Lincoln Riley gives updates on USC's roster for Alamo Bowl

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On December 30, USC will face TCU in the Alamo Bowl. After a 9-3 regular season, the Trojans will have the opportunity to try and pick up their tenth victory of the year in San Antonio.

The unfortunate reality of college football in 2025, however, is that bowl games are not viewed by many the same way that they used to be. Due to NFL opt-outs and transfers, USC’s roster for the Alamo Bowl will look notably different than it did during the regular season.

So who will suit up for the Trojans in San Antonio, and who will not? On Monday, head coach Lincoln Riley gave an update on players who will not be playing in the game. Let’s take a closer look:

NFL opt-outs

Per Riley, Makai Lemon, Ja’Kobi Lane, Kamari Ramsey, Eric Gentry, and Lake McRee will all not play in the game. Lane and Ramsey have already declared for the NFL Draft, and Lemon is projected to do so as well. Gentry and McRee, meanwhile, are out of eligibility and will now turn their attention towards their professional football careers.

A decade ago, the notion of NFL-bound players sitting out of bowl games was unheard of. Now, it is an unfortunate reality that practically every major program has to deal with.

Dealing with injuries

Fellow seniors Bishop Fitzgerald and Anthony Lucas are not opting out of the game, but are dealing with injuries that have rendered their status to be determined. According to Riley, both would like to play one final game in Cardinal and Gold, but it remains unclear at this time whether or not they will be available.

Season-ending surgeries

Offensive linemen Killian O’Connor and Elijah Paige and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart all underwent surgery and will miss the Alamo Bowl, according to Riley. The hope seems to be that all three will healthy in time for the start of next season.

Transfer portal entrants

The Trojans have already seen 13 players enter the transfer portal—some of whom have bigger roles on the team than others. Nothing is official yet, but presumably, none of them will suit up for the bowl game.

The end result

Given all of the above, USC will be without double-digit starters in the Alamo Bowl. The team that takes the field in San Antonio will be a shell of the team that the Trojans had during the regular season—something that has unfortunately become extremely common during bowl season during the College Football Playoff era.

How to fix the bowl system is a question for other people to deal with. For USC, however, it will fall on the Trojans’ backups and younger players to step up against TCU with so many starters out.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football preparing for Alamo Bowl with depleted roster

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