Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion

Latest Episodes:

Coach Harvey Hyde on what he learned from the assistant coach media brunch May 05, 2025

Show notes

On this episode of the Peristyle Podcasts hosts Ryan Abraham and Coach Harvey Hyde are back together talking about what they learned from last week's USC assistant football coach media brunch, where six offensive and six defensive assistants sat down with the media for an hour, answering questions about how spring football went and what Trojan fans can expect from their respective position groups in the future.

The USC football staff is a great mix of young, energetic coaches like cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed and inside receivers coach Chad Savage and older, veteran coaches like linebackers coach Rob Ryan. The guys talk about some of the highlights from what they heard from the staff and why they are optimistic that this group of coaches can turn things around in 2025.

Coach Hyde also discusses the current state of USC football recruiting, with the Trojans building up a massive 2026 class that currently ranks No. 1 in the country. The focus has been on local prospects and it has paid off, with 27 commitments and counting including the impressive recent pledge from five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe.

They finish the show talking about the recent decision by head coach Lincoln Riley to let Director of Football Sports Performance Bennie Wylie go, taking USC's strength and conditioning program in another direction.

⁠CLICK HERE for 30% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!⁠

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠!

Thanks to ⁠Trader Joe's⁠ for sponsoring the Peristyle Podcast!

Make sure you check out ⁠USCFootball.com⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Tunnel Vision: The USC football recruiting machine is rolling plus our assistant coach brunch recap May 05, 2025

Show notes

On this latest edition of Tunnel Vision USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham, Shotgun Spratling and new intern Riley Sager are back in studio to discuss everything happening in the world of USC football, from recruiting to what all 12 assistant football coaches had to say this week at the media brunch.

Our team starts off talking about the nearly unbelievable turnaround for USC football recruiting, both from the high school ranks and the NCAA Transfer Portal. Over the past five days the Trojans have picked up as many commits, four from high school and one from the portal. Things got started on Wednesday with three-star receiver Roderick Tezeno, Thursday USC added five-star offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, Friday was four-star corner Elbert Hill, Saturday three-star receiver Luc Weaver before UCF transfer cornerback Chasen Johnson picked USC on Sunday.

Lincoln Riley and his crew have the No. 1 ranked recruiting class for 2026 and it isn't close, with 27 commitments and nearly 295 points (Notre Dame is second with 14 commits and 236 points). The efforts to focus on high school recruiting by new general manager Chad Bowden is paying off and the Trojans are not slowing down on the recruiting trail.

On the team side, we were able to meet with 12 assistants on Wednesday at USC's media brunch, two hours of interviews that we filmed and uploaded to our YouTube page. We were able to gain a lot of insight into what the plan is for the off-season to turn things around on the field in 2025. Shotgun also spent the morning at the Under Armour Next Camp in Mission Viejo and shares his thoughts on how the Trojan commitments and targets performed, including defensive line MVP Simote Katoanga out of Santa Margarita (Calif.) and offensive line MVP Chase Deniz out of San Diego (Calif.) Cathedral Catholic.

They will also talk about Riley's decision to let Director of Football Sports Performance Bennie Wylie go and head in a different direction for future of USC football strength and conditioning.

CLICK HERE for 30% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!⁠⁠

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠!

Thanks to ⁠⁠Trader Joe's⁠⁠ for sponsoring the Peristyle Podcast!

Make sure you check out ⁠⁠USCFootball.com⁠⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Composite Two-Star Recruits: USC lands War Daddy 5-star OT Keenyi Pepe, Louisiana WR Roderick Tezeno off Trojan Olympics May 02, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast returns to break down USC landing War Daddy 5-star OT Keenyi Pepe and Louisiana WR Roderick Tezeno off the Trojan Olympics recruiting event. The Cilantro Boys also talk USC's latest transfer pickup: Zacharyus Williams from Utah.

TIME STAMPS:

4:51: Cold Open (USC Lands 5-Star War Daddy OL Keenyi Pepe)

48:03: USC Adds Louisiana WR Roderick Tezeno

1:08:21: Utah Transfer WR Zacharyus Williams Commits

1:21:42: Trojan Olympics

1:33:52: Chasen Johnson...Again?

1:50:49: More Good News on the Way?

2:05:33: Listener Questions

Dedeaux Download: From JUCO to HR #1 in D1, USC's Richard Tejeda talks baseball journey Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

The Dedeaux Download Podcast returns with Shotgun Spratling and podcast co-host Kasey Kazliner breaking down USC baseball's 3-0 weekend in Minneapolis where the Trojans swept Minnesota with two dominant efforts to open the weekend and a ninth-inning come-from-behind effort in the series finale.

