It has been over three years now since the Trojans brought Lincoln Riley from the Oklahoma Sooners to end their championship drought. A 10-year $110 million deal and a Heisman-winning quarterback in Caleb Williams on the table, HC Riley had everything he needed to win it big in 2022. Three years later, he is yet to deliver anything major to USC, and let’s not forget that for the first time in his career, Riley lost over five games in a season. Taking note of this, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum even questioned his eligibility as the Trojans’ HC.

“Would someone in California explain to me why Lincoln Riley is still the head coach of (USC)?” Finebaum asked. “Last year, I thought that was a disaster, but then again, I forgot about this season.” Now, as Riley looks to reset and rebuild, seasoned wide receiver Makai Lemon has stepped up with a clear message ahead of the 2025 season.

Lemon followed Riley to USC from Oklahoma, where he initially committed to go as a 2023 recruit. He sat out for most of his debut season but had a great boost to his career in 2024. Now, he is one of the senior talents in the WR room, along with returning wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane. Sports Illustrated labels the duo as the best in the country at the moment. Not to forget that Lemon led the room last year with 764 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.

What makes Lemon’s numbers more impressive is that he posted them without a stable QB room in 2024. Miller Moss started the season under the center. Initially, he looked like all the previous QBs Riley transformed, but soon the offense faltered. As the losses started piling up, HC Riley had to make the tough decision to bench his QB1 choice at the start of the season. The replacement, Jayden Maiava, had some great games, but overall, the Trojans never looked like a complete team. Especially on offense. That makes Lemon’s output even more outstanding.

With all these factors in play, no wonder the fresh faces would want to look up to Makai Lemon to lead by example. “Being an older guy, junior and young guys automatically look to the older guys. So, you know, you have to set an example. Just trying my best each day,” Lemon told the media after practice. With the 21-year-old WR in charge of this room, Riley can hope for some strong WR production this season. Lemon was a part of PFF’s list of 10 best-returning receivers in 2025. He had more than 100 yards twice in 2024: 134 yards against Rutgers and 133 yards against Notre Dame.

With him set to lead the room along with Lane, Riley is currently tasked with choosing the No. 3 WR. That position can go to a wide variety of candidates. There’s Jay Fair, Prince Strachan, and Xavier Jordan. As the younger talents look to their seniors to grow into their new homes, there’s some interesting chatter about rookie QB Husan Longstreet.

Lincoln Riley clears the air around Husan Longstreet’s role

Riley still doesn’t have his starting quarterback for the season. With Miller Moss now at Louisville, some space opened up for his backup, Jayden Maiava. The latter lost an extremely close battle last season but is touted to be his replacement for this year. However, the road to that position still faces some threats, with the addition of Husan Longstreet. The 5-star QB, rated No. 4 in the 2025 class, can produce some serious damage. However, Riley might be leaning to the other side.

He said about the QB1 race, “I mean, Jayden’s clearly the number one quarterback right now. I mean, that’s, that’s which is not surprising at all.” That means it will be some time before we see Longstreet in some game action. Moreover, Riley has already thought of a plan for the young recruit. “[Last] year in spring, you know, Jayden was doing some good things but was still learning. And the summer and fall camp was really helpful for him. I’m sure it will be for Husan.”

Lincoln Riley looks like he can see some good things out of the team this season. With some seasoned players taking responsibility and leading the young, the gears seem to be set in motion at USC.