USC quarterback Husan Longstreet announces he’s entering transfer portal
USC QB Husan Longstreet stands on the sideline during a win over MICH ST at the Coliseum on Sept. 20. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)
-
Quarterback Husan Longstreet is entering the transfer portal after just one season at USC as he seeks a chance to play immediately.
-
The departure leaves USC needing to add depth at quarterback and complicates its quarterback plans for the future.
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — When Husan Longstreet arrived at USC a year ago, the expectation was the five-star freshman would be the Trojans’ future at quarterback.
But after just one season at USC, Longstreet is leaving.
The true freshman passer and former top prospect officially entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday, throwing the Trojans’ future plans at football’s most important position into question. USC has just two quarterbacks currently on the roster, one being a true freshman in Jonas Williams.
There’s no doubt, however, who will remain USC’s quarterback next season. Returning starter Jayden Maiava, who led the Big Ten in passing yards last season (3,711) announced his intent last month to play another season at USC, as opposed to declaring for the NFL draft.
That left Longstreet with a choice: Spend another season on the sideline or search for opportunity elsewhere.
USC coach Lincoln Riley made a plea for his young quarterback’s patience last month.
“For any player, especially a quarterback, I don’t know if this would be the right time to leave this place,” Riley said. “This thing is getting pretty good. And I think a lot of people recognize that, both in what we have now and what we’re bringing in, where this thing is going.”
But Longstreet’s father, Kevin, told On3 last month that his son was looking for a chance to contribute immediately.
“He loves USC, the team and players, but no guarantees in life and Husan is a competitor,” Kevin Longstreet told On3’s Greg Biggins. “Everyone is saying ‘sit for another year, only need one good year.’ But there’s no guarantee Lincoln is back next year, what if we struggle and a new staff comes in? Then he has to learn whole new system. He wants to play now and give himself his best shot.”
Longstreet appeared in four games as a true freshman, retaining his redshirt year. He’ll have four seasons of eligibility remaining wherever he ends up. He completed 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for another 76 yards and two scores.
“As a hometown kid, representing USC was an incredible opportunity I’ll always cherish,” Longstreet said in a statement on social media. “I’m excited for what’s ahead and ready to embrace the next opportunity with faith, purpose and gratitude.”
With Longstreet gone, expect USC to pursue a veteran passer in the transfer portal to fill the No. 3 spot on its depth chart, similar to how Sam Huard did last season.
latimes.com
___________
TrojanDailyBlog members — We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDB that don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
Whoever the next USC president is, if they are anything like University of Miami President Joe Echevarria, USC will have the leader it truly needs today. He understands the importance of a successful institution in 3-categories:accademics, health program and sports. They all work together to satisfy the needs & access of a University.
The Transfer Portal will close at 9pm PT tonight. Will we finally get a new DC this weekend?
After 4 years……Riley hires a special teams coach……it’s truly amazing to watch this stuff.
Not yet official but Mike Ekeler, 54, STC at Nebraska. Rose through the coaching ranks and getting recognized as one of the best special teams coaches in the country. The Nebraska native lived up to the hype, turning NU’s unit around after massive struggles under Ed Foley. He was USC LB coach in 2013.
Finally! Riley is so irksome.
Saw this quote pertaining John Harbaugh that we know to be true from experience.
“Throughout the league, a lot of people hire [coaches] just because they call good plays. Being a head coach is so much more than calling plays.”
So there looks to be plenty of depth next year in the trenches. How about the other weak spot this past season, LB. USC will have 7 returning, 1 transfer, and 3 recruits, 11 total. Any gems in there? Is that good depth?
You are so right GT, it seems by their actions the coaching staff seems not very concerned about the underwhelming, yes the Underwhelming performance that’s primarily its job is to stop the run. It has to be two reasons: either the position coach & DC have done a poor job coaching & preparing the linebackers to do their job or the athletes just are not able to handle this responsibility. Until someone in this program understands stopping the run, is vital in preventing USC football from challenging for the Big Ten championship & qualifying for the playoff. This conference is… Read more »
You and your untrained eyes, Jam.
