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How Lincoln Riley Can go From Hot Seat to Dominant Again

More so than they did on the field last season, Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans are finding their groove on the recruiting trail. The program recently picked up a commitment from Luke Wafle, beating out Ryan Day and James Franklin for the elite Class of 2026 edge rusher.

On3's Ari Wasserman and Andy Staples explained that the success in adding talent will have to continue if Riley wants to appease USC fans.

"It's a matter of are your offers competitive enough to have these guys look at you on an equal footing with Oregon, with Ohio State, with Alabama, with Georgia, with Clemson?" Staples recently said on "Andy & Ari On3." "That's what matters because that has been USC's problem, is they have not been able to get nearly enough of the same players that all of those schools want. And this year, they are."

The Trojans have yet to make the College Football Playoff. USC last won a national crown when Pete Carroll was in charge.

"I think that if you wanted to come up with a one-sentence blueprint for how to compete for a national championship, it is this, something starting now," Wasserman said. "Consistently beat out Ohio State, Georgia, Penn State, Texas and Florida for recruits. Period."

Wafle's other finalists were the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.

"If both those two schools want the guy, there's a really good chance they're pretty good," Staples said. "And, look, they're not all gonna pan out. But if all those schools you mentioned want a person and you can get them, you are going to get enough talent to have a chance."

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