[Spiny_Norman]

USC's football makeover started when they brought in an AD from outside who knows and cares about football.

Pat Haden? Lynn Swann? I think their football bona fides speak for themselves and success (as they defined it) never really found a home at $C while they were in charge. Even the guy they've got now floundered for a couple of years before the portal and NIL opened up.

The watchword in Spiny Norman's post was "outside" as an AD with real AD chops. Haden was razor sharp and Swann could charm a ballroom full of moneybag donors, but both were out of their depths when it came to overseeing 36 sports and managing a bazillion-dollar budget.

Yes, I should have bolded "from outside". Bohn knew that he had to change the culture around the football program, something that insiders like Haden and Swann never could do. After Bohn was hired in late 2019, it took one season (a Covid year) and 2 additional games for him to see that Clay Helton was not the right guy to lead that turnaround.

Four games in the 2022 season are not enough to determine that Lincoln Riley is the right guy. But the signs are positive, not only on the field but off as well. Riley might have led a USC revival even without NIL and transfers. But NIL and transfers certainly accelerated the process.

[Spiny_Norman]

USC's football makeover started when they brought in an AD from outside who knows and cares about football.

Pat Haden? Lynn Swann? I think their football bona fides speak for themselves and success (as they defined it) never really found a home at $C while they were in charge. Even the guy they've got now floundered for a couple of years before the portal and NIL opened up.

The watchword in Spiny Norman's post was "outside" as an AD with real AD chops. Haden was razor sharp and Swann could charm a ballroom full of moneybag donors, but both were out of their depths when it came to overseeing 36 sports and managing a bazillion-dollar budget.

Yes, I should have bolded "from outside". Bohn knew that he had to change the culture around the football program, something that insiders like Haden and Swann never could do. After Bohn was hired in late 2019, it took one season (a Covid year) and 2 additional games for him to see that Clay Helton was not the right guy to lead that turnaround.

Four games in the 2022 season are not enough to determine that Lincoln Riley is the right guy. But the signs are positive, not only on the field but off as well. Riley might have led a USC revival even without NIL and transfers. But NIL and transfers certainly accelerated the process.