03-01-2022, 09:43 AM
(03-01-2022, 12:39 AM)BostonCard Wrote: Mediocre coaches at USC can routinely land 5*, top-20 talent. The challenges for them has been converting that talent into a team that plays up to the talent it has. Three coaches since Carroll have failed to do it, but Riley has demonstrated he can coach. The reason to worry about USC and Riley is not that he is recruiting well, but that he might actually get his recruits to play up to their potential.Exactly so. While Riley has demonstrated he can coach, he hasn't yet demonstrated he is a "fit" for USC. His previous experience is in places where the Coach was undoubtedly the boss and the players did as they were told. For quite a while, USC hasn't been that way. Carroll was able to convince the players that doing what the coaches said was to their advantage, but it was not a "command" society even then. It worked because they won enough that everybody could go to the NFL. How that will all shake out with Riley is still TBD. If he can get and maintain control, USC will return to being a powerhouse. If not, more of the same.
BC