USC’s 2026 baseball run gave the program real momentum, but the offseason has already started to chip away at it. After a 48-18 season, a nationally ranked bullpen, a College Station Regional win that ended a two-decade drought and a Super Regional appearance, the Trojans are now dealing with the fallout from the MLB Draft and the transfer portal.
One of the biggest names to leave was infielder Adrian Lopez, who announced his departure from USC on June 29. By July 12, he had landed with a familiar foe: Oregon.
The move sends Lopez to a Big Ten rival that already had USC’s number in 2026. The Ducks finished 43-18, hosted and won the Eugene Regional, reached the Super Regionals and went 2-1 against the Trojans during the regular season.
Lopez was a steady force in the middle of USC’s lineup all season. The California native gave the Trojans needed production while Augie Lopez and Mason Edwards drew much of the attention during the postseason. His bat stayed consistent, and that mattered for an offense that needed a lift.
In the playoffs, Lopez put together nine runs, eight hits, five RBI, a double, a triple and two home runs.
Over 65 games, he finished with 68 runs, 77 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 47 RBI, a .304 batting average and an OPS of .915.
USC’s roster losses have been piling up quickly. The transfer portal opened on June 1 and closed on June 30, and by June 29 the Trojans already had 14 players in it - seven position players and seven pitchers. By July 11, that number had climbed to 15 players, according to 247Sports.
The departures include several notable pieces. Mason Edwards, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, was taken in the second round at No. 47 by the Athletics after finishing with 95.2 innings pitched, a 2.07 ERA, 169 strikeouts and an 8-0 record. Catcher Augie Lopez, who had originally entered the portal, went at No. 305 in Round 10 to the San Diego Padres after posting 50 runs, 63 hits, 14 doubles, 19 home runs, 57 RBI, a .278 batting average and an OPS of .954.
USC also lost two more bullpen arms: Grant Govel, the No. 2 pitcher, went to the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 568 in Round 16, and right-handed pitcher Adam Troy was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in Round 17 at No. 519.
In Other News...
USC May Have Found The Linebacker Answer It Has Been Missing
USCs linebacker room has spent the past few seasons looking for the kind of steadying veteran who can help pull everything together, and Deven Bryant looks like the latest attempt to solve that problem. The Washington transfer arrives with the kind of experience the Trojans wanted to pair with homegrown pieces Desman Stephens II and Jadyn Walker, giving the defense a more established voice in a room that has needed one.
Bryants value goes beyond simply being an extra body in the mix. After moving from WILL to MIKE linebacker last season, he settled into a role that better fit his game, and USC is betting that growth carries over into 2026 under Gary Patterson and Mike Ekeler. He is already being viewed as a potential starter and a leader, which is why he lands so high on the Trojans list of most important players for next season. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Got Pushed Back In A Massive 5-Star Battle
Oregons 2027 recruiting board still has some real star power, with five-star wide receiver Dakota Guerrant and edge rusher Rashad Streets already in the fold, and the Ducks keep working other top targets to round out the class. But the bigger swing for this cycle has centered on Honor Faalave-Johnson, the five-star wide receiver-defensive back whose recruitment has become one of the more closely watched battles on the West Coast.
For Oregon, the challenge is no longer just making a pitch, but trying to stay in the race as the picture around Faalave-Johnson keeps shifting. The Ducks are still in pursuit, yet the momentum has tilted enough to make this one feel like a long-haul fight rather than a simple flip attempt, and the next few moves will say a lot about how hard Oregon can press before the window starts closing. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Rileys Standing Just Took Another Hit At USC
Lincoln Riley arrived at USC in 2021 with the kind of immediate lift that made the hire look like a program changer. His first season delivered a Pac-12 Championship Game appearance and a trip to a New Years Six bowl, the sort of start that can buy a coach plenty of runway in Los Angeles.
The runway has shortened since then. After three straight unsuccessful seasons from 2023 through 2025, USA TODAY Sports now has Riley outside the top five Big Ten coaches, with Curt Cignetti, Ryan Day, Dan Lanning, Kirk Ferentz and Kyle Whittingham all slotted ahead of him. USC did show signs of life last year by going 7-2 in the Big Ten and signing one of the nations top recruiting classes, but the bigger question is whether that is enough to change how Riley is viewed after the recent slide. [Read more 🡒]