The USC Trojans finished last season with nine wins, but this was not enough for head coach Lincoln Riley as they missed the playoffs. His goal after the regular season seemed fixated on changing the whole roster. What followed next was a massive shopping spree that ended with 35 new additions. The program spent $12 million to land a top recruiting class for the upcoming season! Now, the additions of Jontez Williams and Terrell Anderson are expected to make an immediate impact. But USC alum and former quarterback Sean Salisbury believes retaining players is just as important as recruiting players.

He gave a subtle warning to Riley while speaking on the Unpaved podcast. “I think any program buy in’s my number one thing. I say it all the time. Buy in meaning buy in with recruits. Buy in to where your one five star guy is helping you recruit after he commits, to go get other guys into the program.” Salisbury said during the 14 February episode of the podcast.

“But like anything else, there will be turnover. There’ll be guys who are disappointed and leave. The key is when you keep those core players. I’m now looking less, while I think it’s impressive. Well, every year we like to rank recruiting classes. It’s become less important. I’m serious about not being number one in the portal. I think it’s not for me, but that’s just what the metrics in national championships are.”

The Trojans were the biggest spenders in the transfer portal. However, the program still lost players such as Husan Longstreet, Alex Payne, Joey Olsen, Anthony Beavers Jr., Devan Thompkins, and Walker Lyons. The Trojans also lost starting junior receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon after the duo declared for the NFL Draft.

That was the point Salisbury was making. These were players who had already spent time in the program. Keeping them would have given Riley a more experienced roster. It would not only have improved depth but also strengthened team culture. Players who stay in a program can help attract new talent and create stronger continuity within the roster. The addition of the 35 new players did help the Trojans dampen the losses of players like Braylon Conley, James Johnson, etc. But continuity is something that will be missing from these new crop of athletes who will be getting ready to play for USC in 2026.

Inside Lincoln Riley’s massive $12 million transfer portal window

Most of the players that the Trojans lost during the transfer portal window were defensive players. To compensate for the losses, Riley had a plan in place. He brought in Zuriah Fisher and Alex VanSumeren, along with transfers Jontez Williams and Carrington Pierce. The program also added Kaylon Miller, freshman Elijah Vaikona, and Mark Bowman.

Depth was necessary on the offense, especially after losing Lemon and Lane to the draft. Riley needed a response, and that response came in the form of four-star NC State transfer Terrell Anderson. Anderson had an outstanding season in 2025, posting 39 receptions for 629 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He is expected to step in and prove his value in 2026. The Trojans also retained Jayden Maiava for his third year, which is a strong sign for Riley.

Shifting the focus to retaining players, the Trojans were fortunate to keep players like Elijah Paige, Tobias Raymond, Alani Noa, Kilian O’Connor, and Justin Tauanuu for the 2026 season.

So, in a way, even though retaining players is important, Lincoln Riley appears to have added enough talent to justify the losses. But if he misses the playoffs again, his time with USC might be coming to an end.