USC head football coach Lincoln Riley commented on the Trojan's defense during the team's spring practice on Tuesday, Los Angeles Times USC beat writer Ryan Kartje.
“We expect to be an extremely high-level defense here at USC,” Lincoln Riley said. “No reason in the world why we can't and why we won't be.
“And we expect that that will happen and happen soon.”
USC's defense earned eighth place in the Pac-12 with 423.93 yards allowed per game. It let up 2,237 rushing yards and 3,698 passing yards in 14 games. Though they were able to score 45 points in their postseason appearance, the Trojans were not able to contain a comeback victory from the Tulane Green Wave as they scored 32 points in the second half to claim a 46-45 win in AT&T Stadium.
USC football retained defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. He “never wavered” in his decision with Grinch in January.
Four-star defensive tackle Anthony Lucas transferred from Texas A&M. Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Jack Sullivan, who grew into one of the more reliable options for a Purdue defense that ranked 11th in the Big Ten in passing yards per game, transferred to the Trojans in early January. Two more four-star transfers, Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb and Arizona cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, joined the team's commitment class ranks.
All four transfers are projected to start for USC, according to Ourlads. Sophomore defensive end Romello Height, who earned 18 total tackles for the Trojans in 2022, was the fourth projected starter on the defensive line, while junior linebacker Eric Gentry took up a spot as a weak-side linebacker.
USC football ranked as the fifth-best transfer class for 2023 by 247Sports. They are supplemented by three four-star defensive recruits in the 2023 class, including edge rusher Braylan Shelby and linebacker Tackett Curtis, after having three 3-star freshman enrollees in the 2022 class.
USC's Spring Game will be played on Saturday, April 15th.
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