RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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USC quarterbacks Jayden Maiava (14) and Jonas Williams (15) during practice at Howard Jones Field, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026, in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES -- For the past four seasons, Lincoln Riley has talked about building something special at USC. Ahead of Saturday's Week 0 opener against San Jose State at the Coliseum, he sounds like a coach who believes his team is ready to arrive.
"I do have a lot of confidence in the football team and I do think we have a chance to be here in the next several years," he said following Tuesday's practice. "It's a fun job right now, for sure."
His quarterback certainly shares the same sentiment. Redshirt senior Jayden Maiava, who topped the college football world in QBR last season, holds supreme confidence heading into his final year with the Trojans.
"We've put so much work in this offseason, spring, leading into summer and then going into camp," he said. Maiava gives much of the credit to Riley and the rest of the coaching staff for building up the necessary chemistry within the squad. "When you have a head coach who's super confident, the team feeds back on that."
That belief has been tested by some change up front. Tobias Raymond, a veteran piece on the offensive line, will suit up at center for the 2026 campaign after Kilian O'Connor suffered a season-ending injury. Raymond was quick to admit that the readjustment in position had initially humbled him.
"During spring, it kind of felt like I was a freshman all over when I was playing center," he said, describing how badly he wanted to perfect his line calls. "Watching film a lot" became the key to his quick learning, along with leaning on the advice of O'Connor throughout the process.
Coach Riley described his choice to go with Raymond as his center as "the most natural decision," citing the reps he took at the position during spring along with his leadership and experience overall.
Running back King Miller, who added 15 pounds to his frame this offseason, said he notices the payoff showing up in short-yardage runs.
"Any moment I need a contact balance, it's very easy for me to maintain balance and get off those type of runs," he said. Miller did acknowledge that the diet change came with some difficulty. "Going from three meals to sneaking that little fourth meal in was a little challenging."
Receiver Corey Simms, who belongs to a mostly young and dynamic group of Trojan wideouts, is ready to hit the ground running after a year of reps (mostly on special teams).
"I'm just a way more comfortable, fluid player," Simms said as part of praising a freshman class, including Kaden Dixon, that has pushed the wide receiver room daily. "It's been back and forth, back and forth. So it's been very competitive, and it's a great room."
On the defensive side of the ball, all roads lead to new coordinator Gary Patterson, whose fingerprints have been all over the group's tone. "Every rep matters, and it needs to be perfect so we can execute," said defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, a Michigan State transfer who's emerged as one of the leaders on defense. Fellow tackle Jide Abasiri agreed that the standard has been raised. "There's definitely a new level of intensity, especially with coach GP behind the helm. He's definitely hammered that into us."
In the secondary, cornerback Chasen Johnson pointed to the relationship between Patterson and defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzalez as a steadying force.
"They obviously have some chemistry there, and they have some trust in each other," he said. "If a coverage needs some tweaking, they can get in that film room together and they can fix it." Johnson, in his first season with USC, knows that the secondary's identity starts with trust built off the field. "Our experience, our brotherhood and our ability to communicate with each other" are keys he cited for success on game day. Johnson added that facing a San Jose State team with no season film available yet to study changes nothing about the group's process or preparation.
The Spartans, finishing 3-9 last season under coach Ken Niumatalolo, will be motivated to try and earn a victory against the Trojans for the first time in program history (currently 0-6). For a USC team favored by over 38 points and ranked No. 14 nationally, Saturday is less about the opponent and more about finally finding out who this team is.
"It's kind of a weird sport in that you spend 90% of the year competing against one another, and then you get a few opportunities to actually all get on one sideline and go get somebody else," said coach Riley. "I'm excited to see how we compete together."
Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. PT.
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