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USC’s Makai Lemon unlike almost any other player Kirk Ferentz has seen in 20 years
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- USC’s Makai Lemon unlike almost any other player Kirk Ferentz has seen in 20 years
The post USC's Makai Lemon unlike almost any other player Kirk Ferentz has seen in 20 years appeared first on ClutchPoints .
Back in October, Lincoln Riley was already talking about Makai Lemon like a cornerstone, not just another talented USC football team wideout.
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After Lemon's 11-catch, 151-yard, two-touchdown performance against Illinois , Riley told Thomas Goldkamp of On3/Rivals that the sophomore's versatility and consistency set him apart, praising how Lemon can line up in multiple spots, expand the playbook, and never stops working at his craft.
Now the respect is crossing conference lines. As relayed by Shotgun Spratling on X, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz raved about Lemon ahead of USC 's matchup with the Hawkeyes, saying that No. 6 is as good as he has seen in more than 20 years and that few players have impacted a game more.
For a coach known for dry understatement, calling Lemon "a really outstanding player" is about as loud as it gets.
The numbers back it up. Lemon has 35 catches for 589 yards and five touchdowns, with Michigan State and Illinois both watching him clear 100 yards in back-to-back weeks.
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He has logged multiple multi-score games, including against Georgia Southern and Illinois, and his route polish and competitiveness have already drawn NFL Draft buzz, with Pro Football Focus tagging him as a summer WR1 candidate. For USC, he is the matchup problem that keeps defensive coordinators up at night.
All of this is unfolding while questions swirl around Riley's future and USC's trajectory. After a 38-17 win over Northwestern pushed the Trojans to 7-2 and 5-1 in Big Ten play, Riley used the postgame stage to shut down departure rumors linking him to openings at LSU and Florida , telling reporters, "You guys know what I sacrificed to be here. I'm where I need to be," per On3's Pete Nakos.
That same night, Lemon torched the Wildcats for 161 receiving yards and two scores, giving Riley the kind of offensive centerpiece that can anchor both his short-term plans in Los Angeles and his long-term vision for USC in the Big Ten grind.
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