INDIANAPOLIS — The wrestle continues for Lincoln Riley.

OK, we already hear these of you with out a $100 million contract and 10 years to earn it teaching faculty soccer.

“Give ME that kind of wrestle!”

Level made. Nevertheless, it was price witnessing the USC coach Wednesday. Riley left harm emotions but in addition nothing left to show at Oklahoma. Then, at Large Ten media days, he left a little bit of his soccer self uncovered heading as he heads into his third USC season. 

You may need observed the USC “rebuild” — the Trojan coach’s phrase — hasn’t gone precisely as deliberate. The celebrated offensive mastermind who reportedly received that $100 million to teach the Trojans three years appeared decided to place his spin on the state of the Trojans.

The coach who has been accused of not with the ability to play protection aggressively defended his skill to get it achieved at USC. It was as frank and open because the 40-year-old Riley has been in one among these settings.

“We’re enjoying catch up,” he instructed reporters. “We’re enjoying catch up in amenities. We’re enjoying catch up in NIL. We’re enjoying catch up in assets inside the program. We have been enjoying catch up in rattling close to each means you may assume.”

We’ll see how that lands with AD Jennifer Cohen and USC devoted. Put that means, sure, it looks like a wrestle for a program that final received a convention — the late, nice Pac-12 — seven years in the past. Put one other means, for $100 million you anticipate to have the ability to drive a brand new Mercedes off the lot, not order a base mannequin from Carvana.

And the expanded Large Ten isn’t any place to get properly.

In two seasons enjoying with the No. 1 decide on this yr’s draft at quarterback (Caleb Williams), the Trojans received 19 video games. However greater than Riley’s candor was uncovered Wednesday. That protection stays a problem, and for the primary time in his head teaching profession, Riley’s workforce is just not picked nor anticipated to win the league.

Someplace between defending his turf on the West Coast and touring throughout the nation to tread floor within the Large Ten, the Trojans should enhance whereas transitioning.

“There is a larger image to what we’re constructing right here,” he stated.

That image remains to be being painted. The reserved native of Muleshoe, Texas, who stays an American success story, sounded so much like that previous Buffalo salesman Coach Prime on Wednesday.

“We’re coming,” Riley stated. “We’re coming rapidly.”

At USC, it may possibly’t come fast sufficient. The league Riley left behind now not exists. The league he’s coming into homes the defending nationwide champion (Michigan), its greatest rival (Ohio State), Penn State and Oregon. It is a deeper convention than Riley’s previous Large 12 or dearly departed Pac-12.

At Oklahoma, he received 4 Large 12 titles in 5 seasons, successful 55 video games general. He was employed at USC to do the identical. It will be charitable to name it delayed gratification.

“Once I received employed at OU everyone thought it was loopy and everyone thought it was going to tank,” Riley stated. “You need to go examine soccer histories? I am going to put up ours [USC] towards anyone’s. We’re not simply studying to play soccer.

“Has my endurance been examined on it? Little doubt. However my resolve hasn’t been examined. My dedication to being right here hasn’t been examined. I do know that is the precise place.”

In 2022, the Trojans received to the Pac-12 championship recreation earlier than getting overwhelmed for the second time that season by Utah. Group of 5 qualifier Tulane then embarrassed the Trojans within the Cotton Bowl.

Final season, a 2-5 end to a 6-0 begin raised all types of questions. A notion lingers.

In assessing that season, quarterback Miller Moss was principally requested to prop up a straw man. Why, it was requested by one media member, are West Coast groups perceived as too tender to play within the Large Ten?

“I am making an attempt to observe my media coaching right here,” Moss stated diplomatically.

The opening paragraph of Lindy’s faculty soccer annual’s USC preview begins with this sledgehammer:

“Who imagined a yr in the past that Lincoln Riley may already discover himself on the new seat after he received 11 video games in his first season?”

