Waymond Jordan’s path to USC didn’t start with the usual blue-chip buildup. It started far from the spotlight, in Pensacola, Florida, then wound through Escambia High School and Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before landing him with Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.
Jordan was never a national recruit coming out of high school, but he became the most coveted junior college running back out of Hutchinson. That route put him in position to reach USC, and now, heading into his second season in Troy, he’s looking back on what that climb taught him.
His message to other junior college players was simple.
"Don't compare your route to other people's routes," Jordan said. "Just stay true to yourself and keep working. If you can learn with no resources, then it's going to be even easier when you have a lot of resources at your next place."
Jordan’s advice comes from lived experience. The odds of a high school prospect reaching an NCAA Division I school are less than two percent, and even junior college players are not promised anything beyond that. He spoke to Lorenzo Reyna of USC Trojans on SI during Aug. 3 media day about how he had to learn to take care of his body with limited resources and build his own nutrition plan.
For Jordan, the JUCO stop was about more than football. He said it "helped me mature off the field," and he understands that his name will now come up when Hutchinson coaches talk to current players about what’s possible.
He also knows the adjustment to college football can look different from the outside. Plenty of fans assume the jump to a power program like USC is harder than the junior college grind, but JUCO players often see it the other way. Jordan said that being more than 1,000 miles from home in Kansas forced him to learn how to manage himself, especially as a teenager handling food and daily life on his own.
He found a similar approach once he arrived at USC.
"The way [running backs] coach Anthony Jones teaches us -- walk-on, JUCO recruit, big-time recruit -- we all get treated the same," Jordan said. "We keep each other humble and hungry.
But it [JUCO] prepared me a lot [for USC]. They coach us like we're at a four-year institution."
That preparation showed quickly on the field. Jordan ran for 576 yards and five touchdowns in the 2025 season, averaging 6.5 yards per game, and he did it while pairing with another underdog back, King Miller, an under-recruited walk-on. Together, they helped bring back USC’s two-back punch.
Jordan’s rise makes one thing clear: the stop in the middle of the country was never a detour. It was the path that got him here.
In Other News...
USC Practice Just Raised Two Big Questions About This Team
USCs 12th practice of camp came with the kind of energy Lincoln Riley has been looking for, but it also brought a few reminders that August is about more than just tempo and competition. The Trojans spent the day working at a high intensity, and one of the more notable developments was the arrival of a new crowd-noise setup on the practice fields, designed to mimic game-day conditions and force cleaner communication. Riley also pointed to the running game and the defensive front seven as areas worth watching, with the defense drawing praise for how it showed up in practice.
Kilian OConnors season-ending injury remains part of the conversation, though he is still around the program in a leadership and mentoring role. The other issue that will keep drawing attention is the kicking battle, where Ryon Sayeri and Caden Chittenden continue to compete for the job as USC sorts out the details heading into the season. Special teams often gets settled quietly, but for a team trying to eliminate mistakes in a louder, more demanding practice environment, those reps can matter just as much as anything else on the field. [Read more 🡒]
USC Freshman Keenyi Pepe Suddenly Has A Real Path To Early Snaps
USCs loaded signing class from last December was always going to create some chatter about who might get on the field early, and freshman offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe has suddenly moved into that conversation. ESPN analyst Billy Tucker recently put Pepe among the top true freshmen with a chance to make an impact this season, pointing to the kind of size and technique that can get a young lineman noticed quickly once camp and depth-chart battles begin.
The door to playing time has also widened at center, where a spot has opened up and changed the equation for the Trojans up front. For Pepe, that does not guarantee anything, but it does create a more realistic path than most freshmen have when they arrive in a room full of older bodies and established roles, and it is exactly the sort of development USC will be watching closely as fall approaches. [Read more 🡒]
USC Receiver Battle Suddenly Feels Bigger Than Anyone Expected
USCs receiver room has been one of the more interesting spots in fall camp, and not just because of the usual August churn. The Trojans have mixed in transfer addition Terrell Anderson from NC State with a wave of freshmen, including Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Trent Mosley, Boobie Feaster and Tron Baker, and coaches have already had plenty to evaluate as they sort out who fits where in the offense. There has been enough early promise from the newcomers to suggest this is more than a depth exercise, especially for a group that is still trying to define its pecking order.
The intrigue only grows because the Trojans are still waiting on clarity with sophomore Tanook Hines as the opener approaches, which keeps the competition from feeling settled. With several young receivers flashing and roles still in flux, this has become one of those camp battles that can change a depth chart quickly and shape how USC wants to attack early in the season. Even before a snap is played, the room already feels like it could matter more than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]