USC football opposing player scouting report – Earl Little, Ohio State

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USC football faces the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes this season. ESPN has more on one of the Buckeyes' best defensive players, Earl Little Jr.

"Ohio State reloaded its secondary this offseason after losing Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr. to the NFL draft. One of the Buckeyes' most important additions was Earl Little Jr., who brings immediate-impact potential to a rebuilt defensive backfield. Coach Ryan Day said this spring that Little "flashed early" before missing time following a minor knee procedure, though he is expected to be fully available this summer.

"Little plays instinctive football with the versatility to line up deep or closer to the line of scrimmage. He has the speed and range to cover ground in center field along with the short-area quickness to handle slot receivers in space. Against the run, he plays with a downhill, attacking mentality and consistently triggers quickly into running lanes. His versatility and physical style should help Ohio State offset the loss of several key defensive backs from last season."

Give me Jayden Maiava over Julian Sayin any day of the week. If USC can score 35 points, the Trojans will probably have enough to beat Sayin and Ohio State. Getting to 35 points, however, will require knowing where Earl Little is on the field at any moment. There will not be a large margin for error for Maiava when he faces an Ohio State defense which should be good, but did lose several players to the NFL draft and had multiple players taken in the first 12 picks of the 2026 draft.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Ohio State's Earl Little is an obstacle for USC football passing game

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