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The USC Trojans have not been able to break through into the College Football Playoff since Lincoln Riley took over as head coach, which is something of a disappointment. Riley, however, thinks the program has addressed what he sees as one major issue.

Riley said USC’s NIL programs have taken “monster leaps” since the end of last season. Riley acknowledged the importance of NIL collectives and donors, suggesting the school is wholly embracing college football’s new normal.

“NIL has taken some monster leaps in the last several months, which has been positive,” Riley said, via Connor Morrissette of USCFootball.com. “I think for everybody, our fanbase and supporters, it’s just been gaining an understanding of what it is and how it’s not important, it’s imperative. You have to have it. Last year, it was okay. It was great kind of outside of the whole collective world. Being in LA, our guys probably get more outside deals than anybody in the country, which is awesome. But we need the support to be right there with that too with our donors and our collectives. That has taken some massive, massive jumps here in the last several months.”

Riley’s admission that he tried to keep away from the world of collectives is a noteworthy one, particularly since he admitted things are changing. USC should be a major destination school with plenty of opportunities for players, but those will not necessarily present themselves without some buy-in from collectives and other similar efforts.

It probably is not coincidental that in the past week, the Trojans have reeled in five blue-chip high school recruits, all on the defensive side of the ball. One of them was flipped from one of the country’s top programs, suggesting USC really is making serious progress on the recruiting front.

With Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama and USC’s move to the Big Ten, the opportunity is there to build a real powerhouse. Riley seems to be taking it after a few middling seasons.