No. 14 USC opens the 2026 season on Saturday, Aug. 29, against San José State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Trojans are already dealing with a few notable injury questions as kickoff approaches.
The biggest loss up front is center Kilian O’Connor, who suffered a season-ending injury early in fall camp. That forces a permanent shuffle for USC, with Tobias Raymond sliding to center after starting all 13 games last season at guard and left tackle. Raymond had taken some center reps in the spring to give the Trojans extra depth there, but now the move is locked in.
Hayden Treter is the lone new starter on the offensive line. He got his first career start in the Alamo bowl, while Alani Noa returns at right guard after two years as a starter. Elijah Paige and Justin Tauanuu are back at left and right tackle, respectively.
On defense, USC will be without defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart for the opener after he re-injured the same foot that limited him throughout his Freshman All-American season in 2025. Stewart played through a stress fracture and was on a snap count for that entire year. Lincoln Riley said Stewart could be back as soon as the Week 1 matchup against Fresno State on Friday, Sept. 4, though the staff plans to stay cautious with him.
Even without Stewart, the defensive line remains one of USC’s deepest groups. Tomuhini “Tom Tom” Topui is expected to get more run in the opener, giving the Trojans a longer look at one of the most impressive freshmen from their No. 1 class during fall camp.
There’s more movement on the edge, where defensive end Braylan Shelby has also been banged up. Freshman Luke Wafle, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class, is set to start opposite Kameryn Crawford, last season’s team leader in sacks. Behind them, Jadyn Ramos has added 30 pounds since arriving at USC last summer, and he and seventh-year senior Zuriah Fisher are the backups at defensive end.
At receiver, sophomore Tanook Hines is a game-time decision. He missed all of spring and the first couple of weeks of fall camp before returning during the Trojans’ Mock Game week. Hines is listed as a co-starter with sophomore Corey Simms, while Terrell Anderson has also been banged up, leaving quarterback Jayden Maiava in position to work with a talented freshman-heavy group.
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley are both listed as starters, and both former Trinity League standouts have impressed since arriving. Boobie Feaster is expected to be a major part of the rotation behind Dixon-Wyatt, with Tron Baker also in the mix.
USC’s secondary depth takes a hit with safeties Marquis Gallegos and Dee Reddick out for Saturday. Freshman Madden Riordan is listed as the backup at both safety spots behind Christian Pierce and Prophet Brown, though he likely would have been in that role anyway.
Alex Graham and Kennedy Urlacher are the starting nickels, and both are expected to see time at safety as well. Urlacher started USC’s final three games last season at safety, and Graham has the versatility to handle that spot too.
In Other News...
USC Just Got Another Reminder It No Longer Looks Like An Elite Program
USCs place in the national conversation has become a little easier to measure by who is missing from the preseason spotlight. The Trojans did not place a single player on the USA TODAY Sports preseason All-America college football team, a list that leaned heavily toward the sports familiar heavyweights from Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia and Texas. For a program that still carries a blueblood name, it is another sign that the market no longer treats USC like one of the sports defining powers.
The bigger concern is how often this sort of reminder keeps arriving for a team that has not reached the College Football Playoff in 12 seasons and now heads into a pivotal 2026 campaign under Lincoln Riley. USC is still being measured against the standard set by programs such as Ohio State and Oregon, but the preseason rankings suggest it has work to do before it can claim that tier again. For a fan base used to thinking in championships, the gap between reputation and reality is becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Have Found A New Weapon Sooner Than Expected
USCs 42-26 win over San Jos State offered an early glimpse of a player who may have arrived sooner than expected. True freshman Trent Mosley caught seven passes for 118 yards in his college debut, becoming the first USC freshman since 2014 to clear 100 receiving yards in a first game and giving the Trojans another dynamic option to watch as the season unfolds.
The performance came on a day when USC was also sorting out its leadership structure, naming Tobias Raymond, Kilian OConnor, Alex VanSumeren and Jayden Maiava as permanent captains for the season. OConnor is currently sidelined by injury but remains part of that leadership group, while the program also unveiled the Progressive Insurance logo on the field as part of a multiyear sponsorship agreement, another sign of how much is changing around the team even as Mosleys emergence grabs the attention. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman TE Is Drawing A Comparison Trojans Fans Will Notice
Mark Bowman has barely gotten his USC career underway, but the freshman tight end is already generating the kind of buzz that tends to follow special talent. After a quiet debut in which he had limited production, Bowman still left enough of an impression for college football analyst David Pollack to point to his potential, which is exactly the sort of early conversation Trojans fans like to hear about a young pass-catcher in their system.
The comparison gaining traction is one USC supporters will recognize quickly: Brock Bowers. The former Georgia star piled up a rare college rsum, winning two national championships and the Mackey Award twice before heading to the Las Vegas Raiders, and an SEC coach reportedly sees some of that same upside in Bowman. For a freshman just beginning to carve out his role, being mentioned in the same breath as Bowers says plenty about the ceiling USC thinks it may be working with. [Read more 🡒]