Earlier this week, USC Trojans young star quarterback Malachi Nelson chose to enter the NCAA transfer portal after just one year with the program. It was a pretty shocking turn of events, and head coach Lincon Riley addressed the situation.
During a press conference this week, Lincoln Riley addressed the disappointment of a player like Malachi Nelson entering the NCAA transfer portal before ever realizing his potential with the team.
“Yeah, that part is difficult. The old school in all of us has all the great memories of the guys that we coach that, maybe, weren’t ready in the beginning and they progressed, got better, and you got to see the end of that,” Riley said according to On3. “So, yeah, it’s part of it now, you know what I mean? It’s just part of the world of college football at this current time.”
Nelson was a five-star quarterback rated as the No. 5 overall quarterback and the No. 13 overall player in the 2023 high school recruiting class. He appeared in just one game this season, attempting three passes in a 56-28 blowout loss to San Jose State.
It’s not immediately clear exactly why Nelson decided to transfer or where he will land.
