USC’s defense will need to keep one eye on a familiar-looking connection when Washington comes to town: Demond Williams and Rashid Williams.
Rashid Williams has been one of the more interesting names in Washington’s receiver room this spring. A composite four-star recruit in the 2023 class, he has only 18 catches for 222 yards and one touchdown in 17 games over three seasons, but the lack of big numbers comes with a clear explanation.
In 2023, he was buried behind five future NFL players during a redshirt year. In 2024, Denzel Boston’s rise pushed him further down the pecking order.
Then collarbone and hand injuries in 2025 cut his redshirt sophomore season to just two games, even though he was expected to be the Huskies’ No. 2 receiver behind Boston.
Through all of that, Williams never left. He stayed with Washington, never entered the transfer portal and never wavered on his future with the program. That patience has shown up this spring, where he has been the steadiest receiver on the field even with breakout freshman Dezmen Roebuck back in the mix and a wave of new talent arriving in Chris Lawson, Jordan Clay and Trez Davis.
The spring game only added to the buzz around him, with Williams flashing on a few splash plays. But the bigger storyline has been his growing chemistry with the returning quarterback.
Demond Williams and Roebuck have a natural connection, since the two have been in the same circles since middle school. Even so, Lawson, Clay and transfers Christian Moss and Bodpegn Miller all missed stretches of spring practice, which cost them chances to build timing with Rashid Williams.
That left the junior quarterback leaning most often toward the receiver who shares his last name. The result has been a connection that has clearly carried over from the extra practice time Rashid Williams got when he was healthy in 2024 and 2025.
For USC, that means the secondary has to be ready. The Trojans need to take away the deep ball against Washington, and the Double Williams linkup should be a major part of how they draw up the defensive plan.
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Waymond Jordan is already part of that picture. The senior running back said on social media that he has signed a deal with Nike, adding another brand tie to a USC athletic department that has seen several athletes link up with Nike or Jordan Brand. Jordans own path has had some twists, too, after a knee injury interrupted his season, and he had already added an NIL agreement with Panini America back in April. [Read more 🡒]
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USCs Early Arrival Trend Puts Boobie Feaster Under Immediate Pressure
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Feaster was once viewed as the top receiver in the 2027 class, and that reputation is part of why the Trojans are watching his transition so closely. USC has leaned into this trend before, with names like Jahkeem Stewart, RJ Sermons, Mark Bowman and Roye Oliver III all fitting into the broader reclassification picture, but the pressure is different when a player is expected to help the receiver rotation right away and is still adjusting to life on campus at 17. [Read more 🡒]