We’re supposed to get Riley on Zoom around 12:30.

And I’ll also catch up on the latest questions in the Q+A after that!

I wanted to break this one out for a separate thread and discussion, because Lincoln Riley essentially confirmed that USC can now use NIL for HS prospects and if that's how the game is going to be played then they'll play it.

"Yeah, it does. You put personal feelings aside and you adapt to the rules that they put in front of you and use every advantage that you can within what they say you can do, so yeah, we've certainly looked at it. We've had a lot of great conversations with our collectives about it, and if that becomes kind of totally deregulated like it essentially is right now then certainly we want to use that to our advantage. It's promoted a lot of great discussions because we want to continue to get kids out here -- them and their families -- we want them to be able to experience this place because when people, this place is tough to describe, man. You can tell people on phone calls or Zoom calls or in person all you want, but until they see it, man, it's hard to really articulate all that comes with the opportunity to come to USC. So, yeah, it's been great conversations so far, and if that continues to be something that we're able to do it's something that we're going to take advantage of."

Here's some background on it:

I have been worried about who would line up with Bear. That changed yesterday when Raikes entered the portal. He wouldn’t leave if the competition was close. Evidently, it has not been close. Raikes is leaving because he feels he can’t compete…I love it.

Right here:

Dafaq..

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From washington?

We get Lincoln Riley, Shaun Nua and defensive players this afternoon. I requested Bear again, but guessing he won't be on the list for today.

Jeff and I will be out there -- practice is supposed to start at 2:35.

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Morgan Stanley economist Ellen Zentner is the first sellside to warn her June rate-cut call is in jeopardy:

“The upside surprise in core CPI is moving the inflation data further away from the convincing evidence the Fed needs to start cutting in June. Dependent on the PPI data tomorrow, this print tilts the Fed toward a later start to the cutting cycle than our current forecast for June.”

Click to expand...

The first of the day, as expected!

This morning we will get to interview Luke Huard, Jonah Monheim, Carson Tabaracci, and Miller Moss. Interesting recruiting note, 2025 QB Husan Longstreet was at the practice this morning.

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3/3 on predictions from the weekend

Instead of unleashing more American energy, Biden has chosen to use America’s emergency reserves to solve his own political problems.

Last Wednesday, President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) canceled a pair of oil purchases to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), leaving America’s energy reserves dangerously low at a time of global uncertainty.

The DOE originally planned to buy oil at $79 per barrel. But oil prices have stubbornly refused to cooperate and remain above $86 per barrel, leading the DOE to cancel the purchase.

When former president Donald Trump attempted to fill the SPR to the brim when oil prices were at a rock-bottom price of $24 a barrel, congressional Democrats blocked the purchase, claiming it would be an oil-industry bailout.

Taxpayers would have been left on the hook for the price increase since then had the Biden administration proceeded with the purchase.

But simply refusing to replenish the oil supply is a risky decision given that now there’s almost no oil reserve left.

America’s oil reserve has declined by 44 percent since Biden took office, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The SPR is at its lowest level since its initial filling in August 1983. The reserve can hold 714 million barrels. It’s currently about half full and thus could supply America’s needs for just 17 days.

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Christian Jones is one of the top linebackers in the 2025 class, and USC helped itself over the weekend when the Rivals100 prospect from Nebraska made the trek west to Los Angeles. Jones came away with a positive impression of the staff and was blown away by the Coliseum.

"You can feel the history of that stadium," he said. "It was a very, very cool stadium. And that grass, man, it feels like I need to be playing golf off of it. It just looks beautiful, but that's besides the point. Just a very nostalgic stadium, and it would be really, really cool to play in it."

He has some prior connections to Matt Entz, and he had a positive experience getting a better feel for the USC coaching staff this weekend.

Read the full update at the link up top.

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The latest on JuJu Lewis and others:

Great dude, very intriguing player, excellent interview.

I'm expecting another commitment to roll in later this afternoon -- no set time but be on the lookout.

Poll time!