The USC defense has been building toward a season like this, at least on paper. With veterans and young talent mixed together and Gary Patterson steering the unit, the Trojans are hoping to wipe away some of the old talk about what USC defenses can and can’t be.
Micah Huff sees a breakout coming, and he’s not being shy about it.
Start with Jontez Williams, who Huff believes will be the Trojans’ interception leader and finish with at least four picks. Williams is healthy again, and Huff points to his versatility as a major reason he should pop under Patterson.
The biggest thing, though, is the ball production. Huff called him a ball magnet and expects that trait to show up in a big way this season.
Kennedy Urlacher is another player Huff expects to take on a major role right away. After flashing when given chances last year, Urlacher is projected to step into a full-time starting job and become one of the defense’s best players.
Huff thinks that will show up most clearly in the tackle column, with Urlacher leading the Trojans in tackles. He also sees him filling a role similar to what Kamari Ramsey and Calen Bullock provided for this team before.
Up front, Huff is betting on Braylon Shelby to pace USC in sacks. Shelby is heading into his senior year and brings the most experience off the edge.
Huff expects this to be his best season yet, building on last year’s 4.5 sacks. Shelby made only 6 starts last season, but now he should be one of the main pressure players on the edge.
Huff also credits Patterson and a stronger defensive line group for helping Shelby reach another level.
There’s also a big number attached to freshman Luke Wafle. Huff thinks Wafle will end the year with 5 sacks.
He pointed to Wafle’s size as already fitting Big Ten football and noted that he has been giving a strong Trojans offensive line problems in camp. Huff expects Wafle to get some early production against non-conference opponents before finishing with a strong freshman season.
Jahkeem Stewart is the final name in Huff’s outlook, and even though he’ll miss the start of the season, the prediction is still a big one: Big Ten first-team honors. Huff expects Stewart to return and keep building on what he showed last season.
With the depth around him, Stewart should have room to take another step, and Huff believes he’ll be a major force when USC hits the toughest stretch of its schedule. That, in Huff’s view, will set up an elite year and a spot on the Big Ten First Team as a sophomore.
In Other News...
USC Game Day Just Made A Coliseum Change Fans Will Notice
USC is making a noticeable change to the game-day experience at the Coliseum for the 2026 football season, naming KTLA reporter Hayley Elwood as the new in-stadium host. She will take over for DJ Mal-Ski, who has long been one of the most recognizable voices around USC events and has helped shape the atmosphere at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and beyond.
Mal-Ski is expected to stay involved by continuing to manage the Coliseums music, so the shift is more of a handoff than a full reset in the stadium presentation. Along with the hosting change, USC also unveiled new concessions and themed promotions for home games, part of a broader effort to keep the Coliseum experience fresh for fans who notice the details as much as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
USC Depth Chart Just Put Pressure On Two Young Trojans
USCs first depth chart for the 2026 season brought an early jolt to a couple of young players whose paths to the field now look more complicated than they did a few months ago. True freshman Trent Mosely is listed as the No. 2 receiver, with redshirt-sophomore Zacharyus Williams right behind him, a sign that the Trojans are giving youth a real chance to climb quickly at a position where depth always matters.
Williams arrived from Utah in 2025 but was slowed by injury last season, so this fall could be a defining one if he is going to carve out a role and avoid another reset. On the defensive side, RJ Sermons is still waiting for his first real game action after not playing as a freshman, and being third on the depth chart means the highly rated recruit may have to make his impact somewhere else, likely on special teams, to force his way into the rotation. [Read more 🡒]
USCs New Defensive Tackle Is Already Challenging A Troubled Position Group
USC has spent the offseason trying to harden a defense that needed a reset, and the arrival of coordinator Gary Patterson has been part of that push. Along with him came transfer defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren from Michigan State, a new piece in a front that the Trojans are counting on to look more stable and more disruptive when the season opens.
VanSumeren has not played a snap for USC yet, but he has already been described as a leader and a positive influence in the room, which matters for a position group still trying to define itself. The tone around the unit has centered on accountability, high standards and preparation, and the real test now is whether that mindset shows up once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]