Tag: Denis Lynch

USC has work to do in the transfer portal as roster construction season begins

USC transfer portal activity is heating up, and the Trojans know they will have to go into the portal to restock portions of their roster for the 2025 season.

USC football now confronts the reality of needing to get a lot of work done in the transfer portal. On Tuesday, USC kicker Denis Lynch announced his intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal. It’s one of several portal departures for the Trojans, as the flurry of roster activity begins in the offseason. USC has had multiple offensive linemen enter the portal, which will force Lincoln Riley to restock there. Riley has said he will try to find a Jayden Maiava backup at quarterback in the portal, adding to USC’s Christmas shopping list.

Let’s briefly talk about Denis Lynch. After redshirting his first season on campus in 2021, Lynch earned the starting job in 2022. In two seasons as USC’s starting kicker, Lynch made 69.4% of his field goal attempts. He was also 139-of-140 on extra points.

Ahead of the 2024 season however, Lynch was beaten out for the job by Georgia Southern transfer Michael Lantz. He did not attempt a kick this season.

Lynch will be remembered by USC fans for his powerful leg but highly inconsistent accuracy. As a Trojan, Lynch went 11-of-13 on field goal attempts of 40+ yards, but just 9-of-17 on attempts between 30 and 39 yards.

Lantz will have one year of eligibility remaining.

With Lynch transferring and Lantz out of eligibility, the Trojans will be in the market for a new kicker in 2025. That’s one need on their list, but their pursuit of quality linemen will be the top priority for the Trojans. USC can’t get caught shorthanded on the lines the way it was in 2024, with injuries eroding defensive depth and the offensive line being too young in the early part of the season, especially at Michigan.

USC – LSU might come down to a field goal — but who will kick it?

USC can’t have missed field goals inside 40 yards.

Everyone is expecting a close game with a lot of points from both teams on Sunday when USC plays LSU in Las Vegas in both teams’ season opener.  It is very possible this game might be decided by a field goal late in the fourth quarter.  The question is, who will line up to kick that possible game winner?

Last year Trojan kicker Denis Lynch handled the kicking duties in all 13 games. He was 65-of-66 (98.4%) on extra points and 10-of-14 (71.4%) on field goals. Lynch’s issues were not on the long field goals from 40-53 yards, going 3-for-3.  At Arizona State he split the uprights from 53 yards, the third longest field goal in Trojan history, but he struggled by missing four attempts inside the 40-yard line.

In the offseason, the Lincoln Riley added Michael Lantz, a transfer kicker from Georgia Southern.  Last year for the Eagles, Lantz was 23-of-28 (82.1%) with a long of 48 yards. Lantz’s school record 23 made field goals put him on the Trojan radar. Riley explained that the competition was tight during fall camp and it will continue between the two kickers.

Here is what Riley had to say about the kicking situation going into the game with the Tigers:

Lance will will start off for us. He’ll be the field goal kicker and also handle the kickoffs. It’s been a really good competition.  One that’ll continue to be ongoing throughout the year. We’ve got some unique skill sets in there with Lance, with Dennis, with Eddie. A couple of these young guys have come along and done some really nice things. We’ve got some really talented young kickers in the program, but Mike will get the start on Sunday.

With Lantz getting the nod in Game 1, and a capable backup in Lynch being available just in case, the Trojans should be confident if the game comes down to a last-minute field goal or overtime.

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USC kicker Denis Lynch earns scholarship from Lincoln Riley

Making a 53-yard field goal vs ASU earned Lynch this scholarship.

Per 247Sports’ Shotgun Spratling, kicker Denis Lynch is now on scholarship. Lynch walked on to the program in 2021 after playing at Newbury Park High School (Calif.).

After not playing as a USC freshman, Lynch became a starter in 2022, going 15-of-22 from field goal range and making all 74 of his extra points. In his first collegiate game against Rice last season, he was 9-for-9 on point-after kicks.

“He’s one of the more competitive people on this football field,” long snapper Jac Casasante said. “He’s very passionate and outspoken about the things he wants to be better at.”

Lynch made a 53-yard field goal against Arizona State this past Saturday. That was an important kick in a game USC led by only six points early in the fourth quarter. It is reasonable to say that Lynch’s long field goal earned him the scholarship from Riley.

USC is 4-0 following its 42-28 victory against Arizona State. USC remains on the road for Week 5 as it heads to Boulder to face Colorado. Kickoff is set for just after 9 a.m. Pacific time and will be televised on Fox.

Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado, as CU prepares to play USC on Fox Big Noon Saturday.

USC win over ASU felt like a loss in many ways.

Alex Grinch is not quieting his critics, and bigger tests await.

Alex Grinch’s defense lost the Cotton Bowl, but USC special teams failures contributed as well

A few huge special teams blunders cost #USC, reviving conversations about the need to hire an actual special teams coach. Will Lincoln Riley resist or adjust?

The USC Trojans have a lot of reasons for falling short in the Cotton Bowl. Tulane came storming back and got the 46-45 victory in one of the best games of the entire season for neutral fans who just wanted a fun game. They got one.

It wasn’t good or fun for USC fans, however.

The defense had plenty of issues once again and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was back on the roster in the social media world after a terrible performance.

That said, special teams also had a couple of miscues. For starters, kicker Denis Lynch was short on a 52-yard field goal attempt in a dome; that would have been the longest kick of his career, but he didn’t have enough leg. That was jarring.

The other miscue was the difference maker: Mario Williams botched a late kickoff return and the Trojans ended up with the ball at their own 1-yard line, which led to a safety.

Where do we even begin? The defense was bad, but special teams was another talking point after the loss:

Lincoln Riley needs to fire Donte Williams, hire a special teams coordinator at USC

The UCLA game showed Lincoln Riley’s approach to special teams is a failure. Riley needs to hire a coordinator and replace one staffer. #USC

We wrote a few weeks ago about the idea that Lincoln Riley had some tough choices to consider at USC, relative to the shape of his coaching staff for 2023.

We specifically explored the question of whether it was worth keeping Donte Williams on staff, given the erosion of USC’s cornerback play in recent weeks, and in light of the reality that USC does not have a special teams coordinator on staff.

We were not fully convinced of what Riley and USC had to do for the coming offseason and the 2023 campaign.

Now we are. We think a special teams coordinator is absolutely necessary. We will lay out the case below:

Michigan State football makes Top-3 for 5-star kicker Denis Lynch

The Spartans have made the Top-3 for a preferred walk-on kicker.

Back in January, Michigan State football extended a preferred walk-on offer to 5-star kicker Denis Lynch. Two months later, Lynch has the Spartans in his final cut for his recruitment.

MSU made his Top-3 along with USC and Georgia Tech.

Lynch is a Chris Sailer Kicking 5-star kicker and the No. 20 ranked kicker in the 2021 recruiting class. He is also the No. 4 ranked kicker in California, where he lives in Thousand Oaks.

Matt Coghlin is using his extra eligibility from COVID to return for a sixth season, but Lynch could be a potential replacement for the future.

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Michigan State Football offers 5-star kicker Denis Lynch (PWO)

Michigan State has offered a 5-star kicker out of California.

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Michigan State Football will be getting Matt Coghlin back next season for a 6th year with the Spartans, but they will need to start finding his replacement for the inevitable day that he leaves the program. On Monday, the Spartans offered a potential new kicker in Denis Lynch of Thousand Oaks, California.

Lynch is a Chris Sailer Kicking 5-star kicker and the No. 20 ranked kicker in the 2021 recruiting class. He is also the No. 4 ranked kicker in California. MSU offered him as a preferred walk-on.

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