When Lincoln Riley first landed in Los Angeles, his audacious plan to remake a lacking USC roster on the fly revolved almost entirely around the transfer portal. The Trojans brought in two dozen transfers ahead of his debut season, including their top two running backs, three of their top four receivers, six starters on defense and, of course, a Heisman-winning quarterback.
The plan worked quite well for Riley and Co. at the time. USC won 11 games in 2022 and fell just short of the College Football Playoff.
But it didn’t go as planned over the next two seasons.