USC redshirt freshman defensive end Jadyn Ramos is heading into his second year with a different look and a bigger role in mind.
Ramos, who turned heads during a scrimmage inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last August, showed the kind of burst USC saw when it came on him late in the recruiting cycle. He was active off the edge that day, stacking up multiple sacks in a short stretch and backing up the Trojans’ read on him as a natural pass rusher with real athletic juice.
His senior season at Conroe (Texas) only strengthened that case. USC offered Ramos in January 2025 after he piled up 18 sacks, 36.5 tackles for loss, 32 quarterback pressures and four forced fumbles. He signed with the Trojans on National Signing Day the following month.
Ramos played in three games as a freshman, but the main job during that first season was clear: add size. He arrived at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, and now he’s up to 250.
“They set it up great for me. They met with me multiple times and we tracked it,” Ramos said.
“Just constantly eating everything. It's not even like a specific diet.
It's just eat everything, anything you can get your hands on, eat it and make sure I'm hydrating because water weight plays into that.
“And working out 24/7, making sure my body still feels and moves how it's supposed to with that weight on. It's been a great process, and we've taken it slow because we don't want it to be bad weight. We want me to go out there and still be the explosive player I was, so it's been really good.”
That development has come with help from some veteran voices in the room. Last season, Anthony Lucas was a key guide before moving on to the NFL, and Ramos has kept leaning on senior Braylan Shelby and junior Kameryn Crawford this fall.
“I looked up to them three and I asked them all the questions in the world,” Ramos said. “I would damn near stand at Shelby’s hip the whole practice and just ask them what we're doing in this and what we're doing in that.
"Kam, he helped me a lot because when it comes to the physical aspect of striking and really understanding how to hit someone. If my feet are wrong, he’ll tell me my feet are wrong, if my hands are wrong, he’ll tell me my hands are wrong.”
That mentorship matters because defensive end has been one of USC’s thinnest spots. In 2025, it was basically Lucas, Shelby and Crawford carrying the load.
Now Shelby and Crawford are back, and both have logged plenty of snaps across their USC careers. Crawford led the Trojans in sacks last season, while Shelby was right behind him in second.
The room also has a major new name in Luke Wafle, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class. The New Jersey native has already built buzz since arriving on campus and is pushing to start right away.
Jide Abasiri, who started nine games at defensive tackle last season, is expected to spend more time at end this season. Penn State transfer Zuriah Fisher brings depth and experience as he enters his seventh season.
Ramos, along with freshmen Braeden Jones and Simote Katoanga, is also in the mix for rotation snaps.
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Michigan is also very much in the mix, thanks to Stokes relationship with defensive line coach Lewis Powell, and the recruiting picture figures to stay fluid as he works through his junior year before making any commitment. For USC, that means the next stretch matters just as much as the visits themselves, because landing an elite pass rusher this early often comes down to keeping the right relationships warm while the rest of the field keeps pressing. [Read more 🡒]
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Among them, the Notre Dame series still has a weight all its own, the kind of rivalry that refuses to lose its edge no matter how college football changes around it. USCs history with UCLA remains a defining West Coast measuring stick, especially through the Pete Carroll era, while Oregon has become a more current on-field annoyance. And then there is the NCAA, a rival in a very different sense, one that left its own mark on the program and still lingers in the background of how USC is remembered. [Read more 🡒]
USC Suddenly Has A Troubling O Line Problem To Solve
USCs offensive line entered the offseason with some momentum after a solid 2025 under Zach Hanson, but the outlook took a sharp hit with the loss of expected starting center Kilian OConnor. The setback leaves a notable void in the middle of the line, where USC had been counting on OConnor to be a stabilizing presence as the unit tries to keep building on last seasons progress.
The timing makes the situation even more uncomfortable because the Trojans are heading toward a schedule that will demand answers quickly against strong defensive fronts. USC will have to sort through replacement options and settle the interior line before the pressure starts to rise, and the first real test of how ready that group is comes later in the month against Oregon. [Read more 🡒]