Lincoln Riley reviving Long Beach Poly-to-USC pipeline with 4-star LB Dylan Williams
LONG BEACH, Calif. (BVM) 鈥� One of the first things Lincoln Riley did when he was hired as USC鈥檚 next head football coach back in November was stop by a place that has historically meant so much to Trojans鈥� football.听
Dating back to the 1920s with Roy 鈥淏ullet鈥� Baker, Long Beach Poly has been at the core of much of USC鈥檚 football success. Willie McGinest, Jurrell Casey, Juju Smith-Schuster are just a few Jackrabbits (nearly 20 in all) who have gone from the hallways of Long Beach Poly to the Coliseum to the NFL.听
That connection suffered under Clay Helton, who was fired by USC two games into the 2021 season, but Riley appears focused on reinvigorating the Long Beach Poly-to-USC pipeline.听
鈥淲hen Lincoln first came out here to USC, he came straight to Poly that same week and he let me know that the first thing he wants to do to rebuild USC is by getting the Poly kids back,鈥� linebacker Dylan Williams said. 鈥淚 want to start the Poly pipeline to USC back up.鈥�听
Williams is the perfect prospect for Riley to start with.听
The freakishly athletic sophomore is the nation鈥檚 No. 14-ranked linebacker in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports and held offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Michigan State, Utah and others before committing to the Trojans during an on-campus visit on Saturday.听
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The 6-foot-3 Williams said USC has been recruiting him harder than anyone else since January, and for good reason. His versatility and ability to not only rush the passer and stop the run, but cover slot wide receivers and tight ends makes him one of the most coveted linebackers in the country.听
鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 the most athletic linebacker in the country; there鈥檚 not too many linebackers who can cover, come off the edge, blow up plays in the backfield and get strip sacks,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 also feel like I鈥檓 the best at covering; that鈥檚 my specialty. You can line me up with a slot or tight end in man-to-man and they鈥檙e getting locked.鈥�
Williams said he鈥檒l be deployed at Will linebacker for the Trojans and it鈥檚 there where he鈥檒l plan to accomplish a pair of massive goals: help USC return to the top and get himself to the NFL like many who came before him.听
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to rebuild USC and get it right back to how it was,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚鈥檓 real close with Coach Odom (USC鈥檚 inside linebackers coach) and I feel like playing for him, he鈥檚 going to develop me and get me right. I feel like I鈥檒l be able to get to the league from USC.鈥�听
Not only will Williams be close to home, but he鈥檒l also be teammates with a familiar face.听
Jason Robinson Jr., a wide receiver at Long Beach Poly, committed to USC back in September and Williams has been hearing about it ever since. It marks Long Beach Poly鈥檚 first team with two future Trojans in a decade.听
鈥淢an, it鈥檚 going to be great,鈥� Williams said of teaming up again with Robinson Jr. at USC. 鈥淪ince he committed, he鈥檚 been on me like, 鈥榊ou know what to do.鈥欌��听
Williams still has two seasons of high school football left and the focus will be on bulking up his 195-pound frame. The plan will be to arrive at USC at around 210 pounds without losing a step of speed or athleticism. Running track like Williams does will certainly help in that regard as he hopes to drop some time off of his 4.67 40-yard dash.听
Despite the commitment, Williams still has plenty to prove before he graduates from Long Beach Poly. He missed nearly half of last season after getting injured in the opener so the future Trojan will be out to make up for lost time as a junior when the Jackrabbits kickoff in the fall.听
鈥淚 just want to show that I can make plays with pick sixes, strip sacks,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 just want to show that I鈥檓 an athlete and a ballhawk. That鈥檚 my goal for this year, to make big-time plays.鈥�
