LOS ANGELES — As the USC receivers positioned themselves at the line of scrimmage, there was one defender across from them.

He wasn’t in a jersey or a cardinal uniform. Instead, it was a gray shirt and white visor. But new USC head coach Lincoln Riley was there, crouched like a linebacker, backpedaling like a defensive back, lunging at a ball that came across his field of vision.

He was hardly at full speed, but Riley was in the middle of the action Tuesday as the Trojans went through their first spring practice of the new era in Los Angeles.

“I’ve been waiting 100 days for this, man,” Riley said. “The way the players are responding, the way the staff is coming together, it energizes me. It excites me. I was so ready for this day to be here, I can’t even describe it. It was a blast. I wish we could go out there and run it back right now.”

It wasn’t just Riley whose anticipation had been building for this moment. It’s one that the USC community has also been waiting for since his shocking November departure from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. Longer than that, even, for those who were disappointed with the trajectory of the blue-blood program

Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez was on hand to see Riley’s first practice, as were the group of Trojans who will participate in Wednesday’s pro day. It was a day of firsts for the multitude of new faces at USC, from the 13 transfers to the freshmen who enrolled early.

Running backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones, transfers from Oregon and Stanford respectively, were among the first Trojans to take the practice field. Freshman corner Domani Jackson looked spry running out of the locker room after missing much of his senior high school season with a knee injury

Quarterback Caleb Williams, who followed Riley from Oklahoma, made a hard left turn after emerging from the John McKay Center, missing the entrance to the field and having to double back.

With so many new players on the roster, Riley said his primary goal this spring – beyond the schematic, beyond learning about his new players’ skill sets – is building the locker room culture and connection with those returning from last year’s 4-8 campaign.

Williams, who arrives with Heisman Trophy candidate hype and an abundance of new endorsement deals, figures to play a prominent role in leading that culture change.

“I’m all fine with taking that responsibility and leading these guys to where we want to go,” Williams said. “It’s a pretty unique group and it’s been awesome. We connected and the culture’s been pretty good.”

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As expected, Riley was hands-on with the offense, which he will run along with his head coaching duties. Even during individual drills, he was coaching up receivers on how to run their routes, pulling a folded paper out of his pocket and directing the group on which sets to go through next.

It was the first step in Riley’s mission to bring USC back to the national prominence that it has enjoyed throughout its history. As for what to expect come the fall, it’s anyone’s guess. With so many new faces, USC will need to coalesce over the coming months for there to be success in the short term.

But even on the first day of spring practice, Riley wasn’t shying away from setting a high standard.

“We expect to compete for and win championships every single year that we’re here,” Riley said. “That’s just who we are as a staff, that’s what we believe in and frankly that’s what this program should be about.”