USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley on Defensive Line Recruiting: 'Hoping to Add a Couple More'

The USC Trojans have been thin on the defensive front all season, and coach Lincoln Riley has put an emphasis on that particular position in recruiting and will continue to address it when the transfer portal opens next month.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have been thin on the defensive front this season, as a result coach Lincoln Riley has put an emphasis on recruiting that particular position for the 2025 cycle. 

"I don't know there's any position that we spend more time recruiting on than guys on the defensive front because we know how important they are to any football team,” Riley said. 

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC currently has three commitments on the defensive front: Hayden Lowe (CA), Floyd Boucard (FL) and Gus Cordova (TX). As signing day fast approaches next month, the Trojans coaching staff are continuing to work to put the finishing touches on their No. 11-ranked recruiting class, per On3, with few more additions on the defensive front.

“We’re really excited about the ones that we have committed and I’m hoping to add a couple of more and then obviously we’ll see how the portal plays out when that window opens up,” Riley said. 

The first signing period has been moved up this season and will take place before the conference championship games on Dec. 4, and the next signing period will be on Feb. 5, 2025. 

The depth of USC’s defensive line room has been tested this season. They lost Bear Alexander for the season after he made the decision to redshirt after the Trojans Week 4 loss to Michigan, citing playing time after he saw a significant decrease in snaps this season versus last season. 

Gavin Meyer has been an absolute warrior for the Trojans on the defensive line, wearing a number of braces and a club on his left hand to be available on game day, but he is in his final season of eligibility. Nate Clifton, whose status for this week is in question after he exited last Friday’s contest against Rutgers and was seen wearing a boot is also in his final season of eligibility. 

The Trojans added Meyer and Clifton in the transfer portal this past offseason and will certainly be heavy buyers again when the portal opens in December. USC will not only need to replace Meyer and Clifton on the field but the veteran leadership the two of them have provided. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn raved about Meyer this week and what he has meant to the team. 

“He always does what he’s supposed to do and everyone on the team sees that, and I’ve just been impressed by a guy that wasn’t here all spring, just how respected he is on the team," Lynn said.

Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans defensive end Devan Thompkins (98) sacks Utah State Aggies quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) during the third quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

“How to work, just everything he does, it’s how he takes notes, it’s how he prepares, it’s how he’s out here before practice," said Lynn. "It’s the stuff he does out here after practice. I think he’s a perfect example of how to be a pro.”

Redshirt sophomore Devan Thompkins has started each of the last three games on the defensive line and Riley spoke about the progress he has made in his three seasons on campus.

"Devan's done a great job, he's one of the guys that we honored with the Trojan MVP this last week which is one of the people we thought most contributed to the win and to the standard and culture we're building here," Riley said. "We actually highlighted a number of scout team reps he's taken on this practice field, which is a pretty large number. For multiple years he was kind of the young talented guy that needed all the season, and he needed every single rep, and you look up and now you kind of look up and he's changed his body, you just see him gain confidence as a player."

Freshman defensive lineman Jide Abasiri has taken on a larger role as the season has progressed, playing a career-high 16 snaps against Rutgers. Freshman defensive end Kameryn Fountain and redshirt freshman Sam Greene have also assumed larger roles since Anthony Lucas was lost for the season after Week 7. Both have begun to blossom into the pass rushers the Trojans have been looking for. 

Sophomore defensive end Braylan Shelby is big reason why the Trojans have been stout against the run over the last two games, limiting Maryland to 2.3 yards per carry and Rutgers to 2.9 yards per carry.

The Trojans' efforts on the recruiting trail in recent years when it comes to bringing in talent on the defensive front have paid off. Now, they have an opportunity to build off of the emergence of a number of young players and build a front that can create problems in the Big Ten.

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