Luke Wafle didn’t arrive at USC as just another highly touted freshman. Nine games into his first season, the Trojans are leaning on him like a veteran, and the production backs it up.
The freshman defensive end has piled up 36 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, with 23 quarterback pressures - the most on the team and the most by any true freshman in the FBS. According to PFF, Wafle also has 21 defensive stops, the most among true freshman edges and defensive linemen, and he has missed only three tackles all year.
That kind of impact earned him Midseason True Freshman All-American recognition this week. It also followed Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for his showing against Louisiana, when he posted seven tackles, six solo, and 1.0 tackles for loss.
His rise has come in waves. Wafle didn’t record his first career sack until Game 6, then turned around and logged one in three straight games from Washington to Wisconsin. He has also recorded at least one tackle for loss in seven of USC’s nine games, including two against Washington and 1.5 each at Penn State and Wisconsin.
What’s been just as noticeable as the numbers is how quickly he’s become a presence inside the room. Defensive end Kameryn Crawford said Wafle’s ability to process a call and turn it into a play still catches him off guard.
“It just still be shocking me how athletic he is, and how he’s able to get a play, get the call, and then just go make a play,” Crawford said.
“Watching that progression unfold has been “crazy,” he added.
Their connection starts long before the opening kickoff. Crawford said the two coordinate the little things during the day - including when to meet - and that communication carries into practice and then into games.
“Once game time comes, it’s like, all right, we’ve got to communicate this much,” Crawford said. “We got no chance but to do it in the game.”
Defensive tackle Jide Abasiri said Wafle’s growth in the details has stood out most.
“His footwork, his overall knowledge of the game, and just his humbleness as an overall player has been something that’s great to see,” Abasiri said, before calling the New Jersey native “a freak of nature.”
Wafle’s influence has spread beyond the field, too. Defensive lineman Floyd Boucard said the freshman class has helped reshape the locker room dynamic, with younger players expected to speak up and no one hiding behind a pecking order.
“If a freshman tells you to do something, since that’s the standard, and the ego is out of the way, we’re going to do it,” Boucard said.
Boucard also described Wafle, listed at 6-foot-6 and 265 pounds, as “an amazing, humble guy,” and said he’s one of the most vocal freshmen on the team.
“Whenever some days somebody doesn’t really have that energy, he’s always going to come check on somebody, make sure they’re good and ready to go to practice,” Boucard said.
For Wafle, the emphasis stays on trust and precision. He pointed to USC’s goal-line stand against Ohio State as a clear example, calling it “a statement” and saying the defense had to prove how it would respond with its back against the wall.
“It’s all about the trust,” Wafle said.
He also said the coaches’ red-zone focus has helped the defense improve, especially in limiting rushing touchdowns there. Ohio State ran for 204 yards but did not score on the ground. Wafle said the group is trying to “accelerate and reinforce the standard” during the bye week and stay “where your feet are,” even with the mental challenge of not playing.
As for his own game, Wafle said the next step is winning more often on early downs instead of waiting for obvious passing situations.
“I would say pass rushing on the non-typical pass rushes, like first, second down, just trying to steal a sack from there,” Wafle said. “Not only like third-and-long’s obvious pass.”
For all the work, he’s still enjoying the little stuff, whether that’s holding onto the team ping-pong title after practice - “Don’t let anybody tell you different,” Wafle said - or soaking in the crowd rushing the field after the Ohio State win, which he called “a memory for forever.”
USC is 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten and has a bye week before visiting defending national champion Indiana.
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