Lake McRee headlines deepest USC tight ends group of Lincoln Riley’s tenure

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava is rolling through spring practice with three dependable tight ends serving as a safety blanket as he continues to develop.

This Trojans’ tight group features diverse skill sets, with USC coach Lincoln Riley describing it as “a deeper, certainly more talented group than what we’ve had.”

Lake McRee is one of two returning tight ends who caught passes last season, finishing with 24 receptions and 245 yards. Now he’s at the forefront of a group competing for playing time, in a wide-open battle as the team looks for much more production from the position.

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“That was one of the things that Coach Riley talked about last season,” McRee said of the group becoming more of a focus in the offense. “It was something that was important to both of us that we wanted to display a little bit more.”

McRee, who walked out with the seniors during senior night last season, decided to return for one more year because he felt he “had a bunch of unfinished business” and didn’t want to leave on a negative note. Now, McRee enters his redshirt senior season as the group’s natural leader at 24 years old. He is joined by Joey Olsen, who praised McRee for his veteran leadership.

“I just really take a lot of the stuff he does and learn from him — just how to be a professional, how he runs routes, how he blocks, his physicality,” Olsen said. “Each of these guys pushes me every day too. We all push each other to be better players.”

Olsen is doing his part to separate himself by doing extra work and film study, giving extra effort during practice and doing extra reps outside of practice. He’s eager to make himself a well-rounded receiving and rushing threat.

USC tight end Lake McRee speaks with coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline against LSU on Sept. 1.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“I love both,” Olsen said. “I’m a receiver at heart, so I do love to catch the ball. But I love doing both, as long as I’m out on the field.”

Walter Matthews combines the pass-catching and route-running abilities of a skill player with size and power that make him an asset in the red zone. His 6-foot-6, 272-pound frame also gives USC a boost in the run game.

“It’s almost like an offensive tackle-type body, but with athleticism,” Riley said of Matthews. “When he catches the ball, he’s tough to bring down because of how big he is. And in the run game or pass protection, in some ways, he’s almost like having a sixth offensive lineman.”

Riley expects Matthews to carve out a role early, thanks not only to his physical gifts — which the coach says can’t be taught — but also the maturity and understanding he’s developed since redshirting last season.

The tight ends have worked their way onto Riley’s radar this spring.

“You feel their presence probably more on the practice field than you ever have, because of numbers and how we’re using them and plays that they’re making,” Riley said. “We’ve got some good position battles going on in there. … That’ll be fun to see how they all evolve and how we use them.”

Battle at right tackle

Justin Tauannu found himself in a nerve-racking position, tackling a new role with only a few reps under his belt. During last year’s Las Vegas Bowl, he suddenly was asked to step in when USC starting tackle Elijah Paige went down with an injury.

It wasn’t the play calls or blocking assignments running through the young freshman’s mind — it was the fear of making a blunder and getting “chewed out” in his first real opportunity to prove himself.

“I’m going in just thinking, like, don’t mess up, don’t make a mistake,” Tauannu said.

Not only did the Huntington Beach native hold his own, but he also excelled. And when he watched the film it wasn’t nearly as bad as he imagined in the moment.

That bowl performance became the catalyst — a confidence boost he’s carried into his second year and he’s in the mix for a starting role on USC’s new-look offensive line.

Tauannu, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound redshirt freshman with a year of development and experience, is battling for playing time with his locker neighbor, Tobias Raymond, who also earned his first real playing time in the bowl game.

Riley said Raymond “established himself as one of our best offensive linemen” thanks to his versatility, but Tauannu has been , performing well enough to stay firmly in the mix for a starting role.

“They’re both doing some really good things this spring,” Riley said. “Some of it will come down to how the battles shake out at other positions too. But the way those two guys are playing right now, it feels like we’ve got two starters.”

Competitive spirit aside, the two linemen have leaned on each other to improve. Tauannu said they frequently check in after practice and offer feedback to one another.

“We push each other a lot,” Tauannu said. “We always ask how practice went. I’ll tell him what he did well and what he could improve on — and he does the same for me.”