Tag: micah banuelos

Lincoln Riley challenges veterans on USC offensive line to step up in 2024

Lincoln Riley needs Emmanuel Pregnon to evolve and perform this year.

USC’s offensive line room never quite came together as a unit in 2023.  I asked Lincoln Riley during his weekly press conference on Saturday about the offensive line’s play last year. He said there were games when the unit struggled and lost: UCLA, Notre Dame, and Oregon.

“Yeah, we had a we had a handful of games last year we didn’t play good enough you know, handful of the games that we lost,” answered Riley. He clarified the games were at Notre Dame and at home against Washington and UCLA. “We certainly didn’t play good enough in those games to win.  We had some good moments but we were too inconsistent.”

The problems with the line started before the season kicked off. USC had to replace two huge pieces who anchored the veteran unit in 2022, All-America left guard Andrew Vorhees and multi-year starter Brett Neilon at center.  USC had luck in 2022 bringing in Bobby Haskins as a grad transfer from Virginia to help shore up the line.

The hope was to slide Justin Dedich over from right guard to center in 2023 and bring in players from the portal. It began to fall apart when second-team All-SEC selection Ethan White, who transferred from Florida, suffered an injury which kept him from joining USC. He medically retired before he arrived on campus.

Riley went on to explain what went wrong last year, with the Trojans’ offensive line never coming together as a cohesive unit.

“I would agree, I don’t know that we ever completely gelled as a unit. I think it starts with your your older players. Your older guys, your leaders have got to play their best; they’ve got to be great leaders: they’ve got to set the tone.  I think at times last year that did not necessarily happen all the time.

“So you know there’s obviously Jonah [Monheim], you’re talking about [Emmanuel] Pregnon — some of the guys that have now played some snaps for us. Mason Murphy, you need those guys to step up.”

Veterans will need to step up. The members of the 2023 class, who were true freshmen last year, are looking for leadership while competing for playing time this fall. During a press conference, Riley named all five offensive linemen from that class: Micah Banuelos, Elijah Paige, Alani Noa, Amos Talalele, and Tobias Raymond. Riley is relying on his upperclassmen’s consistent leadership to bring this group together.

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How many wins does Lincoln Riley need in 2024 to have a successful season?

How can USC reach its goals, and what do we need to see from this team more than anything else in 2024?

On the Conquest Call-In Show, a weekly caller-driven YouTube show on Friday nights at 6 p.m. Pacific time, John from Detroit chimed in. He said that USC would need to go at least 9-3 in its first season in the Big Ten to be successful.

I explained to John that I don’t have a number. I just want to see measureable and drastic improvement on both sides of the line of scrimmage for USC. Lincoln Riley has put together an outstanding staff with new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn and defensive line coach Eric Henderson joining defensive ends coach Sean Nua. This new staff will try to fix the issue that plagued USC’s defensive line last year. On paper, Lynn was able to turn UCLA’s dismal 2022 defense into a top five defense in 2023. He completely changed the Bruins’ defense in just one offseason, so the Trojans’ hopes ride on him replicating that feat here at USC. His plan at UCLA was to install his defense methodically in the spring and fall, building the fundamentals of the defense early and slowly. This would ensure a deep understanding of the basics of the scheme, allowing him to add additional wrinkles as the season progresses.

The addition of Isaiah Raikes, 313 pounds of quick-twitch athleticism in the middle, and the defensive line room adding 340 pounds in the offseason gives the Trojans the ability to exert the physicality that new defensive line coach Eric Henderson is stressing in the offseason.  The added size and attention to fundamentals from Henderson will be tested early in the season as USC faces LSU and Michigan in their first three games of 2024.

Offensively, Josh Henson remains the offensive line coach for the third year at USC. Clay Helton’s offensive line coach, Clay McGuire, had done a great job developing the line and leaving Henson a great foundation to work with, but there was no depth. The addition of Bobby Haskins in 2022 allowed USC’s veteran line to be a strength on the team in an 11-win campaign.

However, the Trojans were unable to overcome the loss of their three-year starting center, Brett Neilon, and All-America left guard Andrew Vorhees; the unit never gelled in 2023. The football team faced significant challenges due to injuries, which included multiple key players. Courtland Ford departed the team through the transfer portal, Ethan White, a transfer from Florida, was unable to join the team due to a medical retirement, and Gino Quinones suffered a season-ending injury early in the season.  Relying on multiple transfers who didn’t pan out created a less-than-ideal situation. The line was plagued by miscommunication and protection breakdowns throughout the year.

In 2024, the big and physical 2023 offensive line class has had a year of collegiate weight training, nutrition, and coaching from Henson. Two of the members of that 2023 class, Alani Noa and Elijah Paige, got some starts last year, but this unit has developed together and is expected to play significant roles. Micah Banuelos, who is on his way back from injury; Amos Talalele; and Tobias Raymond all look to push for starting roles in 2024. The left side of the line with Paige at tackle and Emmanuel Pregnon at guard seems to be set. Lincoln Riley and Henson have selected Jonah Monheim to anchor the offensive line at center, but there are questions on the right side.  The Trojans will absolutely need someone to step up and take those roles for USC to call 2024 a success.

 

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Micah Banuelos will be a major factor in USC’s switch to the Big Ten

The more one studies Micah Banuelos as an offensive lineman, the more one is convinced he will live up to his expectations as a prospect.

In his junior and senior seasons, Micah Banuelos primarily played left tackle and defensive tackle as one of the best two-way players in the state of Washington.

Banuelos was recently named to the all-state team and was selected to play in the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game as an offensive lineman.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound interior offensive lineman from Kennedy Catholic (WA) is a four-star prospect who is ranked the No. 5 player in the state and the 35th best player at his position in the 2023 class.

Banuelos is fundamentally sound and understands blocking angles, using body positioning to his advantage. He has major disciplined awareness and good intelligence with a high motor.

I see him being a big problem for opposing teams in 2024 when USC transitions to the Big Ten Conference. Banuelos isn’t fully developed yet as a prospect, but when he is, he will be a similar prospect to current USC Trojan Brett Nielon, who played in 12 games and played a total of 955 snaps for the Trojans this season.

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4-star OL sets commitment date; Oregon listed as a finalist

4-star Micah Banuelos, one of the top offensive linemen in Washington, announced his commitment date.

The Oregon Ducks’ 2023 recruiting class could get some more strength in the coming weeks.

After adding 5-star quarterback Dante Moore at the end of last week, the Ducks have a number of prospects who will be announcing their commitments at some point this month. Among them is 4-star offensive lineman Micah Banuelos, who announced on Tuesday that he will be making his decision on July 25th at 3 p.m. PT.

Banuelos is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 56 IOL in the 2023 class. He currently has two Crystal Ball Predictions on 247Sports to commit to the Ducks.

We will see later this month if Oregon’s offensive line can pick up another core member.

Film

Michael Banuelos’ Recruiting Profile