Shotgun and Kasey take a look at all the action, pointing out the positives of the Trojans improving to 29-14 with 14-7 mark in Big Ten play and a third-place spot in the standings behind only UCLA and Iowa. They discuss the outstanding pitching outings of Andrew Johnson, Caden Aoki and Brodie Purcell as well as the offensive prowess of the Trojans' catchers. Shotgun and Kasey also look at how USC has been getting contributions from up and down the roster.

The podcasters also try to find three negatives from the impressive weekend. They land on one conclusive one and stretch to find two others.

After a break, USC junior college transfer Richard Tejeda joins the show to talk about his baseball journey going from the junior college ranks to being the primary backstop for a Big Ten-contending Trojan squad, including how he dealt with a big slump to start his Division I career and what adjustments he's made to be hitting .417 over his last nine games.

Tejeda also discusses his connection with the pitching staff and starters Caden Hunter and Caden Aoki and what it was like catching Aoki as he came close to throwing a no-hitter Saturday.

Shotgun and Kasey close out the show taking a look at where the Trojans stand after winning another Big Ten series, improving their RPI to No. 38. The podcast then previews USC's upcoming week of action with the Trojans taking on CSUN in midweek action before a huge rivalry series against UCLA down at Great Park next weekend.

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠!

Make sure you check out ⁠USCFootball.com⁠ for complete coverage of USC Trojans football, basketball, baseball and recruiting.

Tunnel Vision: Full analysis of everything we heard and saw from USC spring football 2025 Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

On this latest edition of Tunnel Vision USCFootball.com's Ryan Abraham, Chris Trevino and Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple-Double") are back in studio to recap all of the news and notes from the Trojans 15 spring football practices, including Saturday's rainy "Trojan Olympics" finale in the Coliseum. There was no traditional spring game this year, but the guys give their thoughts on what they saw and heard throughout spring football from key position battles to returning veterans making an impact to new faces making an impression.

The guys will also talk about the different feel of spring practice this year, with increased buzz thanks to the new personnel staff inviting tons of top prospects from Southern California and all over the country. We haven't seen this many recruits consistently coming to practice in years, and it reflects the success USC recruiting has seen over the past couple of months building the No. 1 ranked recruiting class for 2026.

CLICK HERE for 30% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!⁠

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠!

Thanks to ⁠Trader Joe's⁠ for sponsoring the Peristyle Podcast!

Make sure you check out ⁠USCFootball.com⁠ for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

Dedeaux Download: Andy Stankiewicz on where USC baseball stands heading into final month Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

The Dedeaux Download Podcast returns with Shotgun Spratling and podcast co-host Kasey Kazliner breaking down USC baseball's 3-1 week that featured a series win over Gonzaga and a dominant midweek win over Long Beach State.

Shotgun and Kasey break down all the action, looking at the positives of the Trojans improving to 26-14 with an 11-7 mark in Big Ten play and a fourth-place spot in the standings behind only two ranked teams and Iowa. They discuss the play of Adrian Lopez powering the offense all weekend against the Zags as well as Ethan Hedges seeming to get back on track after a rough spell. Shotgun and Kasey also look at how the Trojans were able to bounce back after dropping the opener against Gonzaga with some uncharacteristically sloppy play thanks to the bullpen stepping up throughout the week.

The podcasters also look at three negatives, including Kevin Takeuchi reinjuring his left shoulder during Tuesday's win at Long Beach and the RPI hit that one poor game can have as the Trojans start looking toward the postseason.

After a break, USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz then joins the show to talk about how the Big Ten schedule, including the back-and-forth travel, has treated his team and how his players have handled and adjusted to the differences and challenges. He also discusses how the Trojans have tried to deal with a spate of injuries with multiple pitchers lost for the season as well as Takeuchi's shoulder issues.

Stankiewicz then takes the listener through some strategic thought processes of how he tries to use late-inning opportunities in blowout games as well as how he handles his star players being in a funk, especially later in the season. The Trojan head man chats about Hedges, Lopez, Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, Caden Hunter, Andrew Johnson, Jack Basseer and others.

Shotgun and Kasey close out the show taking a look at where the Trojans stand after winning another series and taking a peek at where the Trojans could wind up in the postseason. The podcast then previews USC's upcoming week of action with the Trojans heading to Minneapolis to take on an injury-riddled Minnesota team that continues to battle despite 11 significant injuries, including five of the season-ending variety.

