Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion

Latest Episodes:

USC Triple-Double: Women of Troy head to Indy after UCLA win, men hope to qualify for Big Ten Tournament Mar 07, 2025

Show notes

The USC Triple-Double Podcast -- the Peristyle Podcast's basketball-focused podcast -- returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down how the USC women clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship with a thumping of No. 2 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion while the Trojan men snapped a five-game losing streak.

It was a huge week for the women with JuJu Watkins earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and Lindsay Gottlieb winning the conference's Coach of the Year award. Kiki Iriafen and Watkins were unanimous first-team All-Big Ten picks, Rayah Marshall and Watkins made the conference's All-Defense team and Kennedy Smith made the Big Ten's All-Freshmen team.

On the men's side, Desmond Claudereturned to form scoring 25 points and dishing out a career-high 11 assists in a 92-61 win over Washington Wednesday night after being held to just one point in the Trojans' road loss at Oregon. Chibuzo Agbo added 26 points in the win over the Huskies while Rashaun Agee played his best week of basketball in his career. Agee recorded new career highs in points, blocks and steals against the Ducks before an efficient 18-point performance in Wednesday's win.

After recapping the game action, Shotgun and Connor then look at where both Trojan teams stand and glance forward at the upcoming matchups for both squads. They preview the Women of Troy's path in the Big Ten Tournament, and they also discuss the men's Crosstown Showdown road matchup with UCLA and what it will take for the Trojans to make the Big Ten Tournament.

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Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of this USC Trojans basketball and football teams.

Composite Two-Star Recruits: Best California class in 20 years? Official visit updates, DB Havon Finney reclassifies Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast returns to discuss GM Chad Bowden's roundtable and if 2026 is the best California class in two decades. The Cilantro Boys also talk new offers, official visit updates and much more.

TIME STAMPS:

4:24: Cold Open (Best California Class in 20 Years?)

1:02: USC Aims to Sign Largest Class in Program History

1:19: DB Havon Finney Reclassifies to 2026

1:45:24: Updated 2026 Top247

1:54:12: New Offers, Official Visit Additions

2:05:13: Updated 2026 Targets Lists

2:26:00: Listener Questions

Dedeaux Download Podcast: Andy Stankiewicz discusses USC baseball's strong start in Jack's final episode Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

The Dedeaux Download Podcast returns with Jack Smith, in his final USCFootball.com podcast appearance, and Shotgun Spratling breaking down a strong weekend for the USC baseball team after wins over Big East favorite Connecticut and national power No. 14 Vanderbilt before a loss to rival UCLA in the finale of the tournament formerly known as the Dodgertown Classic.

Shotgun and Jack break down all the action, looking at the Trojans' outstanding Cadens starting pitching duo of Caden Hunter and Caden Aoki as well as discussing the success of the bottom of the lineup.

USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz then joins the show to talk about the Trojans getting off to a much better start to the 2025 season at 9-2 so far than last year when they were 4-12 through the first four weeks. He discusses what a win over Vanderbiilt means and why he didn't try to check his team showing emotion after the victory over the Commodores.

Stankiewicz also provides an injury update on sophomore outfielder Kevin Takeuchi and breaks down how the coaching staff decided to put Ethan Hedges on the mound as a two-way player this season.

After talking with Stankiewicz, Shotgun and Jack preview a big week of action as the Trojans have a midweek matchup with No. 16 UC Santa Barbara before opening Big Ten play against a top 10 Oregon team. They close out the show answering a couple of your emails and then some of the USCFootball.com staff sends Jack on his way to professional baseball.

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

Instant reaction to our conversation with new USC general manager Chad Bowden Mar 03, 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 their sit down with new USC general manager Chad Bowden. On Monday morning some USC football media members gathered in Heritage Hall with a unique opportunity to sit down with Bowden and ask him questions about his first 30 days on campus and what his plans are for the program going forward. Ryan, Connor and Chris Trevino were all in attendance, asking questions and listening to what Bowden had to say.

The guys share their thoughts on Bowden's recruiting philosophies, including how he wants USC's 2026 high school recruiting class to be the biggest in school history, how he wants to really focus on California prospects and the impressive personnel staff he, athletic director Jen Cohen and head coach Lincoln Riley have put together to help make the football roster elite.

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.

USC Triple-Double: Women of Troy senior Rayah Marshall previews Crosstown Showdown; USC men continue slide Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

The USC Triple-Double Podcast -- the Peristyle Podcast's basketball-focused podcast -- returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down another pair of ranked wins for USC women's basketball as they sit at No. 4 in the top 25 rankings and look at the current plight of the men's team, who has lost six of seven.

USC women's basketball senior forward Rayah Marshall then joins the show to discuss her journey from Lynwood (Calif.) to becoming the heartbeat of the Women of Troy as both the team's on-the-court enforcer but also as a caretaker to her teammates. She previews USC's monumental clash with No. 2 UCLA on the road on Saturday where she and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb will try to get their first wins in Pauley Pavilion. She also discusses guarding Lauren Betts and where she ranks among the toughest bigs Marshall has had to guard.

Marshall also discusses what a Big Ten regular-season title would mean and what its been like as a local product helping her hometown school return to its former glory the last couple of seasons.

Shotgun and Connor then look at where both Trojan teams stand and dive into the upcoming matchups for both squads. They preview the Women of Troy's regular season finale against UCLA, a winner-take all edition of the Crosstown Showdown to determine the regular-season Big Ten champion, and they also discuss the men's road trip to Oregon.

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Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of this USC Trojans basketball and football teams.

