USC is entering 2026 with bigger goals than just another solid season. After finishing 9-4 and landing at No. 20 in the final AP Poll, the Trojans are trying to push into the College Football Playoff conversation. One of the newcomers expected to help drive that push is Michigan State transfer Alex VanSumeren.
VanSumeren brings real production with him. At Michigan State, he posted 52 total tackles, with 18 solo stops and 1.5 sacks. He also arrives at USC with a different kind of pressure hanging over this final college season: one last chance to boost his NFL Draft stock.
That’s where his older brother, Ben VanSumeren, comes in. Ben is an undrafted NFL veteran and Super Bowl LIX champion, and Alex has leaned on him through a winding path that now points toward the pros.
"He's the best role model I could ask for," VanSumeren said on the Big Ten Network during Big Ten Media Days. "He's someone that motivates me. You know, he's got a ring, so that's something I chase."
The brothers’ football lives have taken different routes, but they’ve been through enough of the same grind for Ben’s advice to matter. Both played at Garber High School in Essexville, Michigan, and both were once committed to Michigan out of high school before their college careers split in different directions.
Ben spent three seasons with the Wolverines before transferring to Michigan State. Alex backed off his early pledge to Ann Arbor before ever playing there and signed directly with the Spartans. They later became teammates at Michigan State in 2022, giving Alex a front-row seat to how Ben handled the game and the setbacks that come with it.
That perspective has stayed with Alex. Ben battled his own climb, moving from fullback to linebacker before eventually earning his place in the NFL. Alex had to fight back from a season-ending injury that erased his 2023 campaign before reemerging as one of Michigan State’s most productive defensive linemen.
Ben’s story also shows just how many roads can lead to the league. After going undrafted in 2023, he landed with the Philadelphia Eagles, made his way onto the active roster, and ended up a Super Bowl champion.
When Alex entered the transfer portal, he kept leaning on his brother. Ben pushed him to choose the situation that gave him the best chance to succeed, and after talking with USC’s staff, Alex believed he had found it.
"I would say the biggest thing is just the coaches and the people like Coach Lincoln Riley, Chad Bowden, Coach P (Gary Patterson), and the program," VanSumeren said at Big Ten Media Days. "It's a tradition-rich program.
Everyone knows USC football. I couldn't turn down this opportunity to play with these teammates and with this program."
Gary Patterson was a major draw. VanSumeren pointed to the Hall of Fame defensive coach’s return to the game as a selling point, noting Patterson’s long track record at TCU, where his defenses led the nation in total defense five times over 21 seasons and he sent 49 players to the NFL Draft.
"He could have stayed retired, could have kept golfing, but he came back because he loves the game and he wants to win," VanSumeren said. "He's told us many times, he didn't come back for anything but to win."
USC is also getting an experienced piece up front. VanSumeren made 24 consecutive starts at Michigan State, which makes him one of the Trojans’ most seasoned defensive linemen.
That experience matters for a USC defense that improved in 2025 but still had trouble shutting down the run, especially in its four losses. In those defeats, opponents averaged 193.3 rushing yards per game and 5.12 yards per carry.
For VanSumeren, though, this isn’t only about helping USC chase a playoff spot. It’s the last stop of his college career, and the final stretch before the NFL Draft. And with Ben as his guide, he’ll head into it with a blueprint already in hand.
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Mike Ekelers addition as the new linebackers coach only adds to the sense that this spot will be watched closely once fall camp opens. Pattersons system asks a lot from linebackers, and the coming weeks should sort out not just the pecking order, but how USC wants to deploy a deep room that could be used in a lot of different ways if the pieces fit the way the staff believes they can. [Read more 🡒]