Lincoln Riley and USC are looking to rebound from a disappointing couple of seasons as they embark on 2025. With offseason workouts ongoing, the head coach used the opportunity recently to surprise a walk-on player with a scholarship.

Riley referenced hearing about a local “cat here in town” who was being overlooked by schools. He eventually checked out the prospect and agreed with the local high school head coach who recommended the player.

That player is Kilian O’Connor who was rewarded with his scholarship in front of his USC teammates. O’Connor was unrated by the 247 Sports Composite coming out of high school but has appeared in 16 games across the 2023-24 seasons.

“I really don’t got a lot to say, just so thankful for this opportunity. I thank my parents, I thank God every day for putting me here and giving me this opportunity to be a Trojan,” said O’Connor.

“My dad was a walk-on, my grandpa was a walk-on. This is something that is really special for me. I just thank you guys for making it easy every day to show up.”

Now, the task for all the Trojans becomes taking a big step forward heading into Year 2 in the Big Ten. USC went just 4-5 in league play and 7-6 overall and will need to show some momentum of growth in 2025.