USC’s secondary will get a real Big Ten workout in 2026, and the schedule wastes no time rolling out the challenge.
The Trojans head into the season with new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson and renewed hope that the back end can take a step forward after a 2025 season full of highs and lows. That optimism will be tested by a stretch of opposing receivers who can stress a secondary in different ways - from elite production to early-season evaluation to a tough road matchup against a familiar name.
The biggest name on the list is Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, who is set to meet USC on Halloween at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in what should be a marquee night game. It will be the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Trojans since USC joined the Big Ten. For Lincoln Riley, a win there would be a major statement, depending on what happens earlier in the year against Oregon.
Smith is the kind of receiver who can change the entire conversation. In his sophomore season, he finished with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns.
His two best performances came in the Buckeyes’ losses to Indiana in the Big Ten championship and to Miami in the CFP Quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. USC’s best path against Ohio State may not be shutting Smith down completely, but limiting damage from the rest of the receiving group while keeping Smith from taking over the game.
Before that, the Trojans will get their first Big Ten road test on Sept. 19 against Rutgers, and that game brings its own wideout to watch in KJ Duff. USC should be favored in that opener, but Duff gives Patterson’s group an early measuring stick. He was one of the conference’s top returners last season, finishing third in the Big Ten in receiving behind Jeremiah Smith and former USC receiver Makai Lemon with 60 receptions, 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
How USC handles Duff could tell a lot about where the secondary stands.
Another receiver to circle is Indiana’s Nick Marsh, who already gave the Trojans a quiet outing last season when he was at Michigan State, catching two passes for 28 yards. Now he’s at Indiana, where he joins the defending national champions and quarterback Josh Hoover.
Marsh spent two seasons with a Spartans program that struggled, but still produced 100 receptions for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns. With a better situation around him, he’ll be looking to make a bigger impression against USC in one of the Trojans’ most important road games.
For a USC defense trying to prove it can hold up in the Big Ten, these are the kinds of receivers that will tell the story.
In Other News...
Lincoln Riley Made One USC Staff Decision Fans Should Love
USCs defensive overhaul under Lincoln Riley came with the kind of staff reshuffling that usually sends fans scanning for both stability and upside, and this one delivered a little of each. The Trojans brought in former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator and added assistants Paul Gonzales and Sam Carter, while also hiring Mike Ekeler to coach linebackers and oversee special teams. In the middle of that turnover, Riley also elevated Chad Savage from inside receivers and tight ends coach to pass game coordinator, a move that reflects how much USC values the work he has done on the trail and in developing players.
Savages rise fits the larger theme of the offseason: USC is trying to strengthen the defense without losing the staff members who have helped build relationships and keep the roster moving forward. Trovon Reed, the cornerbacks coach, was also retained, a sign the Trojans did not want to lose the recruiting momentum and player trust he has built. With Patterson setting the tone on one side of the ball and familiar lieutenants staying in place around him, Riley is trying to strike the balance between a fresh start and continuity, and that is exactly the kind of staff construction fans usually want to see. [Read more 🡒]
USC Faces Another Massive Receiver Battle Fans Know Too Well
USC is back in familiar territory with four-star wide receiver Dennis Tuaone, another highly regarded pass catcher weighing the Trojans against Miami in a recruitment that has plenty of moving parts. The hometown Hurricanes have been a major presence from the start, but USC has stayed in the mix after offering him in March and bringing him in for his first unofficial visit in June, giving the Trojans a real chance to sell their own pitch.
For Tuaone, this decision is shaping up around the kind of things elite receivers tend to remember: coaching relationships, the feel of a program, and how each staff fits him long term. Miami has been making a strong case with its ties close to home, while USC is trying to stand its ground in a battle that has already seen the Hurricanes track another former Trojans target. [Read more 🡒]
USC Has A New Penn State Threat To Worry About
Penn State enters the season with a passing game in transition after losing its top five leading receivers from last year, and that leaves a wide-open path for someone to seize a bigger role. One of the names USC has to keep on its radar is Amarion Jackson, a former safety who ended up at receiver because of injuries and now looks like a real option for an offense that needs answers.
Jacksons path is a little different from the usual freshman arrival, since he followed coach Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State after flipping his pledge. He has also turned heads in spring work, which only adds to the sense that he could be one of the more important new pieces in Penn States offense when the matchup with USC eventually comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]