Josh Pate Reveals Biggest Threat To USC’s Longterm Success

After a hot start to the Lincoln Riley-era at USC in 2022, the Trojans regressed significantly last season despite being led by Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at quarterback.

With Williams gone and expectations mounting for Riley in Los Angeles, there's a lot of pressure on the Trojans headed into their first season in the Big Ten.

Riley's squads are known for their offensive prowess and that's where USC has found a bulk of its success, finishing second in the country in that category last season and fifth in 2022.

Defensively, it's an entirely different story. The Trojans have failed to crack the top 100 in total defense under Riley.

Longterm success can't be reached with opponents scoring at will, so how do the Trojans shape things up on defense?

CBS Sports analyst Josh Pate believes that starts with creating more pull on the recruiting trail in regions with the top defensive talent, particularly on the defensive line.

"They've got to come recruit the South," he said on a recent appearance on Cole Cubelic's podcast "The Cube Show." "They got to come recruit the Midwest to get those kinds of kids and you're going to have to take him out of someone else's backyard who is already really good at this stuff."

It seemed like the Trojans were going to sign two of the top defensive linemen in the class of 2025 in Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, both Georgia natives, before the pair decommitted in June. Interestingly enough, USC did flip four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte from the Bulldogs this week.

USC will open the 2024 season with a test against LSU in the Vegas Kickoff Classic on Sept. 1.

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