USC football is in its first week of spring practice, and the Trojans are already seeing improvements since the start of the preseason. Head coach Lincoln Riley believes there was a noticeable increase in the players’ energy.
“We did a little bit more team and competitive drills today, and so you kind of felt the juice of it coming out,” Riley said.
After cross-country scouting in January, the defensive staff finally came together for the first time in early February. It’s a new dynamic for the team with the addition of defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.
“[Lynn] is one of the most experienced linebacker coaches I’ve had around the game of football, so I’m really excited about him,” redshirt senior linebacker Mason Cobb said.
Lynn’s extensive coaching experience in the NFL and at UCLA gave Riley the confidence that the new hire is fully capable of taking over this new era of the Trojan defense. With the preseason underway, Lynn understands the importance of gradual improvement.
“Today was better than the first practice, so we’re going to keep on getting better and better each day,” Lynn said Thursday. “It’s a new scheme, so there’s definitely some stuff we’ve had to correct, but it’s been good stuff, and it’s good to get the kinks out early.”
It’s going to be a season of adjustment for the Trojans after losing several starters, like junior quarterback Caleb Williams to the NFL draft and freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis to the transfer portal. New additions include UNLV redshirt freshman quarterback transfer Jayden Maiava and UCLA redshirt freshman defensive back Kamari Ramsey. However, fresh talent isn’t the only important addition to the program.
Riley shared on Monday’s episode of “Trojans Live” that USC’s defensive line players have collectively gained 340 pounds since January. While the Trojans are taking their transfer to the Big Ten quite literally, there is a method to the madness.
“It’s a change philosophically within the program first,” Riley said. “There’s been a big push, especially on the defensive front, to get better. The results are there — we are noticeably bigger.”
In order to allow USC’s offense, which had the third-best scoring average in the country last season, to capitalize on its success, Riley’s been stressing the defense’s responsibility to get physically stronger. He believes this will be a crucial component in improving last year’s defensive line, which allowed more rushing yards on defense than 115 other teams in the country, averaging 186.5 per game. In an attempt to stop the bleeding, the program eventually fired then-defensive coordinator Alex Grinch last November in an unsalvageable season.
Sophomore defensive end Braylan Shelby has seen personal results after gaining 20 pounds in the offseason.
“I feel a lot stronger, I can move the same, create more power, especially coming off that edge,” Shelby said. “I found fun in gaining weight and seeing my number on that scale go up, seeing myself getting stronger in the weight room.”
Cobb has also reaped the benefits of the program’s new philosophy, gaining 10 pounds of pure muscle since last season.
“I feel really healthy,” Cobb said. “They made meals mandatory, so that’s one of the things I think pushed it over — guys had to eat.”
Cobb shared how the players’ group weight gains are posted in the weight room for motivation, which has aided in players reaching their individual and team goals.
The extra muscle will undoubtedly help the Trojans battle some of the nation’s best teams, including Michigan, which went undefeated last season on its way to a national title.
There are many unknowns about transferring to a new conference amidst all the player and staff changes within the program, but Riley and his staff remain focused on preparation.
“If you had to sum it up, it really all center[s] around one word for me, which was development,” Riley said on “Trojans Live” on Monday. “Development of the defense as a whole, the development of our schemes, development of our players individually at the different positions.”