USC is more than halfway through spring camp after wrapping up its eight practice Thursday.
Afterward, coach Lincoln Riley talked in-depth about the status of the secondary, including second-year cornerback Marcelles Williams' potential, who is working at nickel, etc. He also gave an in-depth answer when asked about star receiver Ja'Kobi Lane's growth from last season -- on and off the field.
Among other topics ...
Watch the full interview here and scroll down for a complete transcript of Riley's comments Thursday.
Full Lincoln Riley transcript:
What have you learned from past years about the spring portal window and how has it shaped your approach?
"The spring portal has been different every year. It’s definitely evolved in terms of kind of what’s in there. Obviously the guys that are in there, there’s a reason, and you’ve got to do your best in a short amount of time to get to the bottom of that. Each team and each roster is just in a different scenario, and the big thing for us is to just build a roster that doesn’t have to be too reliant on the spring portal. I certainly feel like there’s less needs on this football team than maybe in some of the years past when we’ve got to this point. That doesn’t mean there won’t be some good fits out there. There probably will be, and we’ll sort through those. But I think the majority of our football team is here or signed to be here in June.
Marcelles Williams created a lot of buzz last spring -- how has he developed this last year and is he in the mix for a major role potentially?
"He’s right in the middle of it. Without question. With all the guys we lost at corner, there’s some real position battles and some real opportunities right now. He had a really good spring last year. He had a solid camp too, and some of the other guys kind of stepped up and we’re just a little bit ahead of him. But it was a great fall for him. He was able to develop physically, which was probably the biggest thing for him. He had to put on weight. He had to put on strength. And then learn to be able to use that and learn to play a little bit more physical, a little more sturdy. And that’s happened. He’s always a smart kid. He’s a guy who’s always in position. And I just see more pop, more physicality, more confidence athletically right now. He’s certainly right in it."
How has Ja'Kobi Lane matured from last season?
"I think some of the older receivers in the room are gone now, and he’s getting to the point where he not only needs to mature individually, but this team needs him to, in terms of the leader and presence that he is. Because he does have an infectious energy, a competitive energy, and it affects our football team. And so I think he’s got some big goals for this team, and he wants to be a leader and be someone on this team that we can count on, and he knows the path to that is more consistency in all areas. So he’s doing a lot of things better than he ever has. He’s got great intent for it, and he continues to grow and progress. We’re just going to need him to stay on that track. The more steady he can be, the explosive plays and all those things will come out of this guy because he’s that talented of a player. But he’s taken his craft more seriously. He’s taken the leadership more seriously. He hasn’t had some of the emotional ups and downs that plagued him early in his career, and if that continues, he’ll be set up to have a great season and more importantly be a great leader for this team."
