ESPN’s recent look at the greatest college football player to wear each number produced plenty of room for debate, and USC had its share of notable names left standing on the outside.
The Trojans were represented well enough across the full run from zero through 99, but the biggest headline for USC fans is how many of the school’s Heisman Trophy winners did not make the final cut. Six of USC’s eight Heisman winners - all of whom have retired jersey numbers - were passed over.
That meant some heavy hitters got bumped in favor of other eras and other stars. At No.
5, Reggie Bush lost out to Arkansas running back Darren McFadden. At No.
11, Penn State linebacker Lavar Arrington was chosen over USC quarterback Matt Leinart. At No.
12, Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter got the edge ahead of USC running back Charles White.
The list kept rolling with more Trojans falling just short. At No.
20, Texas running back Earl Campbell was picked over Mike Garrett, a choice that probably caused the least fuss among USC’s omissions. At No.
32, Notre Dame’s Johnny Lujack beat out O.J. Simpson.
And at No. 33, USC running back Marcus Allen was passed over in favor of Pitt star Tony Dorsett.
There was also a wrinkle in the way the selections seemed to be weighted. The two USC Heisman winners who did make ESPN’s list, Carson Palmer and Caleb Williams, both did so without winning a national championship with the Trojans.
Meanwhile, five of the six USC Heisman winners who were left off the list did win one. That suggests ESPN leaned more heavily on individual production than on team success when building its rankings.
In Other News...
USC Freshman Keenyi Pepe Suddenly Has A Real Path To Early Snaps
USCs No. 1 recruiting class from last December already came with plenty of attention, and freshman offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe is suddenly getting another reason to be watched this fall. ESPN analyst Billy Tucker included Pepe among the top true freshmen most likely to make an immediate impact this season, pointing to the kind of size, technique and upside that can help a young lineman force his way onto the field early.
The timing matters even more now because an opening has surfaced in the middle of the line, giving the Trojans a possible spot to solve as they sort through their front five. For a freshman like Pepe, that changes the conversation from long-term development to something much more immediate, and it gives USC another intriguing variable to track as camp and the season unfold. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Linebacker Turnaround Is Becoming Hard To Ignore
USC went into the offseason knowing linebacker play had to be better, and the staff clearly treated it like a priority. Hiring Mike Ekeler to coach the position and handle special teams, while promoting AJ Howard to outside linebackers coach, gave the Trojans a new structure around a group that needed more consistency after a disappointing previous season. With Gary Patterson also part of the defensive setup, the message has been simple: get the linebackers playing faster, cleaner and with more confidence.
Early signs suggest the adjustment is taking hold. Jadyn Walker and Desman Stephens have both pointed to a better grasp of what the defense is asking them to do, along with clearer performance on the field under the new coaching staff. It is still early, but for a unit that was under the microscope, USC has at least created the kind of environment where improvement looks real rather than theoretical. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Sent An Early Message About Its Future At Quarterback
USC has already started shaping its quarterback future, landing a commitment from Trey Wright of Frisco, Texas, for the 2028 recruiting class. Wright chose the Trojans over Oregon, Kentucky, SMU and Arizona, a notable win for a program that was selective in its evaluation and made him the only quarterback it offered in that class. The early pledge also fits into a broader recruiting push that has included other local targets with ties to USCs orbit.
Wright arrives with a rsum that has built real buzz already, including MaxPreps Sophomore first team All-American recognition and eye-catching high school production. For USC, the commitment is less about solving an immediate roster question and more about signaling how it wants to recruit the position going forward, identifying a quarterback it believes can anchor a class before the rest of the market fully takes shape. [Read more 🡒]