USC’s first depth chart for the 2026 season gave fans an early look at where the roster stands, and it also pointed to a couple of players who may need a real role fast if they want to avoid becoming transfer portal names to watch.
The Trojans listed true freshman Trent Mosely ahead of redshirt-sophomore Zacharyus Williams at receiver, and that alone makes Williams a player to monitor. Williams arrived at Southern Cal after a stop at Utah, where he put up 10 catches for 102 yards across 10 games as a freshman in 2024. He came out of Junipero Serra as a four-star recruit with top-40 state rankings from On3/Rivals and 247Sports, and at 6-2, 200 pounds, he looked like the kind of big-bodied target who could line up outside or in the slot and create chunk plays.
His first year with USC did not go smoothly. Williams transferred in during the summer of 2025, then suffered a leg injury in Week 2 against Georgia Southern on Sept.
2, 2025. That injury lingered, and he finished the year with just five appearances and one start.
He wrapped up his sophomore season with three receptions for 80 yards.
That lack of traction is what makes the current depth chart so important. With a strong 2026 recruiting class added to the mix, Williams could be fighting for snaps again.
The clearest path for him is as a gadget wideout, where USC can use his versatility instead of asking him to win a straight-up depth battle. He showed some of that value already, with three carries for 16 yards as a freshman and 163 kickoff return yards in his senior year at Serra in 2023.
Motion, end-arounds, screens and downfield shots would all fit what he brings.
The same kind of pressure hangs over defensive back RJ Sermons, whose USC stint has yet to get off the ground. Sermons came out of Rancho Cucamonga High School with a four-star label and top-10 state rankings from On3/Rivals and 247Sports.
He reclassified to join the Trojans in 2025, but he never got onto the field as a freshman. Now, in year two, he sits third on the cornerback depth chart behind Jontez Williams, a redshirt-senior, and Marcelles Williams, a redshirt-sophomore.
How Gary Patterson and Trovon Reed split snaps in the secondary remains unclear, which leaves Sermons waiting on his chance. He brings obvious tools: he’s 6-1, 190 pounds, and he has real speed.
In track, he posted personal bests of 10.30 seconds in the 100-meter and 20.88 in the 200-meter during his junior season. That burst showed up on the football field too, where he could close ground quickly and rarely gave up much separation.
Sermons also has the frame and toughness to handle bump-and-run work and to contribute as a tackler. MaxPreps lists him with 34 total tackles, 21 of them solo, in his junior season. Over his two-year varsity career, he finished with 80 total tackles and six pass breakups.
If cornerback snaps stay hard to come by, special teams may be the easiest way for Sermons to make an imprint. He already flashed that side of his game in high school, returning 10 kickoffs for 384 yards during his junior year at Rancho Cucamonga. For USC, the job now is simple: find a lane for a promising talent before the portal becomes a real possibility.
In Other News...
USC Game Day Just Made A Coliseum Change Fans Will Notice
USC is making a noticeable change to the game-day experience at the Coliseum for the 2026 football season, naming KTLA reporter Hayley Elwood as the new in-stadium host. She will take over for DJ Mal-Ski, who has long been one of the most recognizable voices around USC events and has helped shape the atmosphere at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and beyond.
Mal-Ski is expected to stay involved by continuing to manage the Coliseums music, so the shift is more of a handoff than a full reset in the stadium presentation. Along with the hosting change, USC also unveiled new concessions and themed promotions for home games, part of a broader effort to keep the Coliseum experience fresh for fans who notice the details as much as the scoreboard. [Read more 🡒]
USCs New Defensive Tackle Is Already Challenging A Troubled Position Group
USC has spent the offseason trying to harden a defense that needed a reset, and the arrival of coordinator Gary Patterson has been part of that push. Along with him came transfer defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren from Michigan State, a new piece in a front that the Trojans are counting on to look more stable and more disruptive when the season opens.
VanSumeren has not played a snap for USC yet, but he has already been described as a leader and a positive influence in the room, which matters for a position group still trying to define itself. The tone around the unit has centered on accountability, high standards and preparation, and the real test now is whether that mindset shows up once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
USCs First Depth Chart Leaves Real Week 1 Doubts
USCs first official depth chart arrived with the season opener against San Jos State now in view, and it did what early September depth charts often do: offered a few answers while raising just as many questions. The release gave a clearer picture of where some of the new faces and young pieces stand, with linebacker Jadyn Walker, defensive player Deven Bryant and offensive linemen Keenyi Pepe and Vlad Dyakonov all drawing attention as the Trojans sort out who is ready to contribute right away.
There is also the matter of availability, which can shape a Week 1 plan as much as any position battle. The update pointed to return timelines for players such as Jahkeem Stewart and noted that several others remain game-time decisions, leaving USC to manage a first game that already comes with some uncertainty. For a team trying to settle roles while preparing for an opener, the depth chart is less a final answer than a snapshot of how much is still in motion. [Read more 🡒]