Lincoln Riley said on Monday evening that two new USC football players who transferred in from Oregon State in the offseason are showing great leadership qualities.
“We’ve brought in some guys from a couple of other schools that I think have shown the capability to be outstanding leaders because they have been at their old places,” Riley said. “You think about Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Akili Arnold, guys that were leaders at their old programs.”
It is notable that Riley talked about the leadership qualities of outsiders, not players who were on the 2023 roster. This could be seen as a simple compliment of the Arnolds. The stepbrothers came from Corvallis for a chance to play at USC after Beaver coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. However, it might also be a subtle hint that players on the 2023 USC defense who are still in the program did not display or earn elevated leadership status. At any rate, USC hopes the Arnolds live up to the billing and lead a defensive revolution for the Trojans in 2024.
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