It’s been less than a year since Lincoln Riley secured his first No. 1 national recruiting class at USC, but it looks like it could be his last.
Urban Meyer, the former coach with three national championships to his name, described USC football as an “injured animal” during an episode of his show, “The Triple Option,” on Friday.
Meyer’s comments referred to Riley’s struggles in winning big games and making it to the College Football Playoff.
Since Riley took over at USC in 2022, his record against ranked teams has been disappointing, standing at 5-15. In contrast, while at Oklahoma, he had a record of 15-6 against ranked opponents.
“The injured animal is this. When I was at Ohio State and having a rough time, I hired four coaches in Texas, and we managed to secure the top three players that year,” Meyer shared. “Typically, that’s not something you’d expect to happen.”
Meyer also noted how, before Kirby Smart became head coach at Georgia, they were in a tough spot, but Smart used similar strategies to attract top players from the state.
“On my board, I referred to it as the ‘Injured animal.’ Right now, there might just be an injured animal in Los Angeles, and that’s USC,” he remarked.
Despite a tough 41-27 loss to Oregon at home, USC hasn’t lost any prospects yet.
But with their current performance, the situation could shift quickly.
Last Saturday’s game was pivotal for the Trojans, as they needed to show they were ready to assert themselves, especially with Riley’s most significant recruiting class in the works.
USC has already seen some success with its latest class, with players like defensive end Luke Wafle and tight end Mark Bowman making an impact this season.
However, the challenges keep coming for USC, as they are set to host Washington, a team that Riley hasn’t managed to defeat since his arrival.
Following the Washington game, USC will face essential road contests against Penn State, Wisconsin, No. 6 Indiana, and No. 23 UCLA, as well as a highly anticipated matchup against No. 5 Ohio State on October 31.
Looking ahead to the 2027 season, 247Sports currently ranks USC’s recruiting class as No. 18 in the nation, featuring one five-star and eight four-star recruits.
