Tag: Lake McRee

One fact shows why USC football fell short in the Big Ten this year

USC placed just one player on the Big Ten’s first team this year, and it was the punter. Few facts will tell a simpler story about the Trojans in 2024.

There are many indicators and telling facts which explain why USC football fell woefully short in Big Ten football competition this year. Earlier this week, the Big Ten announced its all-conference football teams for the 2024 season.

In a rather fitting development just one Trojans made the first team. Who was it, you ask? Why, that would be punter Eddie Czaplicki, of course.

Czaplicki being the lone Trojan to earn all-conference honors was a rather fitting microcosm of USC’s season. The Trojans struggled offensively throughout the year, with Czaplicki frequently needing to bail them out in terms of field position.

Two USC players did earn second team all-Big Ten honors: offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon and running back Woody Marks. The Trojans also had four players on the third team: offensive lineman Jonah Monheim, cornerback Jaylin Smith, long snapper Hank Pepper, and return specialist Makai Lemon.

In addition, Lemon was an all-conference honorable mention at wide receiver. Also earning honorable mention recognition were linebacker Easton Macarena’s-Arnold, offensive lineman Elijah Paige, tight end Lake McRee, safety Kmari Ramsey, and defensive lineman Gavin Meyer.

The Trojans finished the regular season 6-6, and await their bowl game destination.

USC’s starting tight end injury not as significant as feared

Lake McRee should be back for USC later this season, a distinct source of relief for the Trojans and Lincoln Riley.

Lincoln Riley shared the good news that Lake McRee, USC’s receptions leader who is coming off a knee injury which required surgery in the offseason, will be back later in 2024.

Fans and media alike feared the worst for McRee when he was upended with a helmet to the knee during a screen play against Michigan on Saturday in Ann Arbor.

During his weekly radio show, Trojans Live, explained, “Lake’s a great player you know you know hate to not have him here right away but we’ll get him back soon and in the meantime those guys, I’ve have full confidence in their ability to go in and execute and play well.”

The young guys he refers to is the elite young tight end room that Zach Hanson has collected: Cade Eldridge, Walker Lyons,Joey Olson and Walter Mathews.  USC’s other veteran tight end, Carson Tabaracci is also out with an injury suffered in the offseason and he isn’t expected to return any time soon.

Eldridge has seen the field consistently with Riley often using two tight end sets on offense.  Lyons has also seen limited action and will likely be featured with Eldridge.

This will be a test for Hanson and the Trojans who have a lot of young, talented tight ends, but none with the experience and all-around talent that McRee possesses.

USC plays Wisconsin next on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time in Los Angeles.

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Tight end is becoming a weapon in Lincoln Riley’s third year at USC

Lincoln Riley’s use of the tight end spot is opening up opportunities for the USC passing game. The Trojans are collecting lots of first downs and yards.

Lincoln Riley’s USC offense did not seem to use the tight end position with great frequency under Caleb Williams, but that has changed with Miller Moss. Riley spoke after the win over Utah State about this. If you watched the game, you would have seen tight ends Lake McRee, Kade Eldridge and Walker Lyons in 12 personnel, finding ways to get open and give balance to the USC offense.

McRee said that Miller Moss likes to find the tight ends. It shows on the field, that’s for sure.

All of this is a callback to Riley’s Oklahoma years.

In Riley’s inaugural season as head coach at Oklahoma in 2017, junior tight end Mark Andrews had a breakout year. He accumulated an impressive 62 receptions for the Sooners, totaling 958 receiving yards and scoring eight touchdowns. Andrews’ outstanding performance earned him consensus All-America honors in 2017, making him the only Sooner to receive the prestigious John Mackey Award, which recognizes the top tight end in college football. Remarkably, he ranked among the top 10 receivers in the Big 12 Conference in terms of receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Lincoln Riley is using the tight end as both a safety valve and as a downfield weapon for Miller Moss. When linebackers cheat up in the tackle box to stop the run, Riley is using the tight end to slip behind them in the vacated spot in the middle third of the field. Riley has made some very conscious tactical adjustments for USC in its first two games of the season, and the tight ends have often been central parts of those chess moves.

https://twitter.com/CoachZachHanson/status/1832701231359471883

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Early in the season, separating what’s real from what’s false is a key challenge for Lincoln Riley

On one hand, #USC yards per play increase without a tight end. On the other hand, Lake McRee has been a good player. What to do? This is why Lincoln Riley gets paid a lot.

