Fall camp is getting close for USC, and the Trojans have a few names worth tracking as they try to build toward a season that comes with big expectations. The program is looking to make a real jump in the Big Ten and chase its first College Football Playoff berth in school history, and that puts a spotlight on players who can rise from the background and make noise in August.
On defense, one of the more overlooked additions is Washington transfer linebacker Deven Bryant. USC went into a rival’s program and pulled out a player who could matter right away, and Bryant’s 2025 season with the Huskies gives him a real case to be more than just a depth piece.
He finished with 62 total tackles last year, and he could become an important voice in a linebacker group that is one of the youngest on the roster. That role could matter even more when USC meets Washington on Oct. 3 at the Coliseum.
The Trojans are also reshaping their tight end room after losing Lake McRee to the NFL and Walker Lyons to BYU. That opens the door for Wisconsin transfer Tucker Ashcraft, who arrives with three seasons of experience and 22 catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Fall camp will be his chance to show he can be the main target in that room, even with four-star commit Mark Bowman from nearby Mater Dei High School also in the mix as part of USC’s No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class.
Another name to keep an eye on is Luc Weaver, a four-star wide receiver from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. The 6-2, 210-pound prospect is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 35 overall wide receiver in the 2026 class, and he’ll be trying to separate himself from a talented group that also includes four-star receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley.
USC opens the season against San Jose State on Aug. 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and these are the kinds of players who could help shape what comes next.
In Other News...
USC Back Waymond Jordan Just Took A Big Step Off The Field
USCs partnership with Nike just got a much bigger runway, with the school and the apparel giant agreeing to a new 10-year extension that goes well beyond uniforms and shoes. The deal is set to bring new workout equipment, an NIL program, student-athlete classes, new basketball uniforms and an updated student store, another sign that the Trojans are leaning into the modern college sports model as much off the field as on it.
Waymond Jordan is already part of that picture. The senior running back said on social media that he has signed a deal with Nike, adding another brand tie to a USC athletic department that has seen several athletes link up with Nike or Jordan Brand. Jordans own path has had some twists, too, after a knee injury interrupted his season, and he had already added an NIL agreement with Panini America back in April. [Read more 🡒]
USC Back Waymond Jordan Jr. Lands Major Nike Boost Before Return
Waymond Jordan Jr. picked up a notable off-field boost this week, announcing on Instagram that he has signed on as a Nike athlete. For a USC running back whose college rsum already has some real weight behind it, the move adds another layer to a profile that has been building even while he has been sidelined.
Jordan missed the final seven games of last season after a season-ending injury against Michigan, but he is expected back in 2026 and should re-enter a backfield that figures to have a real competition once fall camp opens. King Miller is also in the mix for the starting job, so Jordans return will matter not just for USCs depth, but for how the Trojans shape one of the more watched position battles on their schedule. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Early Arrival Trend Puts Boobie Feaster Under Immediate Pressure
The rise of early arrivals in college football has become especially noticeable around USC, where Boobie Feaster is the latest young player to jump a class and land on campus ahead of schedule. The freshman receiver came in after a demanding high school run at DeSoto, where the workload and the pace of his development pushed him to move up, and he did so with the kind of pedigree that makes the decision feel less like a gamble than a test case.
Feaster was once viewed as the top receiver in the 2027 class, and that reputation is part of why the Trojans are watching his transition so closely. USC has leaned into this trend before, with names like Jahkeem Stewart, RJ Sermons, Mark Bowman and Roye Oliver III all fitting into the broader reclassification picture, but the pressure is different when a player is expected to help the receiver rotation right away and is still adjusting to life on campus at 17. [Read more 🡒]