Your guide to USC football's transfer portal needs this offseason

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With USC football‘s 2025 regular season officially over after the Trojans’ 29-10 defeat of the rival UCLA Bruins last Saturday, it is officially the college football offseason. Yes, USC has a bowl game to play, and plenty of other teams around the country are playing for conference championships and College Football Playoff glory. However, the (one and only) transfer portal window is set to officially open in just one month, on January 2, 2026. Players have to decide what to do with their future. They don’t have the luxury to wait until all the football is over.

The proof is in the pudding for USC fans: Running back Bryan Jackson has already announced that he will be entering the transfer portal.

So at Trojans Wire, we also have to start thinking about the transfer portal. So let’s go position by position and determine where on the roster the Trojans would be wise to make additions:

Quarterback

Barring something disastrous like Jayden Maiava leaving for the NFL and Husan Longstreet transferring elsewhere, I don’t see USC making any major additions at the quarterback position. Maiava and Longstreet are both extremely talented, and the Trojan offense is in good hands in 2026 with either player under center.

USC also has 4-star recruit Jonas Williams coming to campus as part of the 2026 recruiting class.

The Trojans could potentially add a depth piece based on how things shake out. USC’s third string QB this season, Sam Huard, is out of eligibility. If Maiava also leaves for the NFL, that could mean USC brings in a veteran to compete with Williams for the QB2 spot, backing up Longstreet.

Huard proved to us this season that you want to pay attention to those QB depth additions; you never know when they might switch numbers to execute a fake punt.

Running back

I don’t think USC makes any additions. In all likelihood, Waymond Jordan and King Miller will both be back. The Trojans also have big name freshmen Harry Dalton III and Riley Wormley waiting in the wings and four-stars Deshonne Redeaux and Shahn Alston coming to campus as part of the 2026 recruiting class.

Losing Bryan Jackson is sad, but unless several more backs leave via the portal or decommitment, this is already a position of strength for USC in 2026.

Wide receiver

I think USC will, and should, make wide receiver additions. The question is whether or not those additions will be star players or depth pieces.

Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane are likely headed for the NFL. So: does USC believe it has a superstar a WR1 and a superstar WR2 already committed to the school to replace Lemon and Lane?

Tanook Hines is the most likely candidate to be a big contributor. Is USC hoping one of its receivers who was injured for most of the season like Zaccharyus Williams or Prince Strachan will be a starter? Will Williams and Strachan even stay after disappointing seasons from a personal standpoint?

What about less-used young players like Jaden Richardson? Where does USC see his ceiling? Another young wideout USC fans have heard of, DJ Jordan, is transferring out.

Do they think they have stars in the recruiting class? USC is bringing five wide receiver recruits to campus in 2026 as of today, including high school superstars Ethan “Boobie” Feaster, Trent Mosley and Luc Weaver.

USC may not need to get the next Lemon and Lane in the portal, but it seems wise that they at least get an insurance policy with this many question marks.

Tight end

It’s going to be sad to see Lake McRee leave, but Trojan fans are excited to cheer him on in the NFL.

Walker Lyons was very good this season, and there’s no reason to believe he couldn’t or shouldn’t be a starting-caliber player next season. USC also has Mark Bowman, who is widely regarded as a generational tight end talent, and top JUCO player Josiah Jefferson coming to town to play tight end next season. I don’t see any major additions at tight end.

Offensive line

USC has a talented and deep offensive line. The focus here should be retention: backup center J’Onre Reed is the only major contributor who is out of elligibility, and the Trojans have a ton of offensive line talent in their recruiting class. Just make sure recruits sign and current players stick around. In Zach Hanson and Trumain Carroll we trust.

Defensive line

USC should look to get some veteran pieces on the defensive line. The unit was improved in 2025 compared to 2024, but not dominant.

The way I see it, USC had a lot of great rotational pieces on the defensive line this season. Braylan Shelby, Jide Abasiri, Kameryn Crawford, Devan Thompkins, Anthony Lucas, and Jahkeem Stewart were pretty good, or looked good at different moments.

Some of those players like Stewart or Floyd Boucard could still blossom into stars, but a lot of them are running out of eligibility faster than you think.

USC is getting a lot of help in the recruiting class from top recruits like Jameion Winfield and Luke Wafle. But kind of like at the wide receiver position, with this many question marks, you have to have lots of potential answers.

Linebacker

Eric Gentry’s departure will be a huge loss for this defense. USC had a good linebacker room in 2024 that relied almost entirely on veteran production. The room took a step back in 2025, and I’m not sure that I trust Desman Stephens II and Jadyn Walker to be the all-reliable veterans leading the linebacker room this season, and it would be really unfair to put all the pressure on a freshman like Talanoa Ili.

Linebackers are the quarterback of the defense. Experience is usually preferable over inexperience, because experience means knowledge and knowledge means good decision making. USC should look for a linebacker starter in the portal.

Cornerback

This is another position where USC absolutely must find a veteran starter. DeCarlos Nicholson and DJ Harvey will leave, and Kamari Ramsey could decide to test the NFL draft waters as well. If Prophet Brown returns to the team via medical redshirt, he will becoming off a major injury that ended his entire 2025 season.

Braylon Conley is transferring out. That leaves Marcelles Williams. Elbert Hill and Alex Graham to lead this position group next season. They will all be sophomores or younger.

Too much uncertainty and inexperience. I’d add, preferably a junior or older who projects as a plug-and-play starter.

Safety

I’m kind of on the fence about if USC should get a safety in the transfer portal. The Trojans will lose Bishop Fitzgerald and could lose Kamari Ramsey, but I like the duo of Kennedy Urlacher and Christian Pierce. They’re both really scrappy football players who I could see growing a lot this offseason.

It would still be good to get some depth, especially since the Trojans don’t have any high-impact recruits in the 2026 class who are currently listed as safeties. But will they need to get a starter? Ask me after Kamari Ramsey makes his draft decision. Or Christian Pierce, because he could technically leave for the draft as well.

Special teams

Fun fact: USC’s backup punter is currently Ryon Sayeri. So with Sam Johnson out of eligibility, the Trojans need a new punter unless they want to use Sayeri as a dual threat. Or move Sayeri to punter and use a healthy Caden Chittenden at kicker? That would certainly be something. USC fans would probably riot after the year Sayeri just had. Maybe Chittenden can punt?

So yeah, realistically, USC won’t need a kicker but expect them to get a punter in the portal. Long snapper Hank Pepper will also be graduating, but hopefully Luke Brown or Devin McDonough will be ready to step in for him.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football looks to transfer portal to fill key positional needs

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