USC will go through this spring with just two scholarship quarterbacks available in Caleb Williams and Miller Moss, following Mo Hasan's ruptured Achilles that he announced on social media earlier this month.
Williams was asked if that makes this spring tougher for him in any way.
"Maybe a little tougher on the shoulder, but other than that we're going to get some guys in here to help us out. Coach Riley's going to do a phenomenal job in recruiting, things like that, and we're going to be just fine," he said.
Riley did leave open the possibility of looking for more outside help at the position, but he also said he thinks there's a chance Hasan could be available by the start of the season.
"Yeah, there is. I think there's a good chance. Mo's had surgery, recovering well. So we certainly hope to," Riley said. "He was doing some good things in the off-season so we hope to have him back."
As for looking for more insurance at the position ...
"It is what it is right now. It's not ideal. I certainly wouldn't take that off the table, looking at adding somebody. But honestly with our roster right now, you could say that about any position that there is. We got a lot of roster work to do here between now and the first day of camp and the first game," Riley said. "There's going to be double-digit additions, no question about it. So a lot of work to do. I like what we have in that room. I like what Miller's doing, I like what Caleb's doing. But obviously you gotta have a third guy in there for health reasons."
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Injury notes
Rush end Korey Foreman and projected starting left tackle Bobby Haskins were off in the rehab zone riding bikes during the open viewing period of practice Tuesday.
"Both limited, neither guy is full go right now, but we expect that to change as spring goes on. We expect them to participate in a full manner before the spring is up," Riley said.
Haskins was seen wearing a protective boot in a photo on social media earlier this month, but it's unknown what specific injury either player is dealing with at the moment.
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Five-star freshman cornerback Domani Jackson came out to practice carrying a helmet and with no brace or wrap of any kind on his surgically repaired knee (patellar surgery), but he was working off to the side during the early viewing portion of practice.
Fellow cornerback Joshua Jackson Jr., safety Briton Allen, tight ends Ethan Rae and Lake McRee and center Brett Neilon also were working off to the side and not with the rest of the team.
Sights and sounds
-Athletic director Mike Bohn and former Trojans QB Mark Sanchez for talking for a while before practice. Bohn and Riley later chatted on the field between drills.
-All of the Trojans’ Pro Day participants were out there watching practice Tuesday.
-Riley was very engaged during even the individual and routes on air drills, sharing instruction between plays.
-Trojans legend Ronnie Lott was at practice and spoke to the team.
Eight-WR rotation? And commitment to the run game?
USC's wide receiver competition is among the most intriguing this spring as the Trojans are deep with talent at the position after adding transfers Brenden Rice, Mario Williams and Terrell Bynum along with freshman CJ Williams, on top of a returning group that includes leading 2021 receivers Gary Bryant Jr. and Tahj Washington, second-year players Michael Jackson III and Kyron Ware-Hudson, along with returning veterans Kyle Ford and John Jackson III.
So how many of those guys will actually be involved on Saturdays in the fall? Riley's answer was surprising.
"A ton can get involved. A ton. Bare minimum, we're going to play eight receivers a game, sometimes even more, then we figure in all the tight ends and backs that we have. We're gonna involve a lot of positions," he said. "I like what I saw at the receiver position. We're gonna have some really good battles. I think we're gonna have guys who we're gonna be able to use a lot of different ways. We got some different skill sets out there."
At the same time, Riley emphasized the importance of the run game, which should appease a large majority of the fan base -- not to mention USC's three veteran RBs Travis Dye, Darwin Barlow and Austin Jones.
"I’m a big believer in it. I believe you have to run the football to win championships, to be a championship football team," he said. "It’s something we’ve been pretty decent at in our past. I think it’s something this school, when you look back at its championship seasons, a strong running game has been a part of that. Establishing our identity offensively with physicality. You’re not going to win championships without stopping the run defensively. Our guys have heard that once or twice in the last 100 days."
Riley's overall takeaways from practice
Here's what Riley had to say generally about the first day of practice.
"Awesome. Awesome, it was great. Definitely the hottest first spring practice of my life, for sure. But it was amazing, it was," he said. "The guys were great, they flew around, the energy was really good, the excitement. You see from Day 1 of our winter conditioning and our winter off-season to now, guys have really made a lot of progress. You could see that on the field. Now, we got a ton of work to do, a lot to clean but I like the energy, I like the way we're flying around, I like the way the team's starting to come together. So it was a very successful first practice."
Also, this:
"Tough to say until you watch the film. There were big plays on both sides of the ball. I would say it was pretty evenly matched," he said. "Offense made some plays. Defense made some plays. I thought our specialists did well in our specialist period. I wouldn't say any surprises right now. I like the way we competed. There’s going to be a lot of good and a lot of bad on the film, and we’re going to keep getting more of the good and correct the bad."
Dave Nichol's future
USC announced on Monday that inside receivers coach Dave Nichol is away from the team indefinitely "focusing on a private medical matter."
Luke Huard, who came aboard last month as an offensive analyst, is filling in for Nichol in the interim.
Riley was asked if he expected Nichol to be able to return to the program at some point.
"Yeah, absolutely. He’s going through a tough deal so just would ask all of our Trojan family for their prayers," he said.
