USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Addresses Concerning Transfer Portal Departures

After the transfer portal opened on Monday, USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley addressed the large number of departures from his team. USC quarterback Miller Moss, running back Quinten Joyner, and defensive lineman Bear Alexander all entered the portal.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The transfer portal officially opened, and USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley will have to replace over 10 players on his roster after 11 Trojans announced their plans to transfer and enter the portal. On Monday night, Riley made an appearance on Trojans Live, and he revealed some of the reasons USC has seen several players leave the program.

"We're a college model that's becoming a professional model," said Riley. "I know some people don't want to say that but it's here. It is what it is. The reality is there's just some guys that you either can't or (are) not going to pay what they want. You guys have done the NFL thing, you've seen it. If your value doesn't match the money then it's not going to go well much longer. It's not going to further. There's a cutthroat part of that that's just part of being a professional organization."

Some of the most notable Trojans that entered the transfer portal are quarterback Miller Moss, running back Quinten Joyner, wide receiver Kyron Hudson, defensive lineman Bear Alexander, and offensive tackle Mason Murphy.

Jul 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

Players are able to make substantial sums of money with new rules surrounding name, image, and likeness, but there is also a critical lack of regulations. As a result, college football and the transfer portal has started to resemble the NFL's free agency system, the professional model that Riley might be alluding to.

"We're having to make some tough decisions. We're having to decide where to allocate reps, or where to allocate resources or roster spots. . . . That's what's we're becoming. You're going to see that. Of all these transfers across the country, we're no different. Youre going to see, sometimes people that feel like 'I got a better opportunity to go play at this place or that place.' More often than what people realize now is the school telling the kid, 'We're sorry.' It just is what it is right now. The business has really changed right now but that's how we all are," Riley said.

Alexander made his intentions of transferring quite clear in the middle of the season after he decided to preserve his red shirt instead of playing for the Trojans. As Riley notes, the allocation of funds and playing time has become more and more important.

With several players leaving USC in the early transfer portal window, Riley and his staff will look to be quite active in acquiring talent to transfer to Southern California.

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