On The Riley Files, Oklahoma insider Kegan Reneau made the point that even before he came to USC, Lincoln Riley had started to make Southern California more of a central point of emphasis in his recruiting, which has smoothed the path for his transition to Los Angeles as a head coach. That said, the transition will still require some time to bear maximum fruit.
“Lincoln Riley made the move from Oklahoma to USC. His entire future was tied to Southern California,” Reneau said. “Malachi Nelson was his future quarterback, multiple commits from Los Alamitos. He had built recruiting ties at Mater Dei and some of the major (high school) programs Oklahoma was able to get into under Riley. His entire future is tied to Southern California. It takes some time: Josh Henson’s in a new area that he hasn’t recruited much yet.
“It’s gonna take time to build certain relationships. Typically that first year is always pretty tough when you’re competing against schools that have some continuity and stability, so it’s certainly interesting.”
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