New USC linebacker Shane Lee is a soft-spoken guy, business-like and to the point, but the chatter about him around the Trojans program has been loud and plentiful.
"This is a guy that's been instrumental within our program from the day that he came here," coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this week.
It's become clear in hearing the coaches talk about Lee, the former top-50 national prospect who transferred in from Alabama this offseason, that they're not only expecting him to help address a pressing need for better play at linebacker but also to play a role in the overarching need to install a winning culture at a program that has endured two losing seasons in the last four years.
"He adds a lot to the room. His experiences, the way he talks, the way he carries himself, the way he works, his demeanor, he's all about ball," inside linebackers coach Brian Odom said Thursday after practice. "Everybody enjoys being around him. They know he's a serious guy. But he's built quite the reputation to start, for sure."
Riley, meanwhile, was making an appearance on Trojans Live earlier this week when he was asked about Lee. Of the 15 questions he fielded during the radio segment, Riley gave his loudest and most compelling answer when it came to the veteran linebacker.
"We had a lot of great talks throughout his recruitment just about kind of our vision for this place. ... We knew some of these guys that were coming in from a transfer standpoint were going to be leaders as well and Shane's been one of those guys that's been at the forefront. And then way past that, he's got a ton of ability on the field. I've just been so impressed by him, just his growth and his maturity and how invested he is in not just himself becoming an elite player but also in this team winning championships and in this program in such a short amount of time," Riley said.
"It reminds me a lot of when we brought Jalen Hurts to Oklahoma a few years ago and we had him for one year, but his impact, you could feel it immediately, and Shane's had a very similar impact for this football team in the first 100 days. I've been honored to have him in our program. It's going to be a lot of fun to have this guy leading the charge for our program."
