LOS ANGELES — USC is entering the final week of spring practice, with the spring game coming up on Saturday. Here are some thoughts on the Trojans from Week 4 of spring ball.
1. USC’s defensive line has been in the news this week with the transfer portal. First, there was the Bear Alexander saga. USC was able to keep Alexander in the fold for now, but on Friday defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes, who transferred to the program in January after four seasons at Texas A&M, re-entered the portal after just a few months with the Trojans.
Raikes, listed at 6 foot 1 and 313 pounds, possessed the size USC needed along the defensive front, but he started just five games in four seasons at Texas A&M, so it was unclear what sort of impact he would’ve made for the Trojans this fall.
Lincoln Riley declined to get into the specifics of Raikes’ transfer on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m not going to get into it,” he said. “Just one of the things we’re all dealing with right now.”
2. Raikes is one of two defensive line transfers USC brought into the program during the winter portal window. Nate Clifton was the other, and it seems like things have been going well so far for the Vanderbilt transfer.
“(He’s) had a great camp,” Riley said. “We’ve been really super pleased with Nate.”
More responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Clifton, who’ll be one of several players lining up next to Alexander along the interior of the defensive line. Clifton notched 5.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss at Vanderbilt in 2023.
3. Riley said that interior defensive line is one spot USC will be “potentially looking to address from a depth perspective” in the transfer portal this spring.
He said the players the Trojans have on the interior have improved quickly, but they don’t have as many bodies as they want. Elijah Hughes and Devan Thompkins will likely carry an even heavier load in the meantime.
USC did bring in Alexander during the spring portal window last year, but quality transfer defensive linemen are very tough to come by at this time of year.
4. The transfer portal opens to all players for two weeks starting on Tuesday. Last week, we had USC’s unofficial scholarship count at 82. The Trojans have since lost Raikes and freshman center Jason Zandamela. Defensive back Tre’Quon Fegans was removed from the roster and is expected to hit the portal as well.
Those moves will put USC at 79 scholarships, with at least six available scholarships. Riley has stressed the need to add offensive linemen and has said adding more defensive linemen is a possibility. Receiver seems like it would be another spot to address, as well as running back.
5. Quarterback Miller Moss kickstarted the buzz early in the week. When asked which defensive backs have stood out so far, he pointed out a true freshman.
“Honestly, Marcelles Williams has been awesome,” Moss said. “Obviously, a young kid. He’s a high school senior still, but he could definitely play corner with the best guys on our team right now. It’s been really, really good to see, and I’m excited for that kid. He’s got a really bright future.”
On Thursday, safety/linebacker Anthony Beavers Jr. was asked which safeties have stood out, but he couldn’t help but bring up Williams, too.
“Not really a safety but little Celle doing his thing,” Beavers said. “Celle comes from a great football family. I played with the two other brothers (Max and Macen), so I think it’s just being able to see how much he’s learned from them and to implement in his own game. I think he’s doing a tremendous job grasping everything and hitting the ground running.”
Williams was a four-star signee in the 2024 recruiting cycle and was a top-150 prospect in his class. His older brother, Max, just finished up his playing career at USC after five seasons. Riley said Williams has been around the program a lot because of Max, which has helped make his transition a smooth one.
Williams came in ready to compete in a deep corner group. He will be worth keeping an eye on during the spring game and in training camp.
“He’s been unusually consistent for a true freshman,” Riley said. “Very steady. His bad plays are not very bad, and on top of that he’s made some outstanding plays. Had a really nice interception the other day in a team period. Ended up with a nice interception today in a scrimmage. So he’s making some explosive plays as well. Been impressed with how quick he’s picked up our system.”
6. USC’s secondary is probably as deep and talented as it’s been since Riley arrived. But he said he hasn’t yet seen it at full strength.
Corner Jaylin Smith has been limited with an injury the past few weeks. Corner John Humphrey recently underwent a surgical procedure and will miss the final week of spring ball, Riley said. Safety Zion Branch is still recovering from a knee injury as well.
But Riley had some high praise for one of the players who has been consistently available: UCLA transfer safety Kamari Ramsey.
“Kamari has been one of the steadiest players on the football team regardless of position,” Riley said. “Been really excited by him.”
Riley also said cornerback Jacobe Covington has taken some nice steps. Covington and Prophet Brown played well as USC’s starting cornerbacks during the Holiday Bowl.
Brown has been buried on the depth chart his first three years on campus; the Holiday Bowl was one of the few opportunities he’d gotten for extended playing time. Riley said Brown has “passed some people up” this spring and is in the mix at nickel and corner.
7. Luke Huard met with the media for the first time as USC’s quarterbacks coach this week. We wrote about the move earlier in the spring and its significance for Riley.
Huard said Riley is still going to be hands-on with the quarterbacks, which should come as no surprise. An even more interesting dynamic will be how that relationship plays out on the recruiting trail.
“I’ve helped with (it in the past) because there are certain times of the year where Coach Riley can’t be on the road and can’t evaluate,” Huard said on Tuesday. “So I’ve had a hand in it these last couple of years since I’ve got here, and now obviously being in the position I’m in, that’ll be my sole focus in recruiting. A lot of communication, though. If I’m on the road and go see a guy, I’ll call him on my ride to the next stop. We’re always talking through different prospects.”
One of the notable visitors at practice that morning was Corona (Calif.) Centennial quarterback Husan Longstreet, a four-star and the highest-rated in-state signal caller in the Class of 2025. Longstreet will make his college decision Sunday. USC was not among the list of eight finalists Longstreet released weeks ago, so it was interesting to see the high-profile quarterback on campus — especially since the Trojans have five-star quarterback Julian Lewis already committed for 2025.
Lewis recently set his summer visit schedule, per 247Sports: He’ll visit Georgia, USC, Auburn and Colorado, all of which he also visited over the past month.
Not saying it’ll be Longstreet, but Riley might need some sort of insurance policy at the position.
8. In previous years, when more restrictions were in place, USC and Riley wanted to avoid utilizing name, image and likeness opportunities in their high school recruiting efforts. In the wake of the Tennessee court ruling barring the NCAA from enforcing its NIL rules, the governing body is almost powerless to prevent the use of NIL as an incentive in traditional recruiting.
Riley was asked on Saturday whether that has changed his view on how the program utilizes NIL in high school recruiting.
“Yeah, it does,” he said. “You put personal feelings aside and you adapt to the rules they put in front of you and use every advantage that you can within what they say you can do. So yeah, we’ve certainly looked at it, have had a lot of great conversations with our collective about it, and if that becomes kind of totally deregulated like it essentially is right now, then certainly we’d want to use that to our advantage. It’s promoted a lot of great discussions because we want to continue to get kids out there — them and their families — to be able to experience this place.
“This place is tough to describe, man. You can tell people on phone calls or Zoom calls or in person all you want, but until they see it, it’s hard to really articulate all that comes with the opportunity to come to USC. So yeah, it’s been great conversation so far. If that continues to be something that we’re able to do, it’s something we’re going to take advantage of.”
This is the first cycle USC has been willing to engage in NIL deals with high school recruits before they enroll. The Trojans’ class currently ranks fourth nationally in the 247Sports Composite ratings. The spring game is generally a time when schools pick up commitments in waves, so we’re a week away from seeing whether USC has more additions to this class on the way.
(Photo: Darren Yamashita / USA Today)
