USC football focuses on accountability, fine details during spring practice

Los Angeles – Three weeks into spring ball, the USC football program is operating under a simple edict: anything less than total precision will be met with immediate correction.

On Wednesday morning, the Trojans opened practice with a blunt reminder of that standard. Several players were directed to perform up-downs after arriving without required equipment, a scene head coach Lincoln Riley framed as “a good message from some of our staff and leaders in terms of the approach that we need to have every day that we come out here.”

Junior defensive tackle Jide Abasiri echoed the sentiment. “We just have to be better prepared,” he said.

The disciplinary moment was brief. Once the session resumed, Riley and his staff shifted into a practice script designed to induce stress: multiple two-minute drills stacked on top of a 6 a.m. team meeting. The objective, Riley explained, is to cultivate a no-excuses culture before the season kicks off.

“It’s invaluable time, invaluable reps,” he said. “When you start putting those guys in real-life situations and you make it really difficult on them, you really start to see who rises up.”

Despite the manufactured adversity, players have maintained upbeat energy as they jockey for spots on the fall depth chart. Riley credited the roster’s internal competitiveness for allowing coaches to “hone in on pushing these guys, and coaching and critiquing and correcting.”

A high percentage of the Trojans’ projected fall roster is participating in spring drills, giving the staff a near-complete look at personnel. Attention to detail has always been a point of emphasis at USC, but Abasiri noted that 2024 spring workouts have drilled down to “play-specific details,” with individual drills targeting a player’s exact movement or assignment on any given snap.

Entering his third season, Abasiri has embraced a leadership role. USC signed the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class for the first time since 2006, flooding the facility with freshmen who are experiencing college practice for the first time. With few veterans possessing three years in the program, Abasiri sees guidance as part of his job description.

“Just being an older guy, I feel like it’s important for me to … help them just come along,” he said. His primary advice to the newcomers: “Just have fun with it.”

Riley acknowledged that staff turnover is inevitable in the modern game, but he believes the changes on the defensive side have been managed without derailing progress. Meanwhile, special-teams priorities remain under evaluation. The Trojans have not yet conducted extensive live return periods, yet coaches are studying which players field the ball cleanly and make sound decisions during offensive and defensive segments. Returner candidates are being identified, but the staff is prioritizing skill development over naming a depth chart.

Spring practices continue with the same dual focus: sharpen the minutiae and raise the collective standard. Through three weeks, Riley likes the response.

“They’re taking it well,” he said.

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