USC’s freshman class keeps making noise, and now two of its brightest names have landed on a national stage.
Trent Mosley and Luke Wafle were both named semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced Nov. 4. The honor, now in its ninth year, goes to the top freshman in college football.
Mosley has been a problem for defenses in every phase of the game. Listed as an all-purpose player, he has played in six games and piled up 32 receptions for 512 yards, a 16.0-yard average, along with a team-best six touchdowns. He has also added 212 punt return yards on eight attempts, good for 26.5 yards per return, and took one back 86 yards for a touchdown against Louisiana.
Even after missing three games because of injury, Mosley picked up right where he left off. He came back against Penn State and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after catching nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. His next outing against Ohio State was just as electric: five catches for 101 yards, a 69-yard touchdown on USC’s second offensive play, and a 44-yard punt return that helped set up another Trojan score.
All told, Mosley’s receiving, rushing and punt-return production adds up to a team-leading 741 yards and seven touchdowns, with an average of 123.5 yards per game. He has topped 100 receiving yards in four of his six games and has scored a touchdown in every game he has played in at the Coliseum. PFF lists him as the highest graded true freshman wide receiver in the FBS with an 84.3 grade.
Wafle has been just as disruptive on the other side of the ball. The defensive end, who was On3/Rivals’ No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class, has emerged as one of the most productive freshman defenders in the country. He leads all true freshmen in QB pressures across the FBS with 23 and has posted 36 total tackles, including 26 solo stops, 8.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
He has also been a force against the run. According to PFF, Wafle leads all true freshman edge rushers and defensive linemen with 21 stops, and he has missed only three tackles this season. His best game came against Louisiana, when he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after finishing with five tackles, four solo stops, a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss and a sack.
The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year finalists will be announced Dec. 2, 2026. The winner will be revealed Dec. 28, 2026, and the award will be formally presented at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Saturday, March 13, 2027, at the Coca Cola Roxy Theater in Atlanta, Georgia.
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USC Freshmen Are Already Driving The Trojans' Strong Finish
USCs late-season push has been fueled in part by a freshman class that has grown up fast. The Trojans have leaned on 21 true freshmen this season, and the group has moved well beyond developmental reps, with several first-year players carving out real roles on both sides of the ball. Among them, five-star recruit Wafle has stood out defensively by leading the freshmen in tackles and quarterback pressures, while four-star wideouts Mosley and Dixon-Wyatt have been central to the passing game.
The attention around that group has only grown as the season has gone on, with multiple freshmen drawing weekly conference honors, midseason All-American recognition and even semifinalist nods for national awards. For USC, the bigger picture is obvious: this isnt just a promising class for the future, its already shaping the present. And with so many first-year contributors already in the spotlight, the question now is how much more this group can influence the Trojans finish. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Faces A Playoff Gut Check At Ohio State
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The Buckeyes are leaning on freshman quarterback Luke Fahey, but the real pressure point may be how Oregon handles Ohio States playmakers, including Jeremiah Smith and Bo Jackson. On paper, it shapes up as a competitive matchup with enough firepower on both sides to keep it close, yet the edge still appears to favor the home team. For Oregon, the challenge is not just winning a tough road game, but proving it can survive the kind of test that separates contenders from hopefuls. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Final Push May Come Down To 3 Freshmen Playmakers
USCs 2025 recruiting class was built with the 2026 season in mind, but the Trojans may not want to wait that long to see the payoff. After signing 34 freshmen, the staff has already gotten meaningful contributions from first-year playmakers, and the 30-18 win over Ohio State offered a glimpse of how quickly that youth can matter. Freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley and tight end Mark Bowman both stood out in the upset, giving USC a jolt at exactly the right time.
With Indiana and UCLA still ahead, the Trojans could lean even more heavily on that young group as the stretch run tightens. Mosley and Bowman have already shown they can handle the moment, and wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is another freshman whose role could grow as the stakes rise. For a team trying to finish strong, the final push may end up depending on how fast those first-year pass-catchers keep developing. [Read more 🡒]