Justin Tauanuu is back on USC’s Top 30 Most Important list, and this time the spotlight comes with a little more pressure attached.
The Trojans’ third-year sophomore enters 2026 as the first offensive lineman on the countdown, landing at No. 27 after checking in at No. 24 a year ago. At 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, the Huntington Beach native spent most of 2025 as USC’s starting right tackle, and now he has to prove that role is truly his with fall camp approaching.
Tauanuu’s rise started late in 2024, when he was thrown into action at left tackle after the first series of the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M. He took his lumps that day, but the experience gave him something important: confidence.
After a year of watching from the sideline, he learned he could handle the level. That carried into 2025, when he opened in competition with Tobias Raymond for the right tackle job.
Raymond quickly settled at left guard, and both linemen ended up as steady parts of USC’s front, playing all 803 first-team snaps. Tauanuu logged the bulk of his work at right tackle, though he also shifted to left tackle against Michigan State after Elijah Paige left with an injury and then started there against Illinois.
That second move did not go nearly as well. USC’s offensive line struggled against Illinois’ veteran defensive front, and Tauanuu posted his worst single-game grade of the year from Pro Football Focus after allowing a season-high six pressures.
The numbers show a player who was solid at times but not yet consistent enough. Tauanuu finished with an overall PFF grade of 53.8 and a run-blocking grade of 52.2.
He had only three games with a run-block grade above PFF’s 60.0 baseline. In pass protection, he was better in spurts, with seven grades above 60.0, including an 87.6 against Nebraska.
But the bigger issue was the weekly swing in performance.
The toughest stretch came against USC’s biggest opponents. Tauanuu allowed at least three pressures in games at Illinois, against Michigan, at Notre Dame, against Iowa and at Oregon, and he finished the season with a team-high 32 pressures allowed. That’s the part of his game USC needs to clean up if he’s going to become more than just a serviceable starter.
That’s also why his spot on the list dipped a little. All five returning starting offensive linemen will show up somewhere in the Top 30, but Tauanuu enters camp with more competition around him than he had last year.
Raymond’s ability to move around, plus the emergence of freshman Breck Kolojay and the upside of five-star tackle Keenyi Pepe, means nothing is guaranteed. Tauanuu also missed USC’s spring camp, which only adds to the challenge.
He still has a path to the job, but he has to earn it again. And USC needs more than a player who can simply hold down a spot.
The Trojans need Tauanuu to take a real step forward and hold up against fronts like Ohio State and Oregon. The depth in the room is better now, and the competition is real.
Tauanuu’s value has slipped a bit because of that, but his importance hasn’t disappeared.
Last year’s No. 27 on the list was Strachan, whose season became one of USC’s strangest mysteries. The No. 3 wide receiver spot looked unsettled heading into fall camp, and his size, length and experience made him look like a strong candidate for a regular role.
Instead, he played just five snaps in a Trojan uniform. After catching a 25-yard pass and getting rolled up while being dragged out of bounds, he suffered a sprained ankle, missed the next game, then returned dressed and warmed up for Purdue.
From there, he never got back on the field, showing up as a healthy scratch and a “DNP - Coach's Decision” for the rest of the regular season.
In Other News...
USC Just Got The Oregon Opening Lincoln Riley Cannot Waste
Oregons secondary is still sorting itself out as Chris Hampton settles in as defensive coordinator, and that kind of uncertainty is exactly the sort of opening USC has to be ready to press. The Ducks have multiple players in the mix for key jobs back there, which means the early shape of their defense is still being defined even before the season gets rolling.
For Lincoln Riley and the Trojans, the opportunity is obvious: make Oregon answer questions in coverage while USCs offense tries to get its own front settled enough to handle the Ducks defensive line. If the Trojans can win up front, they can force Oregon to show its hand in the back end, and the way those position battles shake out could wind up steering how aggressive Hampton can be with that secondary down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Headlines A Loaded All-USC NFL Dream Team
USCs NFL footprint has become so deep that building a dream team out of former Trojans is less a novelty than a reminder of how often the program has fed Sundays. The piece leans into that history by mixing the schools long draft track record with the production of its current and recent pros, then sorting through the names that have actually mattered at the next level. From the skill positions to the line, there is no shortage of candidates, which is part of what makes the exercise feel more like an argument than a gimmick.
Caleb Williams sits at the center of it, and not just because of his pedigree. The discussion around him is tied to how he has handled the jump to the NFL and how his postseason work has added another layer to his profile, while the rest of the roster debate stretches across a loaded backfield and a receiver group that reflects USCs ability to keep producing playmakers. Even the offensive line conversation has enough current and former Trojans in it to make the final choices feel crowded, which is exactly the kind of problem USC would want to have. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Gave Ronnie Lott A Rare Place In College Football History
Ronnie Lott has long been part of USCs defensive lore, and ESPNs college football writers have now put him in a rare historical lane by elevating him above every other player to wear No. 42. The former Trojan safety was a centerpiece of the 1978 national title team and helped USC win two Rose Bowls, building the kind of college rsum that still resonates whenever the programs all-time greats come up.
Lotts senior season only sharpened that legacy, as he finished by leading the country in interceptions and capped his USC career with a reputation for making game-changing plays. His college success was just the start of a career that carried into Canton-worthy territory with the San Francisco 49ers, but this latest nod is a reminder of how much of his legend was forged in cardinal and gold. [Read more 🡒]