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of USC Trojans football, basketball, baseball and recruiting.

Composite Two-Star Recruits: USC lands transfer LB Ta'Mere Robinson, DB Kennedy Urlacher and 2026 OL Kannon Smith Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast returns as the Trojans pick up transfer Penn State LB Ta'Mere Robinson and Notre Dame SAF Kennedy Urlacher while also landing three-star Colorado 2026 OL Kannon Smith.

TIME STAMPS:

6:55: Cold Open (OL Kannon Smith Commits)

27:21: Notre Dame Transfer Safety Kennedy Urlacher Picks USC

55:04: Penn State Transfer Linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson Commits to USC

1:08:57: Transfer Portal Notes

1:23:53: LB Talanoa Ili Crystal Ball

1:31:35: DL Tyson Bacon Decommits from Tennessee

1:35:24: Visitors This Week

1:52:33: Listener Questions

Final week of spring ball plus Trojans add a Big Ten linebacker from the portal Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

In this edition of the Peristyle Podcast hosts Ryan Abraham and Connor Morrissette (aka "Triple Double") are back in studio talking about the addition of former Penn State linebacker Te'Mere Robinson from the NCAA Transfer Portal. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Robinson gives the Trojans' linebacker room some much needed depth. Robinson didn't play much on defense in his two years with the Nittany Lions (107 total defensive snaps), but he was having a solid spring camp in Happy Valley prior to entering the portal. USC also lost another player to the portal, redshirt freshman Jarvis Boatwright out of Clearwater, Florida did not see any action in 2024 and will now try his luck at another program for 2025.

The guys also discuss all of the news and notes from spring practice including what Lincoln Riley had to say about the starting quarterback situation, the depth at defensive line and wide receiver and Trojan legend Troy Polamalu showing up at practice this week.

CLICK HERE for 50% OFF an annual VIP membership to USCFootball.com!

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Thanks to Trader Joe's for sponsoring the Peristyle Podcast!

Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of this USC Trojan football team.

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to Ryan's Tour de Pier ride to fight cancer, please click here: http://support.pancreatic.org/goto/Ryan

Dedeaux Download Podcast: Trojans win series at Penn State; Adam Thackery joins the show Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

The Dedeaux Download Podcast returns with Shotgun Spratling and podcast co-host Kasey Kazliner breaking down USC baseball's 3-2 week that featured a midweek win over Loyola Marymount and another Big Ten road series win for the Trojans before USC dropped a midweek against Hawai'i that they couldn't close out with the lead.

Shotgun and Kasey break down all the action, looking at the positives of the Trojans improving to 23-13 with an 11-7 mark in Big Ten play, bumping up to fourth in the standings behind only two ranked teams and Iowa. They discuss the play of the Cadens (Hunter and Aoki) at the front of the weekend pitching rotation as well as Big Ten Player of the Week Abbrie Covarrubias and the bounce backs of a couple of players, who were unfazed by a poor performance early in the weekend.

The podcasters also look at three negatives, including the continued black hole that is USC's Sunday starting pitching role and not being able to close out a couple of winnable games because of mistakes and free bases.

USC director of baseball performance Adam Thackery then joins the show to talk about his transition from football strength and conditioning at USC to working with the Trojan baseballers. He talks about what he thinks it takes to win a national championship having been the strength coach for the 2021 national champion Mississippi State Bulldogs, gives his favorite Mike Leach story and discusses the intricacies of training two completely separate groups with pitchers (and the differences between starters and relievers) and hitters.

After a break, Shotgun and Kasey take a look at where the Trojans stand after winning another conference series and take a peek at where the Trojans could wind up in the postseason. The podcast then previews USC's upcoming week of action with the Trojans hosting a surging Gonzaga team that has won 15 of 18 in a Thursday-Friday-Saturday Easter weekend series before having a midweek matchup with Long Beach State.

Please review, rate and subscribe to the Peristyle Podcast on Apple Podcasts!

Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of USC Trojans football, basketball, baseball and recruiting.

Composite Two-Star Recruits: USC's biggest needs for the transfer spring window, early targets Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast returns for the opening of transfer spring window. The Cilantro Boys take a look at some of the biggest needs, losses and early portal targets.

TIME STAMPS:

6:55 Cold Open (Early Departures/Biggest Transfer Needs)

1:01:11: Early Portal Targets

1:27:52: Visits Cancelled/New Offers

1:40:29: This Week's Visitors

2:10:49: The Nico Iamaleava Situation

2:31:21: Visitor Question

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