USC Mens Volleyball Just Added A New Core For What Comes Next

USC bolsters its mens volleyball team with three promising recruits, set to build on recent successes and elevate the program's future prospects.

USC men’s volleyball has added three more names to its 2028 freshman class, bringing in Logan Hutnick, Will Spalding and Jack Spowal, head coach Jeff Nygaard announced Friday, Nov. 13.

Nygaard said, “This is a talented and athletically gifted group of athletes,” and added, “We’re excited to welcome them to our program and to have them contribute to our success on the court.”

Hutnick, a 6-6 outside hitter from Huntington Beach, arrives with a strong national-team background. He was named an alternate for the U21 team for the 2026 Pan Am Cup and, as a member of the U19 team, helped the United States win gold at the 2025 Pan Am Cup.

He also was invited to five NTDP training series events as a freshman and sophomore. On the prep side, Hutnick is a 2026 AVCA High School Boys All-American, a CIF-Southern Section first-team selection and the 2025 Orange County Player of the Year.

Spalding, a 6-5 outside hitter from Laguna Niguel, spent five years in the USAV National Team Development Program from 2022-26. He picked up MVP and all-tournament team honors at the 2024 SoCal Cup, the 2023 Junior National Championships, and twice at the 15 Open SoCal Cup in The Showcase and at the Winter Formal.

Spowal, a 6-7 middle blocker from Saint Louis, helped his team win gold at the 2026 Arizona Classic and made the all-tournament team there. He also led his club to five top-three finishes at 17 Open tournaments, including a third-place finish at the AAU national championships. In high school, he helped his team finish second in the Missouri state tournament and earned first-team all-district honors twice.

USC’s latest signing class joins a program that reached the NCAA tournament for the 16th time in 2026 and made it to the regional final before falling to host and No. 2 seed Hawai’i in four sets. The Trojans finished 20-8, ended up second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship and placed third in the final conference regular-season standings at 9-5. Nygaard also hit 20 wins for the third time in his tenure and earned his 143rd career victory, moving him to third on USC’s all-time wins list behind Bob Yoder, who had 211 from 1982-89, and Bill Ferguson, who won 150 from 2007-15.

In Other News...

Indiana Faces A Huge Availability Question Against USC

USC heads into its matchup with Indiana in unusually good shape, at least by Big Ten standards this season. The Trojans are carrying no new significant injuries, and several key names have either appeared on or come off the report, including safety Trestin Castro and defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, giving the roster a cleaner look than it has had in conference play.

Indiana, meanwhile, is dealing with a much trickier availability picture. The Hoosiers will be without starters Joe Brunner and Turbo Richard, even as quarterback Josh Hoover has been cleared off the injury report after dealing with an arm issue. For USC, that kind of contrast matters, because the Trojans are suddenly facing an opponent whose lineup still has a few unresolved questions even after one important return. [Read more 🡒]

Illinois Can Still Shape Oregons Playoff Fate This Weekend

Oregon has steadied itself with recent wins and now sits at 6-3, but the Ducks are still living in the kind of November math that can make or break a season. Their path to the Big Ten Championship Game and the College Football Playoff is not just about taking care of business from here on out. It also depends on a chain of results elsewhere in the conference and beyond, which is why every weekend now carries extra weight.

Illinois is one of the teams that could still swing that picture. The Ducks need help from several other matchups to keep their postseason hopes moving in the right direction, and the ripple effects of those games could be just as important as anything Oregon does on the field. For a team trying to climb into the league race, the scoreboard watching is far from over. [Read more 🡒]

USCs Freshmen Are Suddenly At The Center Of A Huge Road Test

USCs 2026 recruiting class has gone from promise to production in a hurry, and it has helped change the tone around the Trojans this season. The group arrived with unusual fanfare as the first non-SEC No. 1 class in nearly two decades, and several of those freshmen are already shaping what USC does on offense. Receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt have been part of that push, tight end Mark Bowman has added another layer, and quarterback Jayden Maiava has been central to the way the unit has operated.

Luke Wafle has given the same class a defensive edge, too, leading freshmen in the conference in tackles for loss and sitting second in sacks. For a team heading into a tough road test, that kind of youth movement matters because it is no longer just about future upside. The Trojans are leaning on freshmen in real spots, and the next challenge will show how much of this early impact can travel when the pressure rises away from home. [Read more 🡒]