You think coaching is easy? Try this scenario within the USC football program as the 2022 season approaches its midway point.

Per Shotgun Spratling of 247Sports, USC’s yards per play average was 8.2 against Arizona State when a tight end was not on the field, just 6.1 when a tight end was on the field.

On the other hand, Lake McRee has been a good player for USC this season at the tight end spot. Run blocking and safety-valve pass catching have helped Travis Dye, Caleb Williams, and the rest of the USC offense. McRee has made himself a useful player, and he is in line to play against Washington State in Week 6.

So, Lincoln Riley: How often are you going to put McRee and other tight ends on the field against Wazzu? This is the kind of decision a coach has to handle the right way. Obviously a tight end is going to be shown to an opposing defense so that it has to account for that position. Obviously, yards per play doesn’t mean everything, because if a 3rd and 1 play gets two yards, it is a successful play. Nevertheless, if one position affects yards per play over several dozen snaps, it forces Riley to pick his spots in terms of tight end usage, and to get Washington State to focus on the tight end in ways which could open up the field for other skill position players.

The other obvious point here: Arizona State was one game with a banged up offensive line. We’re still early in the season. What’s real and what’s false about this statistic? Lincoln Riley needs to answer that question in formulating his play sequences and overall line of attack.

This is what he gets paid for.

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Michigan State makes top ten for 2021 3-star Tight End Lake McRee

MSU Football has made the top ten for the recruitment of Lake Travis tight end Lake McRee.

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Michigan State already has the commitment of one 3-star tight end for their 2021 football recruiting class in Kameron Allen out of Forney, Texas. The Spartans took another step forward today in the recruitment of a second 3-star tight end to add to their recruiting class as Lake McRee from Lake Travis High School announced that MSU was in his top ten for recruitment.

McRee is the No. 18 ranked tight end in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 59 ranked player in the state of Texas according to those same rankings.

McRee announced his top ten through the EditsForAthletes Twitter account:

McRee’s top ten is filled with some of the heaviest hitters in the country, including Alabama, LSU, Texas, and Washington. Michigan State is joined by Purdue and Penn State as the only Big Ten schools among McRee’s final choices.

It should be noted that McRee is 6’4″ and 217-pounds, another sizable addition to Tucker’s class if he joins the Spartans.

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Texas Longhorns Lose 2021 Three-Star Tight End’s Commitment

Lake Travis tight end Lake McRee has re-opened his recruitment after decommitting from Texas on Tuesday evening.

The Texas Longhorns lost a recruit from the 2021 class that was ranked fifth in the early going according to 247 composite boards. Lake Travis three-star tight end and former teammate of signee Hudson Card has announced that he is re-opening his recruitment per his twitter account Tuesday evening.

McRee didn’t play in 2019 after he tore his ACL per the report from Jeff Howe of 247. McRee currently holds offers from Alabama, Auburn and Arizona State among others. While losing the commitment is tough for the position, the Longhorns have a commitment from Juan Davis, three-star athlete out of Everman (Fort Worth, Texas) on their list of commits to the program. He plays tight end but is listed as an athlete on recruiting websites.

The Longhorns have eight offers on the table to other tight end recruits with Cane Berrong (Notre Dame) and Sam Hart (Ohio State) being off the table. McRee could still come back around after opening his recruitment back up but Texas won’t be lost at the position if he doesn’t.