USC’s summer strength program has the Trojans looking big as fall camp begins

They won’t get credit for it as a regular season win but the USC Trojans registered a big victory this offseason. Head coach Lincoln Riley , defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn , the rest of the assistant coaches, director of football sports performance Bennie Wylie, his strength staff, director of sports nutrition Rachel Suba and her staff all went into this offseason with a very clear goal: Get this team big.

“We want more guys that are the first-off-the-bus kind of guys,” Riley said of what the Trojans are looking for in continuing to build the roster.

As the USC players hit the field for the first fall camp practice on Friday, the size and weight gains up and down the team were easily noticeable.

There was a significant jump even just from January to the start of spring ball. That continued throughout the summer into fall camp . Defensive end Braylan Shelby , defensive tackle Elijah Hughes and defensive end Sam Greene are all listed as 20 pounds heavier this fall than last. Linebacker Eric Gentry is up to 220 pounds as he added 14 pounds . Defensive lineman Devan Thompkins has added 30 pounds. Wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane added 15. True freshmen defensive linemen Kameryn Fountain and Jide Abasiri drew some double takes as they walked out to practice, as did summer enrollee Carlon Jones.

Where former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch prioritized speed and quickness along the defensive line, USC has changed course with a new coordinator.

Lynn said the move to the Big Ten and the style of football played there required getting bigger across the board. Riley added that it was also due in part to a “major philosophy change, especially defensively.”

Riley said the team added a combined 1,400 pounds since the start of winter conditioning in January.

“We’re obviously a lot bigger football team,” he said.

But you don’t win college football games just by showing up as a bigger team. And Riley was quick to point out that this is only part of the journey to a championship.

“You’ve got to go translate that,” he said. “That’s just part of it. It’s a key step in the process but there’s obviously a lot more to go.

“They’ve still got to be able to move,” he continued. “They’ve still got to be able to play explosive. It’s not just throw as much as you can on. And that’s a tough balance for players and staff.”

Both Shelby and Hughes said during this week’s media day that they feel great at the new weight. And the five and 10 pounds gains up and down the roster at every position had the Trojans riding high on Day 1 of fall camp.

“Our guys are in shape right now,” Riley said. “We flew around. We handled this practice with ease, which is what you want to see.”

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