The USC Trojans know they need high-impact defensive linemen. The pathway to collecting more victories on the recruiting trail involves having a defensive line coach who commands great respect, and who knows how to develop NFL-quality players. USC’s Lincoln Riley hired Eric Henderson away from the Los Angeles Rams to become the Trojans’ defensive line coach. Henderson can tell recruits, “Hi, I coached Aaron Donald and the other beasts on the Rams’ sack-happy defensive line!” It’s as good a sales pitch as anyone can hope for.
Henderson is getting to work visiting prime defensive line prospects on the recruiting trail, even those who have committed to other schools. He recently visited University of Georgia commit Justus Terry, a five-star 2025 defensive line prospect. Riley’s USC program has made no secret of its desire to extensively recruit the South and get in on recruitments of elite players from Georgia and Florida in particular.
Regardless of whether the Trojans flip Terry, they’re going to take big swings in the South. They might strike out several times, but if they go 1 for 4 with a home run, that’s one home-run recruit they add to their roster. Eric Henderson is taking big cuts at the plate. Hopefully he’ll hit a 450-foot moonshot before too long.
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