USC’s meeting with Penn State brings one of the Nittany Lions’ most established linemen into focus, and Anthony Donkoh looks like the player USC has to account for up front.
Donkoh arrived at Penn State as one of Virginia’s top prospects in the Class of 2023. He was ranked No. 9 overall in the state, behind fellow Penn State commits Alex Birchmeier and Tony Rojas, who were both among Virginia’s top three players. Donkoh committed to Penn State in January 2022 and stuck with that decision despite offers from Virginia Tech, Duke and West Virginia.
The résumé has grown from there. Over the past three seasons, Donkoh has appeared in 28 games and started 21 of them.
He played in all 13 games Penn State had in the 2025 season, and after the 2024 campaign he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition from Big Ten coaches and media. That season, he started 10 games at right tackle for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is counting on him again. Donkoh is projected to anchor the right tackle spot this season, and he stands out as Penn State’s only projected starter back on the offensive line. He has spent more time at right guard in the past, but the experience is already there, and so is the production.
Before college, Donkoh was a three-time MVP for his high school team and gave up just one sack across three varsity seasons. For USC, the path is pretty clear: its defensive line is the Trojans’ most important position group in 2026, and winning the matchup against Donkoh is one of the cleanest ways to tilt the game in their favor.
In Other News...
USCs Top Freshman Is Already Getting The Welcome Fans Wanted
Luke Wafle is already getting a taste of what comes with being USCs highest-profile freshman, and it is happening well before he takes a snap in cardinal and gold. The five-star defensive end, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, took part in the Sack Summit event hosted by NFL players, where he crossed paths with former Trojan linebacker Willie McGinest and got another reminder of the standard that comes with wearing the USC name.
McGinest also had reason to talk up the programs momentum, from the new Bloom Football Performance Center to the recruiting haul that gave USC its largest class in program history. Wafle and McGinest even touched on the Trojans 2026 slate, which already looks like a demanding one, and that is part of what makes this early welcome so notable: USC is trying to build something big, and its top freshman is stepping into it with plenty of attention already following him. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley's New Ranking Will Sting USC Fans
USA TODAY Sports latest look at the college football coaching landscape landed with a familiar jolt for USC fans: Lincoln Riley, once viewed as one of the sports elite offensive minds, was not treated like an elite coach in the 2026 rankings. The list put Indianas Curt Cignetti at No. 1 after his rapid rise, while Ohio States Ryan Day checked in at No. 3 and Oregons Dan Lanning landed at No. 5, a reminder of how quickly the sports hierarchy can shift.
For USC, Rileys placement is the part that stings. He arrived in Los Angeles with the kind of reputation that usually keeps a coach near the top of these exercises, but this ranking suggests the national perception has changed after his uneven run with the Trojans. The bigger question now is whether USC can change that conversation on the field, because in a sport this competitive, reputation only travels so far before the next season starts rewriting it. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Lost Another Key Piece Of Its Baseball Turnaround
USCs baseball rebuild has already been moving at full speed, with a roster churn that includes 16 players entering the transfer portal and 10 new transfers committed. The program is also looking ahead to the long-awaited upgrade at Dedeaux Field, with full access to the new facilities not arriving until the 2027 season, so the Trojans are trying to keep momentum in the present while waiting on the future.
Now there is another layer of uncertainty around the turnaround. Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Travis Jewett is departing after helping shape the offense and the talent pipeline, and head coach Andy Stankiewicz is still under contract through 2030 as he tries to steady a program that has been changing almost as quickly as it has been improving. With the staff continuing to shift and the roster still being remade, USCs next step feels just as important as the progress it has already made. [Read more 🡒]