USC’s 2025 season took a hit in a hurry, with injuries stacking up at different points of the year and knocking several key pieces off the field. But heading into 2026, the Trojans have reason to believe four familiar names can help flip the script once they’re back at full strength.
The biggest boost could come up front. Redshirt junior offensive tackle Elijah Paige, a former four-star recruit, is back after an injury-plagued 2025 limited him to just seven games.
Paige first started in USC’s win over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl to close the 2023 season, then grew into a full-time starter in 2024. He worked through early bumps along the way, including getting benched at halftime in a loss to Michigan in USC’s first Big Ten game, before rebounding to become a Freshman All-American.
At 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds, he’s set to protect quarterback Jayden Maiava’s blindside and help anchor an offensive line that returns all five starters from last season.
In the secondary, USC is counting on Jontez Williams to look like the player who made him one of the most coveted defensive backs in the portal. Williams began his career at Iowa State, starting a couple of games at corner in 2023 before becoming a full-time starter in 2024 and picking off a team-high four passes to earn second team All-Big-12 honors.
He came back last season as one of the top cornerbacks in college football and got off to a strong start before a torn ACL in late September ended his year. Even with the injury, his market stayed hot: Rivals and 247Sports both ranked him as the No. 1 cornerback available.
USC was the only visit he took in January, and cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed made sure to land him. Williams, who has played in 32 career games with 19 starts over four seasons with the Cyclones, sat out spring practice while recovering, but he’s expected to step right into a starting role in Gary Patterson’s defense this fall.
The backfield should also get a jolt from Waymond Jordan, the No. 1 JUCO running back in the 2025 class out of Hutchinson C.C.
(Kan.). Jordan wasted no time showing why he was so highly regarded, emerging as one of the Big Ten’s top backs in the opening month of the season.
His early surge even sparked real questions about whether he might be a one-and-done at USC and head to the NFL. Instead, an ankle injury late in the second quarter of USC’s win over Michigan on Oct. 11 ended his season after six games.
Now he returns with something to prove and joins King Miller to form what could be one of college football’s most dynamic one-two punches.
Then there’s Prophet Brown, a steady piece who gives USC flexibility all over the backend. Brown has appeared in 39 career games at outside corner and nickel, making him the most experienced defensive back on the roster.
He was supposed to start at nickel last season, but a significant hip injury during the second week of fall camp shut him down in early August. This year, he’s back as a valuable reserve and spent spring working with the safeties, adding depth there as well.
Safeties coach Paul Gonzales explained why the move makes sense: “We value corner cover ability at safety," said safeties coach Paul Gonzales. "Some of the best guys I had, Tre’von Moehrig, he was a corner in high school, and then he moved him to safety because he naturally understands cushion, leverage, how to stay on top, how to go find the ball.
If those things are kind of already coached into him at the safety spot, half the job is done.
“Now how physical are they?’ Are they willing to be come down and tackle people.
And then probably the third phase is how good they are communicating and directing traffic because you're the quarterback at the high safety spot, and that's usually where a guy that's playing corner has to make the most rounds. Now you're in charge of all the communication.
You're not the guy that's receiving it. So it's been good.
Prophet had a good spring.”
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Oregon Is Changing Again And USC Has A New Problem To Solve
Oregons defense is headed for another reset in 2026, with Chris Hampton taking over as coordinator after Tosh Lupois departure. For USC, that means another fresh scouting report on a Ducks unit that has not been shy about changing its shape in recent years, and Hampton has already made clear that the approach will keep bending around the roster and the opponent.
The part Lincoln Riley has to sort through is not just who is calling the plays, but what version of Oregon shows up when the Trojans see it again. Hampton has described a defense that has shifted its front and coverage structure as personnel changed, which makes the Ducks harder to pin down and forces USC to prepare for a look that may not resemble the one it saw before. [Read more 🡒]
USC Keeps Facing The Big Ten Reality Nobody Can Ignore
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For USC, thats the kind of backdrop that keeps redefining the challenge of life in its new neighborhood. Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana are all being framed as legitimate threats, which says plenty about how crowded the path has become and how little margin there is for the Trojans to simply rely on brand name or recruiting buzz. The leagues recent championship streak has already changed the conversation, and the next title race could make the reality even harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Waymond Jordan Has A Real Chance To Seize USC's Backfield
Waymond Jordan arrived at USC with plenty of expectations as the programs top JUCO running back recruit, and even an ankle injury that wiped out his season could not keep him out of the conversation this spring. He was limited during practice after a cleanup procedure during spring break, but he stayed around the team and remained a visible part of the room while USC sorted through its backfield options.
That matters because the Trojans have a real competition forming behind a returning offensive line, with King Miller and Riley Wormley among the players in the mix and incoming recruits adding more depth. Jordans value now is not just tied to what he can do when fully healthy, but to the presence he has already shown in meetings and around the program as he tries to turn a lost year into a fresh opportunity. [Read more 🡒]