In hindsight, the 2022 season was the worst thing for USC. Gave the program the illusion the right foundation was being built in Year 1 reaching the Cotton Bowl. Instead, it was because of a super human QB and set an “all star” transfer portal identity into the team. Most programs in Year 1 take their lumps, but use it to establish a foundation of grit, physicality, and toughness. If you don’t establish that mentality in Year 1, it’s extremely difficult to change course because if you all the sudden become a hardass in Year 2, you run the risk of losing your locker room as it comes across inauthentic.