Lincoln Riley says he is not into changing his message to recruits in spite of a down season for USC. In fact, the head coach of the Trojans believes there is indeed progress to be seen.

On Thursday, Riley was asked about his message to recruits after USC has slid to 4-5 overall and is fighting to get into a bowl game. It’s also notable as a string of prospects are leaving the 2025 recruiting class for the Trojans.

“I think you just call it like it is,” said Riley about his message after a down season. “And I think the recruits that understand and that see — I think they do see the progress. And they do see how close this team is. And I think the real elite competitiors look at it and say ‘Gosh, this team’s been that close… We can be the ones to help push this thing over the edge’.”

Riley went on to describe that a year like the one the Trojans are having can illustrate quickly which players are excited about a challenge:

“I do think, recruiting in general, especially when you have a year like ours or that obviously hasn’t went the way that we’ve wanted in the last sevearal weeks, you find out pretty quickly who’s about that, and who’s really able to take on the head-on challenge,” Riley described. “… It’s sometimes easier to evaluate who’s all in with you… I think the real ones see exactly what we’re doing and are very committed to it.”

Riley’s choice of words are interesting, especially as USC deals with some key departures from the 2025 recruiting class. On Thursday, Georgia cornerback Shamar Arnoux revealed he was flipping to Auburn.

Arnoux follows in the footsteps of key California prospect Hayden Lowe who announced he is flipping to Mario Cristobal’s Miami program. Julian Lewis, a 5-star quarterback, is also reportedly trending toward flipping away from the Trojans and is expected to be in Athens this weekend for a major showdown between Tennessee and Georgia.

Nevertheless, Riley is focused on moving forward:

“We’re going to stay steady, stay the course,” said Riley about his message to recruits. “We know the kind of people and players we want to bring in here, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”

We’ll see how that works out for USC’s 2025 recruiting class.