Scorching seat? That is too far, however Riley wasn’t employed to get pushed round by Utah. He definitely did not anticipate to be enjoying in his third energy convention in 4 years. On Wednesday, Riley was positively rankled by a current troll from his former boss, Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione.

Joe C was requested on the SEC Community earlier this month about becoming a member of the convention.

“Each coach we talked to was excited,” Castiglione stated of his workers. “Those that weren’t aren’t right here anymore.”

Not a lot left to the creativeness there.

“I am not entering into that,” Riley stated curtly Wednesday. “Subsequent query.”

There’s a teaching scarlet letter connected to those that are accused of — to illustrate — avoiding contact. Earlier this summer season, Saturday Down South reported that Riley had tried for 2 years to get out of the upcoming impartial website opener towards LSU. 

For the primary time Wednesday, Riley (remotely) intimated that the sacred Notre Dame collection could not proceed.

“I might like to [keep playing Notre Dame],” he stated. “I do know it means so much to lots of people. The purist in you, little doubt. Now when you get ready the place it’s a must to decide on what’s finest for SC to assist us win a nationwide championship vs. preserving that, shoot, you then received to have a look at it.

“And pay attention, we’re not the primary instance of that. Look all the way in which throughout the nation. There have been a whole lot of different groups sacrifice rivalry video games.”

USC has to compete within the Large Ten earlier than dreaming of a playoff berth. To not say it may possibly’t occur in Yr 3. In his seven seasons as a head coach, Riley’s offenses have completed within the prime eight nationally. However Williams is gone.

“[We’re] positively not behind,” Riley stated. “They received 4 [games] the yr earlier than [we got here]. We received 19 the final two. It could by no means get right here quick sufficient, particularly at a blueblood. I’ve received a front-row seat to what life in these is like.”

Riley answered some doubters by his actions within the offseason. Each traces have been requested so as to add weight. The 14 gamers within the line of defense room placed on a cumulative 300 kilos, a median of 21.4 kilos. That’s not insignificant coming into a league that’s recognized for its brawn.

“I do not need to say enjoying on this league it wasn’t an element [but] the line of defense was extra drastic,” Riley stated. “It was extra, you are coaching to show 285-pound our bodies into guys that are actually 310.”

That is a begin. So is that this: Riley was requested in regards to the greatest enchancment by that maligned protection.

“Tackling,” he stated.

That is like saying oxygen is vital within the Worldwide House Station. Professional Soccer Focus calculated the Trojans missed 156 tackles in 2022. That is a median of 11.1 per recreation. That is additionally so much. There have been 14 missed tackles within the Arizona State recreation final yr per PFF.

A dialogue may be had about whether or not Riley waited too lengthy to fireside former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, however as soon as he did, raiding UCLA for the celebrated D’Anton Lynn was assertive and made sense. The 34-year-old Lynn is a rising star in teaching circles. 

“Should you take pointless danger towards him, he will make you pay,” Moss stated of Lynn, who’s the son of former NFL head coach Anthony Lynn. 

In his one season in Westwood, Lynn took UCLA from 87th in whole protection to eleventh. USC cannot afford its Pac-12 rep within the Large Ten. This can be a convention the place shootouts come to die. Particularly, we’ll see how Riley’s USC matches in that surroundings. Michigan’s wonderful line of defense would not give a rip about Riley’s three Heisman Trophy winners. The truth is, the Wolverines are motivated by it.

There appear to be solely two positive wins on the schedule — Sept. 7 at house towards Utah State and Oct. 26 at house towards an improved Rutgers. Aside from that? LSU in Las Vegas appears to be like harmful. Large Ten video games towards Wisconsin, Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska and UCLA may go both means. Or at the very least that is the way in which it appears.

“We’re constructing to be within the nationwide championship recreation each single yr,” Riley assured the media. “We did not take over one which was a nationwide champion and simply stroll into it. This has been a rebuild from a roster standpoint.”

The Trojans are coming, Riley reiterated. How rapidly stays to be seen.