
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Now that USC is a part of the Big Ten, the defense is going against even stronger offenses. However, they will play a few easier contests early in their schedule, which will give the defense time to get its footing.
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