Hernández: Lincoln Riley brings high energy as USC opens spring football

Lincoln Riley was in every single place.

He ran alongside tight finish Ethan Rae as if he was a linebacker protecting him.

He ran over to receiver Mario Williams, pointed to the sideline and provided him some phrases of recommendation.

He broke up a cross supposed for Ty Shamblin and slapped the receiver’s helmet.

In his first apply as USC’s head coach, Riley projected an abundance of youthful teaching vitality on Tuesday, operating and clapping and injecting vitality again into the Los Angeles’ hottest soccer workforce.

This wasn’t a Clay Helton apply.

This was nearer to a Sean McVay coaching session.

Sporting a white visor and sun shades, Riley was wearing a grey shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black shorts.

He seemed 38 years younger.

And when the apply was over, Riley was prepared for Spherical 2.

“I’m not drained, man,” Riley mentioned. “I’ve been ready 100 days for this, man. That is what we do. The best way the gamers are responding, the best way the employees is coming collectively, it energizes me. It excites me. I used to be so prepared for today, to be right here. I can’t even describe it. It was a blast. I want we might return and run it again proper now.”

Helton is just 11 years older, however he may as effectively be 40 years Riley’s senior.

“The vitality stage is admittedly excessive,” operating again Austin Jones mentioned. “It’s a distinct sort of ambiance.”

Jones, who began for Stanford final yr, is one in all three switch operating backs on the workforce.

Travis Dye, one other senior switch, ranks fifth all-time at Oregon in profession dashing yards. Darwin Barlow moved from Texas Christian.

The Trojans have 13 transfers on their roster, together with quarterback Caleb Williams, who adopted Riley from Oklahoma. Different transfers might be a part of this system after spring apply.

Riley’s vibrancy performed a vital function within the makeover of a workforce that completed 4-8 final yr beneath Helton and interim alternative Donte Williams, who stays with the Trojans as a defensive backs coach.

Receiver Brenden Rice mentioned he wasn’t sure he would go away Colorado when he entered the switch portal on New Yr’s Day.

Inside a half-hour — “possibly quarter-hour,” Rice mentioned — Riley referred to as him.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, OK,’” Rice mentioned.

When the dialog ended, Rice referred to as his mom. Subsequent, he texted his father, Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Jerry Rice.

“I’m going to Cali,” the message to his father learn.

“As quickly as I heard Lincoln name,” Rice mentioned, “you understand you need to go.”

With 19 eligible gamers departing through the switch portal, USC has what Riley described as “essentially the most distinctive roster within the historical past of this faculty and one of the crucial distinctive rosters within the historical past of this sport.”

Riley’s character will probably be simply as vital in remodeling this system’s tradition because it was in developing the roster.

“The principle purpose proper now could be studying find out how to apply, studying find out how to do issues in a championship method, studying find out how to come collectively as a workforce,” Riley mentioned.

Senior heart Brett Neilon, a returning participant, mentioned Riley has emphasised power and conditioning.

“With Coach Riley,” Neilon mentioned, “be in the very best form attainable and rework our our bodies.”

USC coach Lincoln Riley interacts with vast receiver Kyron Ware-Hudson throughout spring apply at USC on Tuesday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)

The explanation: Riley intends to bolster a operating assault that declined over Helton’s seven-year tenure. He desires to determine an offensive id primarily based on physicality.

“I consider you need to run the soccer to win championships, to be a championship soccer workforce,” Riley mentioned. “It’s one thing we’ve been fairly respectable at in our previous. I believe it’s one thing this faculty, if you look again at its championship seasons, a robust operating sport has been part of that. You’re not going to win championships with out stopping the run defensively. Our guys have heard that a few times within the final 100 days.”

Riley additionally desires his gamers to dream.

Requested if the Trojans could be able to compete for a Pac-12 title in his first season, Riley replied, “For us, it’s about simply getting nearly as good as we are able to proper now. We perceive that’s a journey. However I’ll say this: I’m not going to take any purpose off the desk.”

Tempering expectations, Riley continued, is “not why we got here right here. We anticipate to compete for and win championships each single yr that we’re right here. I’ll prevent that query for the subsequent 10 to fifteen years. That’s going to be the identical reply. That’s who we’re as a employees, that’s what we consider in, and, frankly, that’s what this program ought to be about. That is USC. The expectation right here ought to be to win championships each single yr.”

Riley acknowledged there’s loads of distance between the place the Trojans are actually and the place they wish to be.

Tuesday was the one first step, however Riley’s enthusiasm has given them the equal of a operating begin.