Dedeaux Download Podcast: USC baseball off to a 7-1 start; Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek joins the show Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

Shotgun Spratling and Jack Smith return on the Dedeaux Download Podcast to break down a second strong week to open up the 2025 USC baseball season with the Trojans picking up four wins and improving to 7-1 overall, finding ways to win close games against Big West foes UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, dominating Cal State Bakersfield and splitting a pair of hard-fought games on the road at Rice.

Shotgun and Jack break down all the action, comparing the Trojans' strong start to the opening of the 2024 season when USC couldn't seem to get over the hump in close games early in the season. They discuss the standouts of the 4-1 week, including relievers Grant Govel and Garren Rizzo, who each had impressive scoreless outings.

Fourth-year junior shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek then joins the show to talk about his hot start to the season as he's hitting .323 with seven RBIs and knocked his first homer on Tuesday. BMG talks about being able to get out on the new Dedeaux Field for the first time Wednesday and discusses the differences from last season when he dealt with a wrist injury ("it sucked") to this season's fast start for the Trojans through two weeks.

He also discusses why he decided to come back to USC after being drafted in the 20th round last year and what it took to get his mother, a former UCLA softball player, to finally put on some cardinal-and-gold attire.

After talking with Martin-Grudzielanek, Shotgun and Jack preview an upcoming 10-day stretch that could define the season for the Trojans as they take on Connecticut, No. 14 Vanderbilt and UCLA this weekend and a midweek matchup with No. 20 UC Santa Barbara before opening Big Ten play against No. 11 Oregon 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.

USC football recruiting red hot after expansion of personnel staff Feb 26, 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 how the hiring of general manager Chad Bowden, the rest of the personnel staff and new assistant coaches has provided immediate positive results out on the high school recruiting trail. With recent verbal commitments from four-star New Lenox (Ill.) Oregon quarterback Jonas Williams and four-star Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) defensive lineman Simote Katoanga, the 2026 recruiting class for the Trojans surged up to No. 1 in the nation.

USC is also stepping up its NIL efforts, launching the Time to Win campaign with House of Victory 'that has turned into the most successful day of fundraising with huge reach and engagement on social media.

The early signing period in December is still a long way out, but this resurgence is an extremely positive sign that USC football plans on being a significant player in high school recruiting, especially in Southern California, going forward.

The guys also talk about USC's top-10 ranked offensive players from 2024 according to Pro Football Focus (and only three of them are returning), the men's and women's basketball teams going in different directions and the end of the Trojan football spring game.

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 flips Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams, lands DL Simote Katoanga to surge to No. 1 2026 class Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

The Composite Two-Star Recruits podcast is back early after a monster recruiting weekend where USC flipped four-star New Lenox (Ill.) Oregon QB commit Jonas Williams and landed four-star Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) DL Simote Katoanga. The Cilantro Boys also talk about USC's No. 1 ranked class, the big picture moving forward and new officials visits.

TIME STAMPS:

4:44: Cold Open (USC Flips Oregon QB Commit Jonas Williams)

40:37: DL Simote Katoanga Commits

1:08:36: USC Building Local Momentum

1:31:55: I Distract Hurricane

1:47:22: Official Visitor Updates

2:03:28: New Offers

2:07:52: Listener Questions

USC Triple-Double: Lindsay Gottlieb talks JuJu Watkins, knocking off No. 1 UCLA as men head to East Coast Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

The USC Triple-Double Podcast -- the Peristyle Podcast's basketball-focused podcast -- returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down JuJu Watkins' historic 38-point, 11-rebound, eight-block, five-assist performance in USC's 71-60 home win over No. 1 UCLA last week. The duo also discusses the Women of Troy's 69-64 road win over Washington and the men's disappointing 69-66 home loss to Minnesota.

USC women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb then joins the show. Gottlieb reflects back on her team's Crosstown Showdown win as well as USC's Big Ten road trips throughout the season and the effect they had on her group. She talks about a potential adjustment the conference could make in the future to make the cross-country travel a little less daunting for everyone.

Gottlieb also discusses USC's case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the significance of a Big Ten regular season championship, how her team can improve offensively and much more.

Shotgun and Connor then look at where both Trojan teams stand and glance forward at the upcoming matchups where there are three top 25 games this week. They preview the Women of Troy's next two home games against No. 22 Michigan State and No. 25 Illinois before discussing the men's tough road trip to the East coast for games at No. 20 Minnesota and Maryland.

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

Make sure you check out USCFootball.com for complete coverage of this USC Trojans basketball and football teams.

Dedeaux Download Podcast: USC baseball starts 2025 season with a bang; Andy Jenkins joins the show Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

Shotgun Spratling and Jack Smith return on the Dedeaux Download Podcast to break down a much different start to the 2025 USC baseball season than last year's 0-5 start when the Trojans scored only seven runs. This year, USC wasted no time getting the offense going, scoring 10 runs in the opening frame of what would become a three-game weekend sweep of George Washington.

After scoring 15 runs in the season opener, the Trojans put on a power display the final two days, pummeling five home runs -- more in the opening weekend than they had in any 2024 weekend. Long Beach State transfer Adrian Lopez got the power party started with a first-inning grand slam Saturday. But the weekend's most important home run came Sunday when Brayden Dowd hit a go-ahead three-run dinger after USC fell in an early 5-0 deficit.

Shotgun and Jack break down all the action and look forward to the upcoming matchups during a five-game week after they talk with USC assistant coach Andy Jenkins about the Trojans’ strong opening weekend.

Jenkins also talks about USC’s catching situation as the Trojans replace Jacob Galloway this season and the vibe from the team after a much different start to this year.

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.

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