Lincoln Riley boasts USC Trojans football's offense to be best in country, with two returning weapons as key factor | Sporting News

Lincoln Riley all but knows that QB Jayden Maiava cannot lead their program to a winning score unless backed by a reliable receiving corps.

A deep WR room was a core strength of the Trojans last season.

Riley has continued that tradition and built a WR room that they count on for winning, with two weapons from last year making waves in the Trojans' receiving corps.

"We return our best two.

And those two guys, Makai Lemon and JaKobi Lane, are proven weapons at this level.

I think with a full offseason, getting the continuity with Jayden [Maiava], I mean, those two guys are as good a pair of receivers as there is in the country, in my opinion.

Weve had the chance to be around a couple of really good ones, but these guys can really play," Riley said proudly on Greg McElroy's Always College Football.

On top of that, USC has made sizable splashes in the transfer portal, too, further bolstering their WR room this season.

"I think building the depth around those guys is going to be super important.

Both at the tight end position, certainly the other receivers.

Which weve got a number of guys we feel like can certainly make big plays and be big factors for us," Riley said.

"And the other big piece of it always for a QB is the run game.

Obviously, the offensive line, the running backs, being able to run the football effectively.

And when weve been at our best thats been something weve been very, very good at and really lean on.

So, all of those factors will go into it, but I see nothing here offensively that leads me to believe that this shouldnt be one of the best groups in the country." The depth that both the returning players and the fresh faces bring to Los Angeles should give Maiava ample backing, enough for the QB to not have any excuses for not winning.

There is also some pressure on Riley entering the 2025 season to win.

He might not be on top of the hot seat candidates, but if they have another meagre losing season, he will be the top one in 2026..

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