USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen is aware that the Trojans are losing to Oregon in NIL

Jen Cohen knows the score. USC is losing.

We can all debate whether Lincoln Riley and USC are losing to Oregon in the recruiting game because Dan Lanning is doing a better job than Riley. It might not be a matter of one coach doing more than another. It could be that one school’s NIL setup is better than the other’s, and that infrastructure — not coaching acumen — is the true driver of Oregon’s wins over USC on the trail. Yet, after the Ryan Pellum flip and other big recruiting (and transfer portal) conquests for Oregon in the latest cycle, there is zero question that Oregon recruiting and portal success under Dan Lanning has eclipsed Lincoln Riley’s body of work at USC. Lanning and Riley have both been at their current schools for two years. In those two years, Lanning has greatly outclassed Riley.

This should be highly concerning to USC insiders. If USC could get the caliber of athlete Oregon is pulling in, the Trojans would be national championship contenders (now that they have good defensive coaches). However, Lanning and Oregon are getting better players.

Something needs to be done.

USC Athletic Director Jennifer Cohen is aware of this.

Cohen, who used to be Washington’s athletic director, certainly relishes defeating Oregon. She knows how important it is to beat Oregon. Now at USC, her desire to thwart the Ducks has not dimmed.

It is no idle coincidence that after another day of Oregon superiority to USC in football recruiting, Cohen put out a fundraising appeal for the Trojans’ main NIL collective, the House of Victory:

Much more has to be done for USC to catch up to Oregon in recruiting. This is, at least, a start.

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