USC’s path to a big 2026 season starts with one blunt requirement: the Trojans have to get tougher against the run.
That’s the point ESPN’s Bill Connelly is making, and it lines up with the biggest problem USC carried through last season. The defense took a real step forward in 2025, finishing 36th in defensive SP+, which was USC’s best mark since 2017.
But the numbers still exposed a soft spot. The Trojans were only 96th in yards allowed per carry, excluding sacks, and in three of their four losses they gave up at least 170 rushing yards.
Connelly sees room for more growth, but only if the front holds up. As he wrote, USC can reach its ceiling this season “If ...
(Gary) Patterson unearths a run defense. USC ranked 36th in defensive SP+ in 2025 -- the Trojans ' best ranking since 2017 -- but they were still just 96th in yards allowed per carry (no sacks) and gave up at least 170 rushing yards in three of four losses.
The defensive line has experience, some new blood and further improvement to engineer.”
That front has to be much steadier than it was a year ago. USC’s young, inexperienced defensive line was pushed around too often, and the list of problem spots was long: Illinois, Oregon, Notre Dame, the first quarter at Nebraska, the first quarter against Iowa, and stretches against Michigan State. The inconsistency showed up early and often.
For USC to take the next step, that group has to grow up fast. The Trojans need to shut down the ground game, force opponents out of long, clock-eating drives, and give Jayden Maiava and the offense more chances to work. If USC wants to be in the College Football Playoff conversation, the defensive line has to become a strength again.
In Other News...
USC Freshman Buzz Is Building Around A Key Passing Game Role
Freshman wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is starting to draw real attention in USCs passing-game conversation as the Trojans look toward the upcoming season. The buzz around him is tied to how he fits into an offense that already has established options in Terrell Anderson and Tanook Hines, with Dixon-Wyatt viewed as a potential third target who could help round out the receiving mix.
For USC, the intrigue is less about a formal depth chart spot than what Dixon-Wyatt can add if his skills translate quickly at the college level. The projection is still just that, a projection, but it reflects how much confidence there is growing around his ability to carve out a meaningful role in the Trojans aerial attack before long. [Read more 🡒]
USC Fall Camp Is Starting To Reveal Whos Really Emerging
USCs fifth fall camp practice offered another small but telling snapshot of where the roster stands as the Trojans keep sorting through depth charts and habits. The day centered on accountability and special teams work, with quarterbacks coach Luke Huard also adding a new drill meant to sharpen timing on screen passes, a detail that fit with the broader feel of camp so far: a team still ironing out pieces while trying to build cleaner execution.
The passing game had its uneven stretches, but receiver Ethan Feaster turned in one of the more encouraging performances of the afternoon and added to the sense that some younger players are starting to surface. After practice, Jayden Maiava, Alex VanSumeren and Jide Abasiri met with the media, giving the latest window into a camp that is beginning to reveal who is making real progress and who still has work to do. [Read more 🡒]
USC Veterans Are Already Saying The Same Thing About Luke Wafle
Luke Wafle has barely gotten through the door at USC, but the early buzz around the five-star defensive end is already coming from inside the locker room. The Trojans added him as part of the top-ranked 2026 recruiting class, and during Media Day several veterans made the same point in different ways: the freshman has the kind of size, effort and presence that tends to stand out quickly once camp starts.
For USC, that kind of chorus matters because Wafle is not arriving as a long-term project. He is expected to push for a starting role right away as the Trojans get ready for the upcoming season, and the early praise suggests the transition could be smoother than it usually is for a first-year defender. Even before his first college snap, he is already drawing the sort of attention that usually comes only after a player starts making people believe. [Read more 🡒]