Lincoln Riley can talk about Alex Grinch for three or four hours, noting how much the USC defense is likely to improve, but that won’t change reality. What will change reality is if the Trojans take several significant steps forward on that side of the ball in 2023.
It does seem that USC has a better, deeper, tougher defensive line than it did one year ago. The Trojans got more transfer portal reinforcements on a general level. In the form of Bear Alexander, they got the big and nasty interior lineman who should help with run fits and preventing opponents from being able to pound the ball up the middle and thereby control the ball, keeping it away from Caleb Williams.
USC has fortified its defensive roster in several ways. The roster might also be better simply because players who were injured in 2022 are healthy in 2023. If those players stay healthy for the full year, USC will have more available bodies in big games.
Riley talked about Alex Grinch as USC began its preseason camp. The words might be interesting, but we all need to see the product on the field. That’s the only thing which matters.
(h/t Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times)
I asked Lincoln Riley today about if USC DC Alex Grinch attacked this offseason any differently than others: “He’s as motivated as any person in this building right now, but I don’t know that that’s any different than the Alex that I’ve seen the past 4 years.”
His full answer: pic.twitter.com/w0Sf2K1Tc5
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) July 28, 2023
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