Lincoln Riley Provides Update on Raleek Brown's Redshirt Status

Brown's status is still up in the air.

Raleek Brown wowed Trojan fans with his speed last season as a versatile running back who also played as a slot receiver and kick returner. Scoring six touchdowns and gaining over 400 total yards, Brown's speed helped him earn a consistent, albeit not a huge, role on the high-octane Trojan offense.

According to Head Coach Lincoln Riley, the sophomore is considering redshirting for the 2023 season.

“He’s looking at the possibility of redshirting,” Riley said. “That’s a part of the world right now. We’ll see what happens.”

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The Trojan offense is, in a word, stacked. Tahj Washington, Mario Williams and Zachariah Branch are all excellent options at slot receiver and have proven that they deserve significant roles in the offense. At running back, MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones have proven to be essential to this offense, in both the running game as well as in pass protection.

At just 5'8", 185 pounds, Brown doesn't fit the archetype of a ground-and-pound, blocking running back that Lloyd and Jones have become.

With Branch proving to be an elite option as a returner, having brought back a kickoff for a touchdown in his first game as a Trojan, Brown could be struggling to find a spot as a role player on the offense. In 2023, he only has one reception, which went for 14 yards.

“I could still certainly foresee him being a big part of the team this year,” Riley said. “You just never know week to week, and you never know as years go on and different opportunities present themselves. So he’s going to continue to work. We’re going to continue to develop him like crazy. I still believe he’s got an outstanding skill set that fits us in a lot of ways.”

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Brown can compete in up to four games while still maintaining his redshirt status. He did not play in USC's 66-14 win over Nevada last Saturday.