Monday’s Morass: What If USC Is Moving Closer To No. 1?
USC’s 2025 recruiting class sits at No. 3 nationally heading into June and the the Trojans are high on the list for some of the best prospects in the country. With the official visits ready to kick off in June, Lincoln Riley’s staff is going to be one step closer to a No. class.
What if Jahkeem Stewart reclassifies?
Five-Star 2026 Reserve (LA) St. Augustine Defensive Lineman Jahkeem Stewart announced his top 15 schools in February. Stewart is the No. 1 overall player in the 2026 recruiting cycle and many believe he would be in consideration if he reclassified.
Jahkeem Stewart. (Photo by: Josh McCuistion – SoonerScoop.com/On3)
Head coach Lincoln Riley and defensive line coaches Eric Henderson and Shaun Nua have USC in a great position to close out the 2025 recruiting class the same way it started with Justus Terry, Isaiah Gibson, and Gus Cordova already pledged to play for the Trojans following an unofficial visit back in March.
The 2025 recruiting cycle has one of the deepest defensive line classes in recent memory and the Trojans are in contention for a few more commitments. USC’s campus this June will host some of the best high school prospects from all over the country. Although Stewart is not on the official visitor list, he will return to USC for another unofficial. “In June, I really just want to work out with coach Henderson,” said Stewart. “Show him what I can do and get a feel on what it’s like working with him. Me and Coach Clyde will be going to the schools that I’m really considering and just working with those coaches to see how I like it.”
If Stewart reclassifies into the 2025 class, not only will it give the Trojans coaching staff one more defensive line prospect to sign, but that could lead USC to a No. 1 overall recruiting class.
What If Lincoln Riley becomes more like Dabo Swinney?
Coach Dabo Swinney has been making news for his views on the transfer portal and how he prefers to build a roster and develop his players. Let’s just say he’s not a fan of the transfer portal. However, he is proud of his roster retention numbers. Dabo had 127 players go through the most recent spring camp and 125 are still on the roster. I don’t care how anyone feels, there’s no disputing the fact that the love from the coaching staff and players is reciprocal.
How many times have we heard a recruit say during the recruiting process, “So and So is showing me the most love…”? In an odd and ironic twist, it’s now the schools looking to be loved back. So while Dabo would prefer to not use the portal, a couple of times he did, he like Lincoln Riley has been rebuffed. “It wasn’t really necessarily like an intentional thing. There’s a couple of guys we looked at but you know, they gotta love you too …”
USC has had more success than not when they’ve dipped into the transfer portal, however, this spring window hasn’t gone according to plan. And it’s not because Lincoln Riley hasn’t tried. But like Dabo said, “Show me the love!”
What if Greg McElroy is wrong?
ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy who owns a national championship ring has given Lincoln Riley a 20% chance to win a national championship. “I think if we look at it right now, in the prisoner of the moment mindset, a lot of people would say Lincoln Riley’s percentage likelihood of winning a national championship is below 10, probably single digits because clearly, based on his track record at Oklahoma and his early track record at USC, defense is a huge issue. Well, I would push back on that because I look at who he just hired in D’Anton Lynn,” explained McElroy. “I look at their philosophy moving forward. While I think Alex Grinch did some good things, I think, philosophically, he was too aggressive. I think there were too many chances taken and they occasionally got a little unsound. As a result, the tackling suffered and, as a result, the defense suffered.”
But what if he’s wrong?–What if that percentage should be higher?
The post Monday’s Morass: What If USC Is Moving Closer To No. 1? appeared first on On3.
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