USC’s defense kept drawing the spotlight on Wednesday as the Trojans worked through fall camp practice No. 16 at Howard Jones Field, the final session with a scheduled media observation period before the season opener against San Jose State.
The day had the feel of a team getting closer to real football. The Trojans were focused on physicality, the little things, and keeping their energy up during a stretch that can easily drag in camp. During the open portion of practice, a few young defenders popped, with Jaimeon Winfield and Alex Graham among the players showing up with noticeable flashes.
That defensive emphasis carried into the post-practice interviews, where USC’s veteran players had plenty to say about the younger names pushing their way into the conversation. The message from inside the program was clear: several young Trojans are earning attention as risers and setting an example for the rest of the defense.
Floyd Boucard and Zuriah Fisher both continued the praise for transfer defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren. The former Michigan Stater has already made an impact with his presence on and off the field, and the way teammates keep talking about him says plenty about the role he’s carved out. Players on both ends of the experience spectrum seem to have bought into him as one of the commanding voices on the roster.
Cornerback RJ Sermons also offered a window into where this defense is headed. Even in his second year of college football, Sermons is still a young player, but he spoke about his own growth, the way the secondary is connecting, and the influence of veterans like Prophet Brown. For USC, the offseason buzz has been strong, and the goal now is to carry that same energy into the 11 Saturdays - and one Friday - that actually count.
In Other News...
USC Finally Gets Its Notre Dame Rivalry Back In A New Form
After more than two years of negotiations and plenty of uncertainty created by USCs move to the Big Ten, the Trojans and Notre Dame have settled on a new way to keep one of college footballs signature rivalries alive. The schools announced Aug. 3 that they will resume the series starting Aug. 31, 2030, with a four-year agreement that keeps the game in its familiar early-season slot and gives both fan bases a clear reason to circle future calendars.
USC will host the first meeting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2030, then again in 2032, while Notre Dame Stadium gets the return games in 2031 and 2033. It is not the old annual setup, and the broader scheduling picture still reflects the realities of conference realignment, but the agreement at least restores a rivalry that had been left hanging while both sides worked through the logistics of making it fit again. [Read more 🡒]
Zuriah Fisher Offers An Early Read On USCs New Defensive Identity
USCs defense is trying to look and play different in 2026, and the early signs of that makeover have come from a group that barely knew each other a few months ago. Gary Patterson is steering the new-look unit, and the Trojans have supplemented it with five transfer additions, including former Penn State defensive end Zuriah Fisher, whose five years of Big Ten experience gives him a useful frame of reference for what this group wants to become.
Fisher has also been part of the push to add more edge and toughness up front after getting back on the field following a minor camp injury. From his vantage point, the defense is already showing progress in the areas Patterson has emphasized, with the young players especially beginning to settle into the standard USC wants to set. The bigger question now is how much of that early physicality can hold once the real pressure starts. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Game Week With One Roster Battle Suddenly Heating Up
USC wrapped up its final full on-field practice before game week with a session that felt a little more sharpened than the ones that came before it. The Trojans worked through positional drills, special teams periods and plenty of visible coaching on the field, while players like Prophet Brown and RJ Sermons talked about health, versatility and the way the roster is settling as the season opener gets closer.
The most notable development came in the trenches, where a roster battle that had been quiet earlier in camp suddenly looks a lot more interesting. With the opener approaching, USC is trying to sort out depth and roles without any major new injury concerns in the picture, leaving the coaching staff with a cleaner look at how pieces fit together heading into game week. [Read more 🡒]