Greg McElroy spent some time on Southern Cal’s spring preview on his “Always College Football” podcast, and laid out his expectations as the Trojans are set to begin spring practice on Saturday.

McElroy called the 2022 season “remarkable,” and said, “I can forgive” the performances at the bowl game and Pac-12 Championship Game because it’s not the end of the world. He pointed to how Lincoln Riley stacked up against other first-year coaches like Florida’s Billy Napier and Miami’s Mario Cristobal.

As for USC, McElroy said he’s not concerned on offense, “at all.”

“Sorry, I just trust him,” McElroy said. “You bring back your Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Caleb Williams, you’re in a great spot. You bring back running back Austin Jones, guy went for 750 and change last year. He’s going to be just fine now that we’ve seen him carry the load down the stretch. But you also add MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina that might be able to be that No. 1 guy potentially as well.”

One concern is attrition at wide receiver, he said. However, blue chip recruiting will keep the offense in the upper echelon of the Pac-12.

But defensively is where McElroy is worried. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch does a good job of creating disruption and penetration.

“But they also get gashed a lot,” McElroy said. “It’s one thing to create issues, it’s another thing to be unsound. There were far too many examples last year where they were unsound.”

The comments begin at 23:12 below: