USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley spoke to the media today after the 10th installment of spring practice. During the scrum, he announced that starting tight end Lake McRee would be shut down for the remainder of spring to get fully healthy for the summer workouts and fall camp.
Outside of his announcement that redshirt freshman EDGE Lorenzo Cowan would be entering the transfer portal, the McRee’s end to spring was the only other major piece of news.
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USC Trojans To Shut Down TE Lake McRee For Rest Of Spring
On the reasoning for the USC Trojans veteran tight end being shut down, Riley said:
“We’re going to let the body calm down. He had just a couple of small things he was dealing with, but pushed through. Time to put some reps in these other guys.”
TE Lake McRee has been shut down for the rest of @uscfb’s spring camp, per HC Lincoln Riley.
— Keely Eure (@keelyismyname) April 16, 2025
“We’re going to let the body calm down. He had just a couple of small things he was dealing with, but pushed through. Time to put some reps in these other guys,” Riley said Tuesday.
The Trojans have a lot of talent in the tight end room, but after redshirt senior Lake McRee, there is virtually no experience. So, in a way, this could be good for the overall time and allow the veteran to get fully healthy.
Sophomore Walker Lyons is expected to have a much bigger role in the offense this year, so I would expect him to get a good chunk of the first team reps for the rest of camp.
Redshirt freshmen Joey Olsen and Walter Matthews have a ton of upside and will certainly be worked into the rotation.
It will be fun to see how new tight ends coach Chad Savage will develop the room and how he will distribute reps. There is a lot of talent, but McRee is still the clear starter and leader, so getting him fully healthy is a big priority.
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