"Walker Lyons took his place in the slot and looked right. Lake McRee crouched on the opposite wing and looked left. The two Trojan tight ends had spent all last Saturday night moving around USC 's formations - split out wide, in the backfield, on the line of scrimmage - paving rush lanes and creating mismatches wherever they went."
"But through a spotless first third of this season, tight ends - and Lyons and McRee, primarily - have contributed 20% of USC's total passing output in 2025. One reason being the availability of McRee, who has battled a multitude of injuries over his college career. Another being that Riley has used more 12 personnel, with two tight ends on the field, this season than he has before at USC."
USC has turned tight ends into a central, multi-role component of its offense, using Walker Lyons and Lake McRee across varied formations to create mismatches and pave rush lanes. Tight end receiving share rose from just over 3% in 2022 to 8% in 2024 and has reached 20% through the first third of 2025. Increased deployment of 12 personnel with two tight ends on the field has driven that growth. Availability of McRee after past injuries helped usage. The coaching philosophy values tight end versatility as a uniquely adaptable offensive piece dating back to 2015.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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