Mike Williams, Drake London, and now Jordan Addison: USC is 'Wide Receiver U'
USC is a wide receiver talent factory.
And the Trojans were recently named college football’s “Wide Receiver U” by ESPN’s David Hale in a piece looking at which schools produce the most talent at each position.
The Trojans were runner-up for the QBU title, behind Oklahoma—and the Trojans’ new head coach played a key role in the Sooners claiming that title. USC was also the best Pac-12 team, according to Hale, at producing offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and defensive back talent.
But it claimed the top spot nationally at wide receiver. Here’s what Hale wrote:
Even in a down year when the coach was fired and the offense struggled, USC managed to produce a star at receiver, with Drake London selected eighth overall in this year’s NFL draft. USC’s lead over LSU and Alabama—two schools producing a torrent of top receiver talent lately—actually grew from 2021 as recent draftees Amon-Ra St. Brown and Michael Pittman blossomed in the NFL. Now add Lincoln Riley’s dynamic offense to the mix—alongside defending Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison, who transferred from Pitt this offseason—and odds are, the Trojans will be hanging on to the top spot for the foreseeable future.
To construct his rankings, Hale looked at players since 1998 and gave schools points for all-conference and All-America selections, for being drafted (weighted by round), and for NFL success within their first four years in the league.
Over that time period, USC has had 19 receivers drafted into the NFL. That number includes 10 wideouts who were selected in the first or second round of the NFL Draft.
It also only figures to grow in the coming seasons.
Jordan Addison feels like a sure-fire first-round draft choice heading into his third year. Addison has developed into one of the most dangerous slot receivers in the country, and he has the skillset to do damage in the NFL.
Lincoln Riley’s offense is also very wideout-friendly. From 2015 to 2019, his Oklahoma teams produced a 1,000-yard receiver every year. CeeDee Lamb was a consensus All-American. Dede Westbrook won the Biletnikoff in 2016. Addison figures to be the next 1,000-yard receiver in Riley’s offense, and there are players on the roster or committed to the program who could be next.