"When Lincoln Riley first landed in Los Angeles, his audacious plan to remake a lacking USC roster on the fly revolved almost entirely around the transfer portal. The Trojans brought in two dozen transfers ahead of his debut season, including their top two running backs, three of their top four receivers, six starters on defense and, of course, a Heisman-winning quarterback. The plan worked quite well for Riley and Co. at the time."
"When the Trojans take the field in Eugene, barring some late lineup change, they won't have a single transfer from 2025 starting on offense. It isn't much different on the other side of the ball: Safety Bishop Fitzgerald is the only transfer among the top 12 in snaps played on USC's defense - and his status for the game is in serious doubt because of injury."
Lincoln Riley rebuilt USC in 2022 by importing roughly two dozen transfers, including key skill players and a Heisman-winning quarterback, producing an 11-win season and a near-College Football Playoff berth. Subsequent seasons relied heavily on the transfer portal but delivered poorer results. In 2025 USC returned to playoff contention by using mostly home-grown talent: no 2025 transfer starts on offense and only safety Bishop Fitzgerald is among the top-12 defenders, though his status is uncertain due to injury. A few transfers—Fitzgerald, and running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders—made notable contributions before injuries and uneven performance limited overall impact.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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