During a May 22 appearance on ESPN’s Always College Football show, USC head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed to Greg McElroy the Trojans would return their top two receivers from the previous season: Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane.
“We return our best two,” Riley said. “And those two guys [Lemon and Lane] are proven weapons at this level. I think with a full offseason, getting the continuity with [quarterback] Jayden [Maiava], I mean, those two guys are as good a pair of receivers as there is in the country, in my opinion. We’ve had the chance to be around a couple of really good ones, but these guys can really play.”
The Trojans’ top receiver last season, the 5-foot-11 Lemon recorded three touchdowns, 52 receptions and 764 yards, while second-stringer Lane logged 12 touchdowns, 43 catches and 525 yards.
Lemon and Lane outcompete each other in different areas, but analyst David Pollack thinks this could be the year Lane earns that top wide receiver spot. In a June 23 episode of “See Ball Get Ball,” Pollack selected players to watch across the Big Ten.
The Trojan to watch? Ja’Kobi Lane.
“I think you saw your future number-one wide receiver,” Pollack said. “You need that if you’re Lincoln Riley. You’ve got to have that guy and he’s that guy.”
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Lemon might have outperformed Lane in catches and yardage, but Lane’s receiving touchdowns are significant. The 12 touchdowns were the most scored by any USC athlete last season, second-most in the Big Ten (Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith had 15) and tied for fourth-most among all NCAA receivers.
Pollack likes Lane’s size and the receiver’s ability to produce when the team needs it.
“But, Ja’Kobi Lane, dude. He was the big play threat,” Pollack said. “He’s [6-foot-4], he can make those big plays. And, more importantly if you’re USC, you saw a guy that, when the receivers all ducked and left in the transfer portal, and they dipped in the Las Vegas Bowl? Dude went off. He had seven for 127 and three touchdowns.”
On3’s Sam Gillenwater noted if Lane matches or exceeds his stats from last season, USC could have a breakout wideout for their offense, especially if Lane adds the rest of the receiving stats and continues to find the end zone.