While USC’s Golden Boy Caleb Williams shines bright in the NFL, Lincoln Riley’s newest recruits are also showing promise. As the incoming freshmen start to enroll, the USC brand is already reaping the rewards after their impressive performance.

On3’s Steve Wiltfong spoke highly of Lincoln Riley’s incoming class. “USC’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class put on a show at the Navy All-American Bowl,” he wrote on X, praising the newcomers.

Wiltfong is the Vice President of Recruiting and Transfer Portal for Rivals. He has been covering the high school recruiting circuit for decades, with his scouting summaries proving pivotal in gauging an athlete’s skillset. So when Riley receives a vote of confidence from the veteran analyst himself, it only reinforces the belief that the talent base USC has invested more than $9 million in is brimming with potential.

On January 10, the Trojans shone bright at the Navy-All American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas- an event that features elite high school talent from across the nation. After the sixty-minute contest concluded in East camp’s victory, four USC Trojans stood out amongst the top performers. Four-star edge Luke Wafle won the MVP honor while DL Jamimeon Winfield, OT Vlad Dyakonov, and WR Nick Lennar made it to the top-ten impact players.

Besides Luke Wafle, USC welcomes 63% blue-chip prospects in its incoming freshmen, averaging $180k in NIL value. It features former five-star commits in OT Keenyi Pepe and CB Elbert Hill, along with a dual-threat signal caller in Jonas Williams.

This past season, USC fell short on the line of scrimmage. While they won against Northwestern, Purdue, UCLA, and others, the O-line buckled against elite forces, giving up 34 points or more on average. While constant injuries also proved to be a limitation, it was quite evident that the Trojans were struggling to dominate in the trenches. Around fifteen players are leaving the program, including impact players on both offense and defense. While Safety Kamari Ramsey, WR Ja’Kobi Lane, and Makai Lemon are going to the pros, backup QB Husan Longstreet, OL Alex Payne, and DL Devan Thompkins, among others, are seeking new opportunities.

At a time when the Trojans are staring down a mass exodus to the transfer portal, Riley’s incoming freshmen are set to man the line of scrimmage.

Irrespective of Riley’s success with the incoming class, he remains interested in his former player’s success in the NFL.

Caleb Williams makes Lincoln Riley proud

Although Caleb Williams is no longer at USC, those lessons led him to a remarkable comeback against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. By the third quarter, the Chicago Bears appeared to be losing. A 6-21 deficit threatened their Super Bowl aspirations, but QB Caleb Williams had yet to call it a day. In the last fifteen minutes, he threw two touchdowns, along with D’Andre Swift’s 6-yard TD sprint.

Eventually, the Bears won 31-27, with Williams leading the biggest comeback win of his NFL career. Riley couldn’t be prouder of him, as he posted while tagging Williams and wrote “LFG” (short for Let’s F- Go).

Caleb Williams’ tenure at USC saw him break the single-season record for total offense (4,919) and touchdowns (52), eventually winning the Heisman trophy in 2022 and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Having already established his legacy at the Trojans, Williams is now poised to make his mark in the NFL.

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