2024 was a bit of a reality check for the USC Trojans. The Big 10 is a different kettle of fish from the Pac-12. The sheen of realignment dissipated rather quickly after a lackluster season. Head coach Lincoln Riley, for the first time in his career, came under some duress. Hovering around .500 isn’t gonna cut it, and the further we drift from his time at Oklahoma, the more traction Coach Riley seems to lose. USC has spiraled from 11 wins in 2022 to 8 in ‘23 and 7 in ‘24. His stock and perception have taken a hit. But things change quickly in this sport. That Cali sun is shining on the program once again, courtesy of the transfer portal.

USC’s new GM Chad Bowden’s arrival from rival Notre Dame has coincided with an upturn in fortunes. He’s no Trojan horse in cahoots with the Irish, mind you. Known as a recruiting whiz, Bowden’s been going to work on that front. USC boasts the best recruiting class in the country for 2026. But while that’s spewed positivity around the Trojans, Coach Riley’s still got the ‘25 season to contend with. An uptick in the win column is requisite. At the crux of USC’s issues last season was the defense. The offensive-minded Riley relies on his coordinators on that side of the football, and it really pulled down the entire team last season. In an effort to fix this, Lincoln Riley is looking to retool his linebacker corps. 

The Boise State Broncos, making it to the inaugural 12-team playoffs, did feel like a flash in the pan. Star tailback Ashton Jeanty was bound to depart at the end of the year, and now that he has, others are following suit. Seeking to jump off what could be a bit of a sinking ship. With one year of eligibility, it makes sense for a player to hit the portal. Either as a swan song before their football career ceases, or an attempt to supercharge your eminence within NFL circles. Either way, LB Andrew Simpson has chosen to put his hand up for potential suitors. Already, Lincoln Riley has reciprocated his efforts. As per Connor Morrissette, Andrew Simpson will imminently visit the USC campus later this week.

USC was heavily involved in his initial recruitment from high school. Alas, they might get their man after all. The 6”0, 235lb linebacker can bring both gaudy production and veteran experience to the Trojans’ defense. He’s got 32 career starts under his belt. During this, Simpson has accumulated 150 tackles, 36 TFLs, 15 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 3 picks, and 1 punt block that got taken to the endzone. Just last season en route to the Broncos’ run to the Mountain West championship, Simpson put up 45 tackles (29 solo), 3 sacks, 3 FFs, and an INT. On the surface level, you may disregard these numbers since they came from a G5 program. But Andrew Simmons’ tape matches up with what he’s putting on the statsheet. Trojans fan and insider USCJ concurs with this.

Converting the California native’s visit into a commitment won’t be straightforward for Lincoln Riley. Even with the magnetic allure of new linebackers coach and NFL veteran staffer Rob Ryan. Andrew Simpson is somebody looking to maximize his final year with play time. With the progression of Desman Stephens and Eric Gentry, the LB room is rather competitive. If Riley can land Simpson, it’ll be a massive boost for that unit and, by extension, the entire defense. Both in the rush as well as pass offense. Iron sharpens iron, after all. Coach Riley himself acknowledges how much of a need the position group is. In fact, he proclaims it’s USC’s biggest area of need.

Lincoln Riley is acting upon his own words

When asked which unit and/or position USC will look to address this transfer portal window, Lincoln Riley was rather blunt. “I think there are some of the obvious positions where we’re a little bit thin that we may look at. Linebacker is one of those,” he said. Coach Riley proceeded to speak on how active USC will be through this fortnight while the portal is open.

“It will kinda depend on how spring plays out and some of those other position battles and all that. That will determine the most. But I don’t think it will be a huge, incredibly active period for us. My gut is we’ll end up having a handful of positions that we’re going to look at, and if we feel like someone fits, then we may pursue it,” remarked Coach Riley. With fall still a far way away and spring camp in the rear-view mirror, a certain level of clarity in terms of the personnel at his disposal is expected from Lincoln Riley. Which he does have.

Chad Bowden has spoken about wanting to build a fence around California and keeping in-state players home. While Simpson isn’t coming out of high school, he still fits the mould. With linebackers being the fulcrum of the entire defense, it’s easy to see why Lincoln Riley emphasized the group. In due course, we shall see whether Andrew Simpson is indeed the solution to his predicament.