Lincoln Riley has coached three Heisman Trophy winners and as many No. 1 overall NFL draft picks. Riley was asked about how the mental side of USC starting quarterback Miller Moss’s game stacks up with the signal callers Riley has had in the past.
Riley responded.
“In the world of quarterbacks he’s he’s certainly on the higher end in terms of what he can process what he can retain the way that he can adjust the way that he can understand what all 22 are doing it’s uh it’s pretty impressive,” explained Riley.
Moss may not have the elite physical tools of his predecessor, Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, but there is more to playing football that possessing freakish physical tools and a cannon for an arm. What often separates the good from great is not what happens between the hashes, but what happens between the ears. Like Williams, Moss has a mastery of the mental side of football. He has already won the confidence of his coaches and teammates with his leadership skills, but Riley emphasized that the way the game slows down for him makes him special, and a nightmare for opposing defenses.
“He’s a really smart kid. He can process it quickly. He understands the game. He understands not just what we’re doing or what a defense is doing, but why they’re doing it. He’s got the ability to to to process it or to make adjustments quickly just because he does get the bigger picture and he’s learned a lot. He’s pushed himself hard to do it. You could see when we got here, like naturally he was a smart guy, but he’s invested a lot of time in it. that’s important to him um very detailed very very mentally in tune during meetings during practice.”
Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.