Published Sep 5, 2023
Lincoln Riley addresses the status of five-star sophomore Raleek Brown
Ryan Young  •  TrojanSports
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Five-star sophomore Raleek Brown wasn't on the sideline with USC on Saturday during the Trojans' 66-14 win over Nevada, heightening already circling questions about his future with the program.

Brown was seen walking out to practice Tuesday in pads, and head coach Lincoln Riley addressed his status when asked afterward.

"Yeah, he's looking at the possibility of redshirting -- that's part of the world right now. We'll see what happens," Riley said. "You know, I can still certainly foresee him being a big part of the team this year. You just never know week to week and you never know as years go on, different opportunities present themselves so he's going to continue to work, we're going to continue to develop him like crazy. I still believe he's got an outstanding skill set that fits us in a lot of ways. ...

"You see guys make big changes and the transition for him was and is a big change. It's not always perfect in the beginning, and I think a chance to continue to improve and work on those skills and get better as a player, he's got to make the most of this time and then when opportunity presents itself, whether it's this year or next year, be as ready as he possibly can be."

Brown moved full-time to slot receiver in the spring after playing sort of an all-purpose back role for the Trojans as a true freshman.

The 5-foot-8 five-star prospect who was running back at Mater Dei HS showed his elite speed and abilities last fall while totaling 402 combined rushing/receiving yards and 6 total touchdowns, despite being affected by a significant ankle sprain for much of the season.

Riley had acknowledged during fall camp that Brown was facing a more involved transition to receiver than people might presume, so there were signs his role was in question -- especially when he was listed fourth on the official depth chart for the Week 0 season opener.

Slot receiver is USC's most competitive position with Tahj Washington, Mario Williams and Zachariah Branch all top options there. Even when two are on the field together, there are only so many touches to go around.

Here's what Riley said in mid-August about that transition for Brown: "Listen, when you make a position change – no matter how talented you are, Raleek’s a very talented player – there’s gonna be a transition period when you’ve never done that full-time. This is not just go out there and run a route or two, right, and this is not just go out there and learn to block this one thing. There’s a lot more to it. So, he’s had some really good patches, he’s had some rough patches, but I do feel like for him long-term both here and in the future, with his size and skill set, that it makes a lot of sense."

Brown played 17 offensive snaps in that game vs. San Jose State and received just two passes, catching one for 14 yards.

Brown was not on the team's official depth chart last week ahead of the 66-14 win over Nevada.

Last season, wide receiver Gary Bryant played in three games before opting to redshirt. He continued to practice with the team on scout team all season, including through the Cotton Bowl, and then entered the transfer portal and ultimately ended up at Oregon for this season.

It's too soon to predict Brown's future.