Former Wisconsin TE Tucker Ashcraft signs with USC football Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — USC football has added what is expected to be its final transfer addition for 2026. Former WIS TE Tucker Ashcraft (6-5, 260, 3*, 2-yrs elig) signed with USC Wed. Ashcraft was limited by injury in 2025 but played in 16 games for WIS over the last two seasons with six starts. He has 22 career catches for 178 yds and two TDs. Ashcraft has played 697 offensive snaps in his college career, which is by far the most out of any TE on USC’s roster. His experience should lead to a role… Read more »
ATL D.D.S. got a client for ya!
I don’t know…I think with that smile, he may consider that gap his calling card!!
Hopefully he can create some gaps….
ISWYDT.
😁
He should help in their run game. They should have a good run game next year with all of those players on the O-Line coming back.
Dante Moore returns to Oregon…..after his performance against Indiana he was probably told he needed another year.
From what I saw he needs more than that. Hope he gets a degree while he is in college.
I agree
Before Longstreet left, all I heard was how important it was that he stay at USC, and how he showed so much promise. That included me. Many were upset he didn’t get to play more and felt that was a big Lincoln Riley mistake. Now that Longstreet is gone, I see he’s now the one taking the criticism from Trojan fans, even though in today’s NIL day and age in CFB, playing second fiddle anywhere isn’t encouraged, or necessarily profitable. So Longstreet ends up leaving to play for headline grabber Lane Kiffin — as a guaranteed bench warmer no less. Where’s the “I gotta start” narrative when you need it?… Read more »
You wonder if Riley, pulling out all the stops right now knowing he has to win enough, qualifying for the playoffs to keep the wolves off his back and you question can he grasp anything to do with the future knowing if Maiava goes down he has a freshman left to run the show with no seasonal time to know his offense like Longstreet does? I see no Portal QB coming here so does this mean Maiava has to stay healthy and not take many chances running with the football when it’s the play to make? This and the decision… Read more »
These are the LBs for 2026
Transfer: Deven Bryant 5-11, 230
Returners: Ta’Mere Robinson 6-3, 230, Desman Stephens II 6-3, 235, Elijah Newby 6-3, 235, Jadyn Walker 6-2, 235, Nick De Fina 6-0, 205, AJ Tuitele 6-2, 215, Roman Marchetti 6-2, 220
Recruits: Talanoa Ili 6-3, 215, Shaun Scott 6-3, 230, Taylor Johnson 6-1, 210
The transfer has the weight but lacks the height of the others. Anybody like any of these guys?
I like Illi, and I think Scott could be the guy that steps up soon. Bryant is a good one for the middle. Maybe Stephens and Newby on the outside, depending on alignments.
Huard is coming back for another season also.
I think Riley was very honest with Longstreet, with what I have read, letting him know he was not a lock to take over after Maiava leaves. Jonas Williams is in the mix also. Sounds like Kiffin told Husan what he wanted to hear, whether it was true or not, and he goes #3 at LSU.
I never heard Longstreet expected and needed to be told he was a “lock” to take over for Maiava when he’s gone. Really? Players overwhelmingly expect to compete. And whoever said Riley is a straight shooter with kids while Kiffin just tells kids what they want to hear? Nobody I know. And from what I know of Kiffin, he’s never been afraid to tell it like it is. Right now Kiffin’s clearly considered a more desireable coach to play for than Riley, if winning games is your goal. He also has more current job security (which Longstreet’s own dad brought… Read more »
Objectively, I can’t fault the kid. He’s no worse off at LSU, maybe slightly better off.
Longstreet will have a lot of competition at LSU. They have the kid from ASU. I would imagine he will be the starter. They also have a kid from ELON who they say is pretty good.They also have Payton Houston coming in 2027
Obviously, Longstreet was done with USC and Riley. We hardly knew him.
