USC’s young core is getting national notice, and the Trojans have three true freshmen on midseason All-American lists.
Tight end Mark Bowman, wide receiver Trent Mosley and defensive end Luke Wafle were all recognized for what they’ve already done this season. Bowman and Wafle earned Midseason True Freshman All-American honors from On3/Rivals, 247Sports and The Athletic, while Mosley was named by The Athletic as an all-purpose player.
Bowman has been especially productive when healthy. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound tight end leads all FBS freshman tight ends in targets with 28, receptions with 21 and receiving yards with 204, and he’s second in touchdown catches with two, even though he has missed the last two games.
Before that absence, he was averaging 4.2 catches per game, tied for 12th among all FBS tight ends, and 40.8 receiving yards per game, which ranked 25th. One of his best outings came against Louisiana, when the former five-star recruit caught six passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns, including a 35-yard grab on which he hurdled two defenders.
Mosley has packed a lot into just four games. He has 22 catches for 366 yards and a team-high five touchdowns, plus 158 punt-return yards on five returns, including an 86-yard touchdown against Louisiana.
After missing three games because of injury, he came back against Penn State and posted nine receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. That leaves him with 541 combined receiving, rushing and punt-return yards and six scores, and he’s averaging 135.3 yards per game.
Mosley also ranks No. 3 among all Power Four receivers and No. 2 among Big Ten receivers with at least 30 targets, with an offensive grade of 90.5.
Wafle has made his presence felt on defense right away. The On3/Rivals No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class is tied for the most quarterback pressures among FBS freshmen with 16, and he leads USC in that category.
He has logged a sack in each of the last two games, owns an 11.8% pressure rate and has 27 total tackles with six tackles for loss. He’s also been a force against the run, with 14 stops, the most among true freshman edges and defensive linemen according to Pro Football Focus.
His eight defensive stuffs rank second among all FBS freshmen, according to TruMedia. Among Big Ten defensive ends, Wafle is No. 4 with a 77.7 run defense grade and No. 7 with a 71.6 tackling grade, and he has missed only two tackles, per PFF.
USC also got Honorable Mention True Freshman All-American recognition from 247Sports for fellow wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. He leads the Trojans with 27 catches for 400 yards, averaging 14.8 yards per reception, and has scored four touchdowns.
No. 16 USC heads to Wisconsin this weekend, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m.
PT (6:30 p.m. CT) on Saturday, Oct.
- The game will air live on NBC.
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