Lincoln Riley'stenure as head coach of theUSC Trojanshas not lived up to expectations.

While there have been flashes of brilliance, primarily during the 2022 season, his first in LA, SC has yet to reach the College Football Playoff, or compete for aBig Ten Championship. Some of that can be blamed on Riley, as the Trojans' defense was, to put it mildly, atrocious during his first two years on the job.

Some of the underperformance, however, can also be blamed on USC's complete lack of preparation for name, image, and likeness-based recruiting.

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Despite the wealthy alumni base, location in Los Angeles, and historic success, SC's athletic department, coaching staff, and donor base were not aligned properly when NIL came into effect. And recruiting suffered. After putting up classes perennially in the top 10 of national rankings, SC dropped to #18 and #15 in 2024 and 2025 respectively. Unsurprisingly, per most analytics-based rankings, that's just about where the team finished nationally in overall success rate.

Well, thanks to a new general manager, Chad Bowden, better coordination, and weaponizing that prolific donor base, SC brought in the #1 recruiting class in the country for 2026. And Riley is already making some bold claims about it.

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans looks on prior to the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on October 14, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

"We're excited Jim, you know, I think this will be the most complete roster that we've had here at USC," Riley said to Jim Rome on a recent episode of "The Jim Rome Show. "We return some really good productive players that we think are teed up to be the best they've been in their career, including some positions that historically you would say, ‘hey, this is pretty important’ in terms of returning production at quarterback, offensive line, running back, defensive line."

Riley explained that it's not just the returning talent that has him excited, it's the "great class" they brought in.

"We've got, you know, we've got quite a bit there, which is exciting starting piece," he continued. "And then, you know, we brought in a great class. We signed the number one recruiting class in the country.

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