USC’s fall camp is past the halfway mark, and the defensive picture is starting to sharpen. The season is two weeks away, and while nothing is official yet, a few names are beginning to separate themselves from the pack.
At edge, the Trojans look loaded. Kameryn Crawford stands out as the clear EDGE 1 at the moment, with Braylon Shelby and Luke Wafle both positioned to rotate heavily.
Zuriah Fisher brings veteran experience, Jadyn Ramos should get early-season snaps and try to make the most of them, and Jide Abasiri is expected to move around depending on the package. In bigger looks, he’ll be on the edge.
The defensive tackle group has its own depth, and Alex VanSumeren has been one of the more encouraging stories of camp. He looks like a strong fit in this system.
Floyd Boucard is right there behind him, while Jide Abasiri or Jahkeem Stewart could fill the next spot depending on how USC lines up. TomTom Tupui rounds out that group, and all of them are expected to play.
Stewart, who is still a sleeper for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, is coming off the camp as one to watch now that he’s healthy. Boucard and Tupui give the Trojans strong depth, and Jah Jarrett could also be part of the rotation.
That gives USC one of the deepest interiors in college football.
Linebacker looks a little cleaner at the top. Desman Stephens and Jadyn Walker are the obvious starters, while Deven Bryant should be used in situational roles.
Elijah Newby has had a strong camp and brings elite athleticism, and Talanoa Ili is viewed as the future at the position. The staff has had excellent feedback on him, and he’ll get on the field, but USC doesn’t need to force him into a starting job yet.
Ta’Mere Robinson is another name who could factor in, though his exact role is still unclear.
The cornerback group has been boosted by health. Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson both missed spring with injuries, but they’re fully healthy now and have been dominant in fall camp.
Elbert “Rock” Hill continues to generate buzz and should push for early reps. Marcelles Williams has kept building on his 2025 campaign, and RJ Sermons is still developing, with a ceiling that might be the highest of anyone in that room outside of Hill.
Safety remains one of the trickier spots to sort out. Christian Pierce is the only safety starter who feels fully locked in right now.
Prophet Brown looks like the safest bet to join him, but Alex Graham’s upside is impossible to ignore, and USC will want to find a way to get him on the field. Dee Reddick gives the unit solid depth, while Madden Riordan keeps coming up because he simply makes plays.
Nickel is just as unsettled. Kennedy Urlacher and Alex Graham are both in the mix there, and the biggest question is how USC sorts out the overlap between the two spots.
If Urlacher wins the nickel job, does Graham slide to safety? If Graham takes nickel, does Urlacher shift elsewhere?
For now, both are competing, and it feels like one of them will handle the role with a heavy early-season rotation. Isaiah Rubin is the clear next option after those two.
In Other News...
Caleb Williams Just Became College Footballs New USC-Era Villain
Caleb Williams is still finding ways to stay in the conversation long after leaving campus, and the latest comes from ESPNs Ryan McGee, who slotted the former USC quarterback among the top 10 supervillains in college football history. The case is built on the kinds of flashpoints that made Williams such a polarizing figure in Los Angeles and beyond: his transfer from Oklahoma, his record NIL earnings, his Heisman Trophy season in 2022 and a public persona that always seemed to draw strong reactions.
The ranking is the sort of thing that will spark debate in Southern California because it says as much about the sports current era as it does about Williams himself. Some will call it recency bias, especially with so many earlier college football figures who built villain status over much longer stretches, but Williams place on the list shows how quickly one USC star can become a lightning rod in the modern game. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Home Games Are About To Look Very Different
A familiar patch of turf at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is about to get a new look. Progressive has announced a multiyear sponsorship deal that will put its logo on the football fields of 13 college programs, including USC, through a package brokered by Learfield that also brings in-game video board features, in-venue LED signage and digital media integrations.
The branding is set to debut in the 2026 season, and for USC it likely means a change at midfield where the United Airlines Field logo has been in place. It is another sign of how aggressively college football is leaning into commercial inventory, with the Trojans' home setting now part of a broader marketing push that will be hard to miss on fall Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Boobie Feaster Is Giving USC Fans A Reason To Get Excited
A buzz has followed Ethan "Boobie" Feaster to campus, and it is not hard to see why. The 17-year-old freshman receiver arrived at USC as a highly rated five-star recruit, coming off a prolific high school career that included 69 catches, 1,264 yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior year.
For a Trojans offense looking for explosive playmakers after key departures at receiver, Feaster offers exactly the kind of upside that can change the feel of a passing game. The challenge now is translating all that promise into early production, but USC has every reason to believe he can be part of the answer sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]