LOS ANGELES — In fall camp, Lincoln Riley said USC’s staff worked more field-goal snaps for its kickers than they had ever done in their careers.
USC finished a cool 109th of 133 FBS programs in field-goal percentage last season, converting two-thirds of its attempts, the lowest mark of any Riley-led program since his first head-coaching days at Oklahoma. Midseason, starting kicker Denis Lynch was placed on scholarship in one of the brightest spots of a trying regular season; Lynch struggled at times, though, in 2023, finishing just 14 of 20 on his attempts.
So USC brought several new faces into the room, knowing last year’s effort simply wasn’t good enough, Riley said. And as the smoke clears from a battle in camp, Georgia Southern transfer Michael Lantz has been dubbed the program’s starting kicker entering Week 1 against LSU, Riley affirmed Friday.
“It’s been a really good competition,” Riley said, “one that will continue to be ongoing throughout the year.”
USC released its first depth chart of the season ahead of Sunday afternoon’s clash with LSU, with some starting jobs resolved and others concealed until kickoff in Las Vegas. Here’s a breakdown of USC’s most important depth-chart updates and questions that still remain.
Jaylin Smith starting at cornerback
It seemed senior Jaylin Smith could have been an odd man out in a loaded secondary early in the fall, after he missed most all of spring practice with injury.
It’s become clear, though, that the former Bishop Alemany High product is integral to new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s plans for his secondary, a multidimensional piece who can work in at safety and nickel. And as USC heads into Week 1 against LSU, Smith will start in an outside-corner role – a new look at USC after years as a safety – lining up alongside fellow returner Jacobe Covington.
“His emergence at corner,” Riley said of Smith, “has been a really positive thing for us so far.”
Bear Alexander fighting to start
Early in August, Riley emphasized USC’s need for Alexander to go from good to great in fall camp – a stretch Riley called “very, very important.”
Evidently, even as Riley said Friday that Alexander had gained momentum across the past couple of weeks, the junior hadn’t done quite enough to lock down a starting spot. Alexander is listed as an “OR” starter at one of USC’s defensive tackle spots on their LSU depth chart, next to Wyoming transfer Gavin Meyer.
A reminder, as Riley emphasized to media Friday: Alexander was still young, had hardly played his freshman year at Georgia, showed flashes but was inconsistent in his first year at USC, and missed all of spring practice.
“Bear has still got a long ways to go,” Riley said. “He’s definitely getting better fast, no question about it.”
Questions at receiver
Unsurprisingly, sophomore receivers Zachariah Branch and Makai Lemon have locked down starting spots against LSU, as USC’s depth chart confirmed. But in a slight surprise, Duce Robinson and Ja’Kobi Lane – respective 6-foot-6 and 6-4 dynamic athletes – are listed as “OR” starters at the other two spots, next to veteran Kyron Hudson and born-again Trojan Kyle Ford.
Lane is likely, still, to start and serve as a focal point for Miller Moss against LSU’s secondary. Hudson, though, could well hold off Robinson for a starting job, a redshirt junior who started for USC in Week 1 last season.
