USC’s wide receiver room has been hit by injuries, but the update on Trent Mosley brings some relief.
According to sources close to the program, the freshman standout had a minor procedure on his knee and is expected back in a couple of weeks. Mosley picked up the injury in USC’s Week 2 win over Louisiana on Sept. 12, and the current outlook points to a return after the Trojans’ first bye week.
That would give him extra time to get back up to speed before USC heads to Wisconsin on Oct. 24 and then hosts Ohio State on Oct. 31.
The timing matters because Mosley has already become one of USC’s most important playmakers. The Santa Margarita, Calif. product and 2025 MaxPreps California Player of the Year arrived with plenty of buzz after strong showings in the spring and fall camp, then jumped straight into the lineup as a day-one starter on offense and special teams.
With 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon off to the NFL, Mosley stepped right into a major role. The two share a lot of the same traits, though Mosley may be the more explosive of the pair. He wasted no time making an impression on quarterback Jayden Maiava, catching seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in his USC debut against San Jose State.
That debut put Mosley in rare company. He became the first Power Four freshman to post that kind of stat line in a debut since Purdue’s Rondale Moore in 2018.
He followed that up against Fresno State with four catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Then came the Louisiana game, where the local product scored on a touchdown catch and added an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown. Even with the injury, Mosley still leads USC in receiving touchdowns with four.
USC has not been leaning on Mosley alone, though. Another freshman receiver, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, also came out of the Trinity League and earned a day-one starting job next to Mosley. Dixon-Wyatt currently leads the Trojans in receptions and receiving yards.
Elsewhere in the rotation, Corey Simms’ knee injury against Rutgers in Week 3 opened the door again for Tanook Hines. The sophomore receiver had been a day-one starter as a true freshman last year, but a string of setbacks - including an injury that wiped out his spring, most of fall camp and the season opener - combined with the rise of players like Dixon-Wyatt and Simms to push him down the depth chart.
Hines has found the end zone twice this season, but his overall production has been modest: six catches for 62 yards. Still, there’s time for the Houston native to change that with several major games on USC’s schedule this month.
With Mosley sidelined, Zacharyus Williams has started in the slot over the last two games. Freshman Tron Baker opened the season as a starter and has been part of the receiver mix, while Terrell Anderson and freshman Boobie Feaster saw their roles grow against Oregon in Week 4 as injuries continued to reshape the room.
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