How new eligibility rule will unleash Lincoln Riley, USC’s top-ranked recruiting class

To play the freshmen or not to play the freshmen?

A dilemma that’s confronted college football coaches for an eternity won’t be a question facing USC’s Lincoln Riley anymore.

“Now,” Riley said Tuesday, “it’s just play the guys who deserve to play.”

The NCAA’s new five-in-five rule eliminates redshirt seasons and gives all players five seasons of eligibility, with rare exceptions. That means promising freshmen who might have been used sparingly in the past – players could once participate in up to four games and preserve a redshirt season – can now be deployed freely.

Might as well, since they’re going to have the same amount of eligibility left regardless.

The new rule is perfectly timed for USC given that the Trojans can now fully unleash their top-ranked freshman class of 35 high-end prospects.

“Any opportunity that we get a chance to play these guys, however it comes out,” Riley said, “you love the fact to be able to do it.”

Among the freshmen who should contribute heavily are tight end Mark Bowman and wide receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Others who could contend for playing time include defensive end Luke Wafle – the nation’s No. 1 recruit – and five-star offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe.

While they’re all so talented that they likely would have played regardless of eligibility rules, at least there’s no need for the headache of making contingency plans for possible redshirt seasons.

“You’re not sitting there having the same discussions like before where it was, well, how many games do we think he’s going to play and are we trying to do this redshirt?” Riley said. 

Those plans often got discarded anyway, Riley said, because of unforeseen circumstances.

Riley recalled having multiple in-game discussions with players where they had to weigh the benefits of participating in a handful of plays at the end of games as a tradeoff for not playing the rest of the season because they would burn their redshirt.

The new eligibility rules could also benefit someone like wide receiver Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, a freshman who just turned 17 in May. In seasons past, Feaster – part of a small group of players who did not participate in spring practice – would be a strong candidate to redshirt.

Now, it’s go time, provided he’s ready.

One of his coaches said that might be the case.

“He’s a very mature kid for his age,” wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons said, “and I think he’s adjusting.”

Wide receiver Terrell Anderson, a transfer from N.C. State, went a step further, predicting that Feaster would be a freshman All-American.

“He’s got that ‘it’ factor,” Anderson said. “Boobie Feaster, he’s live.”

Riley suggested that the new eligibility rules would have a massive impact on roster construction now that players can contribute for five seasons.

“As you project out,” Riley said, “those are things you certainly have to be aware of because what you’re recruiting and targeting in the future classes is definitely going to be affected.”

While Mosley is among a handful of USC players who were double holdbacks – meaning they were previously held back a grade twice for development purposes – Riley said he didn’t think that should impact their eligibility under the new rules. His staff continues to seek clarification on the situation.

“Our belief is,” Riley said, “if they’re five-for-five when they come out of high school, they ought to be five-for-five” once they arrive in college.

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