Don't blink around coach Lincoln Riley. Keep your eye on the horizon or this coach will spin you around and pass you by so fast your heart will skip. Does anyone know if he has a home yet? Did the family buy a house and send him a text with the address. Relentless pursuit of building a championship team. When every a new coach comes to town the hype is always there. Well almost always. Let's the take Clay out of there. But with Lincoln Riley, we have seen him hit the air running. Notice I didn't say ground as his feet have never touched to tarmac. Just flying around and building out a foundation to build a championship team.
Even the Blvd. is having a hard time keeping up with his bobs and weaves. One thing is also happening the recruited are signing. The recruits are also turning in to recruiters. They want this. They want to be part of the first team to turn this ship around in the dock. They want to win and they want it now. This is how you slowly but surely build a new culture. A new culture that quite frankly never used to be questioned at USC.
Lots of past players, still eligible, are leaving. But this is part of the cultural change process. It has to happen and let's not forget these are the kids who were recruited by Helton and his style was all about love me love you. He didn't have that head coaching gear to turn up the heat and demand physical no-nonsense football. The first steps are under way to right this ship and raise it to the levels of where the Rose Bowl was step one of the expectations and National Championships define success.
There really appears to be a sense of all hands on deck in Heritage Hall. There seems to be a unified focus and message. This could be an incredible time to be a Trojan and in time we will see the power of this young coaches vision take to the field. Cannot wait until Spring Camp as the pace and physicality should be something very different.
Suffice to say the fan base is leaning in. The overall attitude is shifting to the positive and expectations are guarded but clearly moving to a stronger outlook on the future of USC Football.