NCAAF
LOS ANGELES — Spring football is nearly over at USC. With 14 practices completed, we have a good indication of where things stand with most players on the roster, including a large group of newcomers. Here is one thought on each of the 25 new additions from the high school ranks and the transfer portal.
Note: Transfers have their previous school listed in parentheses. High school signees have their star ratings, per the 247Sports Composite.
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Defensive lineman Jide Abasiri, Fr. (four-star): Abasiri was a late addition to USC’s signing class after he flipped from Minnesota. He possesses the size (6 feet 5, 291 pounds) the Trojans will need as they move to the Big Ten, but there’s still a learning curve for the college game for most true freshmen, so Abasiri isn’t expected to be a major piece of the interior defensive line rotation this fall.
Safety Akili Arnold, R-Sr. (Oregon State): Secondary coach Doug Belk said Arnold has already taken a strong leadership position among the defensive backs. Arnold was a full-time starter at Oregon State last season so his experience should help a deep and relatively talented secondary. He’ll be in contention to start and at the very least should be a prominent contributor in the safety rotation.
Safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr., Fr. (three-star): There hasn’t been a ton of talk about Boatwright this spring, so Saturday will offer a first real glimpse of what he can do. He’s one of several incoming freshmen who could utilize this year as a developmental season.
Defensive lineman Nate Clifton, R-Sr. (Vanderbilt): Clifton is expected to be a critical piece of USC’s defensive line rotation. He has the size and ability to play both on the interior and the outside — a valuable asset for first-year defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. He was the first defensive line transfer the staff brought in this offseason and will likely be joined by a few more additions this spring.
Defensive lineman Lorenzo Cowan, Fr. (three-star): Like Abasiri, Cowan probably won’t be in the defensive line rotation this fall and is likely more of a long-term project at the edge for USC.
Defensive lineman Kameryn Fountain, Fr. (four-star): It’s been a while since USC has brought in a freshman defensive lineman who looks as physically impressive as Fountain, the highest-rated player in the Trojans’ 2024 recruiting class. Time will tell how soon Fountain, who is 6 feet 6 and 256 pounds, can crack the defensive line rotation in his first season.
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Safety Marquis Gallegos, Fr. (four-star): With USC’s depth at safety, there’s no pressure on Gallegos to play right away. Development will be the focus for the Sierra Canyon grad next fall.
Corner John Humphrey, R-Sr. (UCLA): Humphrey recently underwent surgery and has missed the final few weeks of spring ball. As a veteran who has played for Lynn before, he’ll be a factor in the corner rotation, if not a starter.
Running back Bryan Jackson, Fr. (three-star): Jackson is the youngest player among a relatively inexperienced group of running backs. The competition to be the No. 2 back behind Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks is wide open, but Jackson faces an uphill climb competing against Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson — both in their second year with the program.
Receiver Xavier Jordan, Fr. (four-star): There hasn’t been much buzz about Jordan during spring ball. He’ll have the opportunity to develop and learn this season behind some talented wideouts who have more time in the system.
Quarterback Jayden Maiava, R-So. (UNLV): Lincoln Riley has praised Maiava for his poise and how quickly he’s acclimated to the offense. There’s technically a quarterback competition, but Miller Moss — who has spent the past two seasons as USC’s backup — is the considerable favorite to win the job. Maiava is talented, though, as he proved at UNLV last season so he can’t be ruled out. The spring game will give a better indication of where things stand.
Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Sr. (Oregon State): It took only a few months for Mascarenas-Arnold — Akili Arnold’s stepbrother — to elevate himself into a leadership position on USC’s defense. Mascarenas-Arnold was a first-team All-Pac-12 linebacker in 2023 and is expected to start this fall. The Trojans linebacker play needs a boost, and the staff is hoping Mascarenas-Arnold can provide that.