I hate losing him but that’s reality in todays college football
I don’t think coaches can really favor any athlete. They have to have the best people on the field or they won’t win. If they don’t win, they will lose their job. It’s pretty simple
In other words, if you’re gonna go down, you may as well go down swinging.
Any coach who doesn’t play his best players, assuming he can figure out who they are, is just asking for trouble, and will find it.
I have heard and read that many transferring student athletes from USC were expecting Riley’s days at USC to end in November and they didn’t want to start over with a new coach the following season. Longstreet probably got played by Kiffin, who was dangling the possibility of starting while holding the real starter behind his back. Longstreet didn’t want to look as stupid as he is, took a parting shot at Riley. The upshot of most of the transfers was the reality that they wouldn’t start next season anyway. But even a walk on player has a chance under… Read more »
QB Husan Longstreet Transfers To LSU After Losing Trust in USC Kendell Hollowell (SI.com) — Former USC QB Husan Longstreet has signed with LSU, the only school Longstreet visited while in the portal. Longstreet, the No. 6 portal QB and a top-20 overall player after leaving USC, is originally from Louisiana and becomes the third portal QB the Tigers have added under former Trojan coach Lane Kiffin, joining Sam Leavitt (ASU) and Landen Clark (ELON). The expectation for Longstreet is that he is going to be Leavitt’s primary backup in 2026, which wasn’t the issue at USC, nor was it… Read more »
Bottom line…..we’ll probably be trying to hire a QB next year from the portal. Let’s hope Maiava stays healthy and plays better than his TCU outing.
Lane “Tarmac” Kiffin manages to continue to be a thorn in USC’s side.
I doubt it was Lane. I think you nailed it – for some reason, Longstreet lost faith in LR. The only other rational answer I can see as to why he transferred is that he was asked to do so or did not like LR’s assessment of his talent. Of all the options out there for him, he choose to attend LSU which has brought in two experienced QBs ahead of him. If he was going to attend an elite P4 team (of which there are only a couple) and have a coach who runs his O around athletic QBs… Read more »
Lane’s done things since he was unfairly tarmacked by USC that Lincoln Riley could never have done. In that sense, he’s a big thorn in USC’s side. And now, he just took an important young QB from USC who didn’t want to be coached by Riley anymore, so he split to be a backup.
Lane’s a builder, and what he did to immediately elevate a bad OLE MISS program is an amazing feat which LR could never have handled.
No disagreement. As of four years ago, Lane would have been a superior hire to LR. But, for a variety of reasons (mostly historical), it did not happen. As to Longstreet, he was gone for whatever reason. Lane did an excellent job building Ole Miss around Jackson Dart. Longstreet is probably hoping for the same as LSU. But, I think the reason he left had something to do with either his losing faith in LR or his being told directly or indirectly to leave.
And subsequently Chambliss.
I have read that Riley was very honest with him and that he was not essentially the heir apparent. Jonas Williams will come into play also.
Lane probably is grinning and saying to himself…….I just hired a 5 star that has a year of development as my backup for small money because nobody wanted to treat him right. Thanks Riley……the QB whisperer……that Caleb ignored and Maiava smiles at after being paid more than the NFL would for a 5th rounder.
I bet Kiffin meeting Riley would be sort of a handshake of mutual admiration…..Riley, you got that ole Miss program to the finals well done…….I salute you sir………Kiffin, you stole 200 million from USC with not an ounce of coaching ability…..man did you score.
Lane Kiffin has always been a major force in CFB, especially considering his setbacks followed by his incredible climb back to the top. Kiffin makes more headlines as an asst than most head coaches do.
He’s the straw that stirs the drink! Based on my exposure to him while he was at USC under Pete Carroll, as well as later as the Trojan HC, I can’t say I am the least bit surprised.
