USC’s cornerback room looks better than it has in the Lincoln Riley era, but the Trojans are about to find out just how sturdy it really is.
That group will be under the microscope all season, because USC is scheduled to run into some loaded receiver rooms in 2026. The headliner is Ohio State, where Jeremiah Smith stands out as the biggest challenge on the Trojans’ slate. Smith is a two-time first team All-American, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound problem for any secondary, and the kind of receiver who already has eyes on the Biletnikoff Award and a future as a top NFL Draft pick.
The Buckeyes also bring plenty of help around him. Chris Henry Jr., the 6-foot-6 Mater Dei product, turned heads in the spring game and looks ready to carry on a long line of elite Ohio State receivers. Brandon Innis, UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, LSU transfer Kyle Parker, and freshmen Jerquaden Guilford and Brock Boyd give Columbus a deep group behind the star.
Indiana presents a different kind of test, even after losing Omar Cooper Jr., the No. 22 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, and Elijah Sarratt. The Hoosiers may still end up with a better receiver duo in 2026.
Charlie Becker emerged late last season, didn’t crack the starting lineup until the second half of the year, and then became a trusted target for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. At 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, Becker brings size, a deep threat element and real ability in contested catches.
He’s already drawing first round pick buzz.
Nick Marsh gives Indiana another big body to work with. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound receiver has put up 600-plus receiving yards in back-to-back seasons despite uneven quarterback play at Michigan State.
Now he gets a proven passer in TCU transfer Josh Hoover. Tyler Morris and Tulane transfer Shazz Preston are also part of the mix.
Oregon, meanwhile, has a receiver room built around speed and upside. Evan Stewart is back after missing all of last season with an injury.
The former five-star recruit arrived at Oregon from Texas A&M in 2024 and remains a dangerous deep-ball target. Dakorien Moore fits that same mold.
The Duncanville, Texas, product was a five-star in the 2025 class, had a solid freshman season and is looking for another jump this fall.
Stewart and Moore lead a group that also includes Jeremiah McClellan, Iverson Hooks, and freshmen Jalen Lott and Messiah Hampton.
All of that is why USC’s cornerback competition matters so much. Marcelles Williams made his first career start in Week 3 last season and never gave the job back.
The St. John Bosco product had his share of growing pains, but he became a key part of the Trojans’ defensive success over the final month.
Now entering his redshirt sophomore season, he’s more confident - and facing real pressure to keep his spot.
Jontez Williams arrived as one of the biggest transfer additions in January. The Iowa State transfer is the most experienced corner on the roster and was a second team All-Big 12 selection in 2024. He’s coming back from a significant knee injury, as is redshirt sophomore Chasen Johnson, but both are expected to be ready for camp.
Johnson started four games as a true freshman under cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed at UCF in 2024, then played only two games last season. He heads into this year with something to prove. Johnson and redshirt freshman RJ Sermons both bring size at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds.
Sermons, a talented sprinter from Rancho Cucamonga, was once a five-star recruit and the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class before reclassifying last summer. He spent his freshman year developing in the background so he’d be ready now.
Freshman Elbert “Rock” Hill also enters the picture with real momentum. ESPN ranked him the No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 class, and he backed that up with a strong spring. The Ohio native looks like a player who could force his way onto the field quickly, which USC may need because this secondary will need more than a couple of corners to hold up against the receiver talent coming its way.
In Other News...
Former Five Star Buckeye Could Haunt Ohio State At Rival School
A former Ohio State receiver is making noise at Notre Dame, where Mylan Graham put together a strong spring and quickly worked his way into the mix for a major role. The move matters for Buckeye fans because it puts a once-highly touted talent on the other side of a future matchup, and it comes at a position where Notre Dame is still sorting out its best options.
Grahams rise has him positioned with Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse as part of the Irishs top receiver group heading into the season, a development that could make him a familiar name in Columbus for the wrong reasons. Ohio State has reason to feel good about its own receiver room, but the possibility of seeing a former five-star flourish elsewhere is the kind of subplot that lingers until the teams finally line up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Wide Receiver U Crown Is Suddenly Being Challenged
Ross Douglas has wasted little time making his presence felt at Oregon since arriving as the Ducks wide receivers coach in February 2025. He has already helped build momentum on the recruiting trail, landing a collection of highly regarded pass catchers and transfers as Oregon keeps pushing to assemble a receiver room that can stack up with the nations best.
The bigger picture is why it matters to Ohio State fans: the Buckeyes have long worn the Wide Receiver U label, and that standard is now being tested by a program with serious ambition and a coach who knows how to sell it. Oregon still trails the Buckeyes in NFL receiver production, but with four wideouts already in the league and more talent coming in, the Ducks are making a real case that the gap is closing. [Read more 🡒]
National Analyst Thinks Ohio State Already Has Jeremiah Smiths Successor
Jeremiah Smith has already put himself in position to chase Ohio States all-time receiving marks, and the conversation around the Buckeyes wideout room has quickly shifted to who might be next. College football analyst David Pollack recently pointed to true freshman Chris Henry Jr. as a player who could keep that pipeline rolling, a notable endorsement for a program that has turned elite receiver recruiting into an expectation rather than a surprise.
Henry arrived in Columbus as the top wide receiver recruit in the 2026 class, giving Ohio State another high-end talent to develop behind Smiths rise. His path to campus carried some late uncertainty, though, after Brian Hartlines departure to South Florida shook up the picture, and the Buckeyes had to hold off other programs before Henry ultimately stayed with Ohio State. [Read more 🡒]