LOS ANGELES — The list of quarterbacks who have played as starters for Lincoln Riley is an example of who have been defining quarterbacks over the past decade: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Caleb Williams.

Miller Moss made it clear last week that he doesn’t count himself among that group. Not yet.

“But I mean, like I said, it’s an honor to have the opportunity to be in that group,” Moss said on Aug. 20.

He is, in many ways, the most unlikely of all the faces to take over the mantle behind center for Riley, never hand-picked by the coach and more present in the context of the USC faithful than in the lineage of Riley’s quarterback prospects. But Moss had built up enough trust, based on two years of learning the system inside and out behind Williams, for Riley to call him into his office on Aug. 19 and make him USC’s starter for Week 1 against LSU — the only move that seemed right since Moss torched Louisville for six touchdowns in the Holiday Bowl in December.

His physical gifts, some coaches from Moss’ past have acknowledged, don’t compare to Williams’, and Moss can’t simply fill the Heisman Trophy winner’s size 12½ shoes. But USC is loaded with a roster of talented receivers, and if the front line holds up well enough for Moss to play his brand of on-schedule football, there’s still enough explosive potential for the program to enter the Big Ten Conference.

“You don’t replace an absolute star like Caleb and his skill set, what he brought to the game,” said Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who spent 2023 as an analyst at USC. “But as a group, and with Miller’s skill set, his craft, his accuracy and the way he plays the game, I think they have a chance to have a really successful season.”

Here’s how Riley’s offense is performing in his third season at USC.

QUARTERLY BACK

Moss is ready for his chance and is ready for it. He has grown over three long years and has had a unique, interdisciplinary education.

But when he stumbles, a young man is there to help him.

Despite Moss’ Holiday Bowl performance, Riley didn’t officially name a starter until fall camp had concluded. And even in his first public comments following the announcement, Riley emphasized that UNLV spring transfer Jayden Maiava had been “neck and neck” with Moss throughout the fall, and that he would be more than happy to bring Maiava in if Moss had to miss time.

“It was a really big step for him,” Riley said of Maiava.

The redshirt sophomore came into USC inexperienced after a freshman season in which he threw for 3,085 yards and 17 touchdowns at UNLV, but he needed a quick handle on Riley’s playbook. His physicality and arm strength are a natural fit, though, and he could continue to push Moss throughout the season if he shows signs of misfiring. Redshirt junior Jake Jensen, meanwhile, will likely serve as the No. 3 tight end in the room for another season.

WIDE RECEIVER

There’s an unusually wide swath of targets in USC’s receiver room, even with Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice moving on to the NFL. No wideout on the roster had more than 400 receiving yards at the FBS level last season (Jaden Richardson and Donovan Wood, the exceptions to the transfers, come from Division III programs).

Still, there’s as much room for excitement at the wide receiver position as any other position on USC’s roster, especially for the sophomores who all demand the attention.

A year removed from an All-American campaign as a true freshman returner, Zachariah Branch is more polished as a receiver, somehow slimmer and ready for a starring role. Los Alamitos High product Makai Lemon has stepped up as a route runner. Ja’Kobi Lane, after a quiet freshman year but a two-touchdown performance in the Holiday Bowl, is 6-foot-4 and has developed a dynamic bond with Moss. Duce Robinson, who is 6-6, led the team in receiving yards last season and continues to pursue a two-sport dream.

Former Trojan mainstay Kyle Ford adds another deep threat, returning to town after a year at UCLA. Redshirt junior Kyron Hudson became somewhat of an afterthought even after being named the 2023 starter in Week 1, but is back in the room as a veteran. And Jay Fair could fit seamlessly into Riley’s offense, a burner who was Auburn’s second-leading receiver last season.

“The ability to stretch the field vertically is something that I’ve been given,” Fair said during USC’s preseason media day in late July. “So I think I can use that a lot in this offense.”

RUNNINGBACKS

After USC’s spring game on April 20, Riley stressed that he felt the program could play with “all four guys” in the backfield, an important point given the lack of crowds in the hall.

Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks is the undisputed No. 1 prospect in the room, a five-year veteran who rushed for 573 yards in nine games last year and has multi-dimensional upside as the Bulldogs’ all-time receptions leader. But redshirt freshman Quinten Joyner, who showed some upside in spot carries last year, could be ready for a similarly heavy workload this fall.

“I think Quinten is going to be a huge part of our job,” Riley said after the spring game.

Freshmen A’Marion Peterson and Bryan Jackson, meanwhile, would be expected to take on larger roles if Marks or Joyner miss time, and Riley said he could “absolutely see a scenario” where both would be big contributors in 2024.

TIGHT ENDS

Riley said that in all his years as a head coach, leading up to the Holiday Bowl, he had never seen an injury like the one suffered by tight end Lake McRee during a simple bowl practice.

“It was kind of a slap in the face to the team,” Riley said at the time.

It was a torn ACL, as McRee essentially confirmed in a call with reporters this fall — the same injury he suffered to his other knee in high school that wiped out his junior season. After a miraculous recovery, however, McRee was cleared for fall camp, saying it felt “surreal” to be wearing pads after just six months.