Matters have quelled now, but Southern Cali has been yearning for some respite through adversity. The wildfires that struck the greater LA area were a travesty. Not at all comparable in size, but the USC Trojans being kinda meh adds to the misery. The people were in need of a beacon of hope, and sports can help alleviate the pain inflicted by the real world. They say the night is darkest before dawn, and for good reason. The Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, and Lincoln Riley’s own roster is also shaping up nicely. At least in one position group, now gaining more respect than ever.

Depending on whether you caught every down, every beat of the Super Bowl. Or if you saw the box score at the end. You’d have very different perspectives on how that game played out. That said, everyone in the football sphere is in unison about one thing. The key takeaway from the Eagles’ triumph was that one cliché still holds true and will perennially. Football is won and lost in the trenches. Control the line of scrimmage like Philly did, and you control the game. The Eagles’ defensive line gave Patrick Mahomes 60 minutes of hell. Now, coach Riley’s own defensive line is being touted as a game-breaker. According to one USC insider, it’s up there with the very best in the entire Big 10.

USC J took to his “LOST IN THA SAUCE PODCAST” platform to break down the Trojans’ D-line. He reckons the returning players and those that redshirted last season form  “foundational pieces” that will solidify the defense as a whole. Not just in stopping the run but especially in rushing the passers. He pointed out the EDGE position, in particular, being a unit that’ll cause Lincoln Riley’s contemporaries in the B1G problems.

“Kameryn Fountain along with Braylan Shelby. Those two guys coming off the edge are going to be a major problem for anybody in this Big 10 conference.” claimed USC J. “These are some of the guys that I consider to be foundational pieces.” Fountain was an enigma right from the jump as a true freshman last year. He gave opposition players nightmares in the backfield, only getting better as the season progressed. In the last two games of the season, against Texas A&M and Notre Dame, no less, Fountain put up 8 tackles and a sack on Riley Leonard. Simultaneously, sophomore Braylan Shelby was just as much of a menace. He accounted for 28 total tackles on the year, including 19 solo ones. 

With their trajectory only pointed skywards, it’s understandable why USC J is so confident in the tandem of Fountain and Shelby. Confidence has been at a premium for coach Riley’s program recently. Under his leadership, USC has had a conspicuous downward spiral year after year. They’ve gone from 11 wins to 8 and now to 7. This recruitment cycle has been an unmitigated disaster. Only 5 out of the top-15 rated recruits that joined under Lincoln Riley now remain at USC. Although he sees over the offensive side of the football, the defense complimenting it will go a long way to force a turnaround of fortunes. The seat Riley occupies is rather hot right now. Through discourse around his job security, his athletic director has broken her silence on affairs.

Trojans AD Jennifer Cohen speaks out on their current predicament and Lincoln Riley

USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen was confronted about her views on the current affairs of football. Speaking with the LA times, she prefaced her answer with acknowledging that the season “certainly didn’t meet the expectations that we have.”  However, Cohen kept a positive outlook despite a clear regression year after year. “Lincoln [Riley] has the experience, right? He’s built and led championship teams before.” The further we get away from his stint in Oklahoma, the further it dulls his rep as an offensive whiz. Cohen proceeded to outline her own responsibilities.

“My focus with him is just investing and giving him — and not just him, but his entire coaching staff, his support staff that he has around him — every resource possible to get to the next level,” she said. “We just have to go execute, and I feel really confident in the resources that we’ve put into this program. We know we can do it here because it’s been done here before.” Well, a stronghold on in-state recruitment will be a great start. The Pacific coast is a hotbed of footballing talent. You’d think a school in the biggest sports market in the country can lure prospects. Not only has that been a problem, but USC hasn’t even been able to keep those in-house from hitting the transfer portal.

“There’s been some really positive action taken to create what looks like some really exciting moment as we enter into the spring and into next season…I’m just ready for spring ball to start to see some of these new faces we have,” said Jennifer Cohen in summation. It all implies that Lincoln Riley is safe. For now. Helps to have a $90 million buyout as a safety cushion. That said the Trojans faithful demand excellence. With the hype around the D-line building and veteran coaches such as Rob Ryan coming in, there’s a tempered yet substantial expectation. The standards are the standards. Lincoln Riley has to live up to them. A massive 2025 beckons.