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Running back Woody Marks, R-Sr. (Mississippi State): USC needed an experienced running back and set its sights on Marks, who posted 3,108 yards from scrimmage in four seasons at Mississippi State, fairly early during the first transfer window. Marks will likely be the No. 1 tailback as he provides experience, physicality and the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
Linebacker Elijah Newby, Fr. (four-star): New linebackers coach Matt Entz described Newby as raw but was generally complimentary of the freshman’s football IQ. He played mostly on the edge in high school so it’s unlikely he’ll be asked to contribute much this season while transitioning to a new position.
Corner DeCarlos Nicholson, R-Sr., (Mississippi State): USC’s personnel staff has ties to Mississippi State and that likely helped bring Marks and Nicholson to Los Angeles. Nicholson’s commitment made it clear which direction this staff wanted to go with its corners — tall and long. Nicholson, listed at 6-3 and 195 pounds, started seven games for Mississippi State last year but will have stiff competition for a starting role on this team. Either way, he should be in the mix in the corner rotation.
Snapper Hank Pepper, R-Jr., (Michigan State): Riley emphasized the need to get better on all fronts — execution and operation — with the field goal unit. That starts with Pepper.
Tight end Joey Olsen, Fr. (four-star): Tight ends coach Zach Hanson said Olsen, who played receiver in high school, has had to adjust to the blocking aspect of the position. Olsen benefitted this spring from a lack of depth at tight end, which allowed him to get more reps. The position will have more depth in the fall.
Defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes, R-Sr. (Texas A&M): Raikes was expected to provide some size and depth along the defensive line, and things seemed fine when he spoke to the media during the first few weeks of spring ball. But something must have changed because he entered the portal earlier this month. Riley has declined to get into the specifics behind Raikes’ decision.
Safety Kamari Ramsey, R-So. (UCLA): Ramsey was a significant addition, and he’s proven why during the spring. Riley called him “one of the steadiest players on the football team” over the weekend and then praised him again on Tuesday. Ramsey has experience under Lynn and should be an opening-day starter.
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Receiver Jaden Richardson, R-Sr. (Tufts): Richardson has made the uncommon jump from Division III to the Power 4. He was brought in to add experience and depth at receiver, a position group comprised mostly of second-year players. The sophomore wideouts are the most talented and will likely take most of the snaps. USC does rotate its receivers quite a bit, so we’ll see if Richardson can earn some playing time.
Linebacker Desman Stephens II, Fr. (Four-star): Stephens is behind quite a few veterans but Entz seems pretty excited about his natural feel for the game. He’s up to 235 after being listed at 208 during the recruiting process. Stephens will be someone to watch in future years as he continues to transition and develop in the college game.
Offensive lineman Kalolo Ta’aga, Fr. (three-star): Ta’aga is a long-term project who needs the spring and foreseeable future to develop. Last fall was the first full season of football for the former basketball player.
Offensive lineman Justin Tauanuu, Fr. (three-star): The Trojans are also thin along the offensive line, particularly at tackle. So Tauanuu was able to get more reps than a typical true freshman this spring. USC’s starters at tackle seem set for now, and it’s likely going to target a tackle in the portal over the next few weeks. So it would be a surprise if Tauanuu was called upon for meaningful playing time this fall.
Corner Marcelles Williams, Fr. (four-star): No freshman has received more hype this spring than Williams. Many of the veterans, including Moss, have praised him for his play. Williams’ older brother, Max, spent the past five seasons with the Trojans so there’s a ton of familiarity there. That’s helped Williams as he tries to make a strong case to be included in USC’s corner rotation this fall.
Offensive lineman Jason Zandamela, Fr. (four-star): Zandamela’s time at USC was short-lived. He was a significant signing — the program’s first top-150 offensive line recruit since the 2018 cycle — and was viewed as a building block for the future. But he entered the transfer portal this month after he enrolled in January. Riley said Zandamela was not expected to play much this season.
(Top photo of Woody Marks: Jeff Blake / USA Today)
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Antonio Morales covers USC football for The Athletic. Previously, he spent three years at the Clarion Ledger in Mississippi, where he covered Ole Miss for two seasons and Jackson State for another. He also spent two years covering preps for the Orange County Register and Torrance Daily Breeze. Follow Antonio on Twitter @AntonioCMorales
