Lincoln Riley’s receiver room has already turned into one of the first real puzzles of USC’s 2026 season, and freshman Trent Mosley is the reason why.
USC came into the year carrying plenty of pressure, with Riley still chasing the kind of finish the Trojans expect from him and the College Football Playoff still out in front of them. Riley spent the offseason saying a championship window had opened, and that kind of statement brings a clock with it. The good news for USC is that the start has been clean: 2-0, with the freshman class playing a major role in getting the Trojans there.
Mosley has been the most eye-catching piece of that group so far.
The wideout wasted no time in the opener, grabbing 7 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown while quickly syncing up with Jayden Maiava. That performance looked like a freshman seizing a chance.
Then the next game arrived, Tanook Hines was back in the mix, and Mosley still found a way to be even more dangerous with fewer opportunities. Against Fresno State, he finished with 4 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns.
That’s the part that should really get USC’s attention. It’s one thing to flash when the path is open. It’s another to keep producing when the room gets crowded again.
Mosley is doing damage by finding soft spots in coverage and giving Maiava a clean target, but the real separator has been what happens after the catch. Once the ball is in his hands, he can turn routine gains into explosive ones. Even with the level of competition in mind, there’s no ignoring how quickly he has looked comfortable.
That matters for Riley because the offseason already made life tricky. Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane left for the NFL, and USC had to figure out who would step into the top role.
Tanook Hines and Terrell Anderson were the names many would have pointed to first, but Anderson has yet to make his debut and Hines missed the opener. That opened the door, and Mosley kicked it wide open.
Now the question is no longer whether he can help. It’s how high he climbs in the pecking order if this keeps going.
USC still needs to see it against tougher opponents, but through two games, Mosley has done more than just hold his own. He has forced the conversation.
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USC Has A Freshman Turning Heads As Young Defenders Step Up
Trent Mosley wasted no time making his presence felt, and for USC that has been one of the brighter early developments of the season. The freshman receiver opened his college career with seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown against San Jose State, then followed it up with another strong outing the next game, adding multiple touchdowns and drawing notice from teammates and coaches alike.
Mosleys emergence has helped soften some of the attention on a defense that has also been getting useful early contributions from young players. Nickel Kennedy Urlacher, Alex Graham and Jide Abasiri have each shown up in recent games, giving USC signs that some of its younger defenders are beginning to settle in and play meaningful snaps when the Trojans need them most. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Rout Put New Draft Attention On More Than One Trojan
USCs blowout of Fresno State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum drew more than attention from the scoreboard. NFL scouts from five franchises were in the building, turning a September game into another reminder that the Trojans are still a weekly stop on the pro personnel circuit. With former USC names already scattered across the league, the presence of those evaluators added a little extra weight to a rout that otherwise could have been just another easy win.
The most visible reasons were on the field. Quarterback Jayden Maiava continued to give scouts a look at how he handles an offense under little pressure, while defensive players Jide Abasiri and Kennedy Urlacher also stood out in the kind of game where evaluators are often looking for who keeps competing after the outcome is settled. For USC, the broader takeaway is familiar: when the Trojans play well, the NFL tends to show up, and not just for the obvious headliners. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Sees Real USC Progress Fans Will Still Debate
A shutout in the Coliseum tends to quiet a lot of noise, and USCs 39-0 win over Fresno State on Sept. 4 gave Lincoln Riley plenty to point to after a game that looked cleaner in nearly every phase. The Trojans were sharper with their preparation, more consistent in execution and much more comfortable than they were a week earlier, which mattered as much as the scoreboard for a coach still trying to establish a standard early in the season.
Lincoln Riley liked what he saw from the offense and the back end of the defense, and he made it clear the improvement was not just about piling up a lopsided result. Even with the decisive victory, USC still has details to sort out, and the question for fans is whether this was the first real step forward or simply the kind of early-season performance that needs to be repeated before anyone fully buys in. [Read more 🡒]