Countdown to kickoff is back, and USC’s march toward the 2026 season opener brings a familiar name into focus: Drake London.
The Trojans are set to open the 2026 football season on August 29, hosting San Jose State at the Coliseum. With 15 days left in the countdown, the spotlight lands on the former USC wide receiver who wore the number being featured today.
London arrived at USC in 2019 and stepped into a receiver room packed with Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Velus Jones Jr.
Even with that competition, he found the field right away as a true freshman. He closed that first season with 39 catches for 567 yards and three touchdowns.
His role only grew from there. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, London played in just six games but still put together 33 receptions for 502 yards and three scores. By 2021, he had become the Trojans’ go-to target in the passing game and was putting together a season that looked headed toward several USC receiving records before an ankle injury against Arizona in late October ended it early.
Even with the shortened year, London’s numbers were massive: 88 receptions, 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns in just 7.5 games. That performance earned him Pac-12 offensive player of the year honors.
After the 2021 season, London declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and was taken by the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth overall pick. He had two solid seasons to begin his NFL career, then broke out in 2024 with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year, he missed several games but still finished with 68 receptions for 919 yards and seven scores.
London now heads into the 2026 season as one of the NFL’s top young receivers. In June, he signed a four-year, $141 million contract extension with Atlanta.
In Other News...
USC Practice Just Raised Two Big Questions About This Team
USCs 12th practice of camp came with the kind of energy Lincoln Riley has been looking for, but it also brought a few reminders that August is about more than just tempo and competition. The Trojans spent the day working at a high intensity, and one of the more notable developments was the arrival of a new crowd-noise setup on the practice fields, designed to mimic game-day conditions and force cleaner communication. Riley also pointed to the running game and the defensive front seven as areas worth watching, with the defense drawing praise for how it showed up in practice.
Kilian OConnors season-ending injury remains part of the conversation, though he is still around the program in a leadership and mentoring role. The other issue that will keep drawing attention is the kicking battle, where Ryon Sayeri and Caden Chittenden continue to compete for the job as USC sorts out the details heading into the season. Special teams often gets settled quietly, but for a team trying to eliminate mistakes in a louder, more demanding practice environment, those reps can matter just as much as anything else on the field. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman Keenyi Pepe Suddenly Has A Real Path To Early Snaps
USCs loaded signing class from last December was always going to create some chatter about who might get on the field early, and freshman offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe has suddenly moved into that conversation. ESPN analyst Billy Tucker recently put Pepe among the top true freshmen with a chance to make an impact this season, pointing to the kind of size and technique that can get a young lineman noticed quickly once camp and depth-chart battles begin.
The door to playing time has also widened at center, where a spot has opened up and changed the equation for the Trojans up front. For Pepe, that does not guarantee anything, but it does create a more realistic path than most freshmen have when they arrive in a room full of older bodies and established roles, and it is exactly the sort of development USC will be watching closely as fall approaches. [Read more 🡒]
USC Receiver Battle Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Anyone Expected
USCs receiver room has been one of the more interesting spots in fall camp, and not just because of the usual August churn. The Trojans have mixed in transfer addition Terrell Anderson from NC State with a wave of freshmen, including Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Trent Mosley, Boobie Feaster and Tron Baker, and coaches have already had plenty to evaluate as they sort out who fits where in the offense. There has been enough early promise from the newcomers to suggest this is more than a depth exercise, especially for a group that is still trying to define its pecking order.
The intrigue only grows because the Trojans are still waiting on clarity with sophomore Tanook Hines as the opener approaches, which keeps the competition from feeling settled. With several young receivers flashing and roles still in flux, this has become one of those camp battles that can change a depth chart quickly and shape how USC wants to attack early in the season. Even before a snap is played, the room already feels like it could matter more than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]