Lincoln Riley confirmed Wednesday that he'll remain USC's offensive play-caller, as expected, while expounding on why he added the offensive coordinator title to QBs coach Luke Huard.

"Yeah, we'll continue to operate as normal," Riley said. "Luke's just taken a real leading role in what we're doing. I mean, he just, he did a great job, I felt like, with the quarterbacks. He certainly takes a leading role in how we organize and how we game plan, which is what that role typically has meant for us. He's been loyal. He's had a lot of people that have come after him and tried to take him to their programs, and he's another guy that very much believes in the vision."

Nobody's role on staff has grown more during Riley's tenure than Huard's.

He initially joined the Trojans in February of 2022 as an offensive analyst, but his role quickly changed with the tragic death of inside receivers coach Dave Nichol to cancer, with Huard stepping into that role.

Last year, he was moved to quarterbacks coach to take pressure off Riley and free him up to be involved with other areas of the roster, and now Huard adds the offensive coordinator title, which was held the last three years by offensive line coach Josh Henson, who is now the OC at Purdue.

Huard was instrumental in the Trojans reeling in local four-star quarterback signee Husan Longstreet, and also in landing his nephew, Utah QB transfer Sam Huard this offseason.

"[It's] to reward his loyalty and reflective of the duties that he does, because certainly for our offense he's more than just a position coach," Riley said. "He certainly brings a lot of value and a lot of experience to the table and is somebody I've grown to trust very much."