When Brenden Rice entered the transfer portal, he was still thinking about returning to Colorado. Fifteen minutes later, new USC coach Lincoln Riley gave the wide receiver a phone call. Everything changed. Brenden, the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, knew right then and there that he wasn’t going back to Colorado. He was headed to USC.

“I’m like, ‘Wow, OK,’” Rice said. “I get a couple other calls, but as soon as you heard Lincoln call, you just had to go. Especially with like USC and its big name. You gotta come. You have to. Man, it was quick. I was shocked.”

Colorado’s offense wasn’t as high-flying as the Trojans’ could be in 2022. Rice still managed to haul in 21 receptions for 299 yards and three touchdowns for the Buffaloes last season. But USC’s offense has a chance to be one of the best in the country thanks to the leadership of Riley and if ultra-talented quarterback Caleb Williams takes another step forward.

"I mean, just getting adjusted to everything, learning the difference between offenses, and I'm trying to compare and contrast and trying to get a real feel for the quarterback situation," Rice said. "It's amazing though, just like seeing how everything develops over the stage that we're in, and then seeing guys coming together, I'm getting a feel out there for how these plays are ran, where I'm gonna get the ball, where I'm gonna have to do a little extra within my routes to really get open. I'm just thankful."