I wonder if we will ever find out what really happened with Longstreet and Riley/SC Football?
I think those of us with our untrained eyes can see that Maieva is great against inferior teams but gets jumpy and inconsistent against tough teams. So, we ask if Longstreet would be at least comparable to Maieva at worst, but probably be a significant improvement with more upside with r-frosh Longstreet compared to senior Maieva?
I think this is a big cock-up by Riley.
So sad. Another one of the upper end recruits everybody is depending on to lead USC back to greatness leaves.
I think USC needs to learn a lesson. You cannot recruit a top QB every season and expect them to stay. Nelson was a waste of time, Husan simply wanted something else, and he is originally from Louisiana. Now Jonas Williams is in a prime position to take over for Maiava. What Riley does not need is a top QB for 27 class. The portal can provide proven QB’s as long as you got the $$$$.
Mandel’s Mea Culpa Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) — Rather than waiting a week for everybody to throw something back in my face, I’m going to own up to one of my dumbest takes of all time. It started in my Sept. 24 Mailbag about Curt Cignetti and the coaching carousel, in which I wrote: “Even the cocksure Cignetti surely realizes you can’t win a national championship at Indiana.” Indiana fans immediately took umbrage in the comments, but I did not change my tune the following week. “Perhaps Indiana will get there one day, but right now, it’s only five games into the second… Read more »
Everybody makes mistakes…..as a mentor told me 60 years ago…..Nobody can tell the future. Educated (or uneducated) guess….yep! That is why we have fun on here.
Here’s what I think….tell me where I am wrong(and I might be). SC knows that because of the Portal and NIL, the players are running the insane asylum. They have more power than anyone else. They want to keep the assistants that we already have. If we hire from the outside, Henderson and Belk and others might jump ship and many great players might follow them. But if you wait until after the portal closes, they’d have to wait a year. By that time the players would have made personal relationships with the new DC and whatever coaches he might… Read more »
You could be on to something there. Once the portal closes players are locked in for a year. The recruits are already locked in if they have signed a NLI. If you are right, very shrewd on the part of Cohen, Bowden and Riley and maybe get a DC hire this weekend
Why don’t we just hire the Missouri DC? His record is great.
Colin Cowherd’s Top 10 Here are Colin Cowherd’s Top 10 CFB programs for the next 10 years. “It’s a new world in college football. No SEC teams in the national championship for three straight years. In the playoffs, the SEC is only beating SEC schools and Tulane. Their drop-off is precipitous. Schools are paying 6-7 hundred thousand dollars for off-ball linebackers until the NCAA can get this thing fixed. The Big Ten schools are much bigger than the SEC schools,” says Cowherd. Cowherd predicts the following schools will be in the CFB playoffs “most of the next decade” based on… Read more »
Interesting if true. Miami will own the ACC, State of Texas will own the SEC, 5 team battle on the BIG. Will ND continue to get a hall pass into the playoffs? The old SEC is nowhere now they have to pay players in an open transparent market.
Maybe. He has a lot of interesting takes, many times spot on. However, about 10 years ago he said that “inland universities” as in the great plains and the midwest, along with the northeast, would wain in competitiveness with the coastal colleges rising to power. His rationale was that with TV exposure nearly universal for the power conferences, kids would gravitate toward the good weather coastal schools. Hasn’t come to pass, the last 3 NCs have been land lo ked Midwest teams, nor has it worked out for USC or UCLA. He over-simplified and misread cause-effect. I know this is… Read more »
OL Alani Noa Re-Signs with USC USC starting right guard Alani Noa wasn’t with the USC team for the Alamo Bowl. But he’ll be back in 2026 having never entered the portal. Noa had until tomorrow to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Connor Morrissette (USCFootball.com) — Starting USC OL Alani Noa (6-3, 315) has re-signed with the Trojans and will be back in 2026. Noa started 10 of the 11 games he played in at right guard in 2025. He projects to be a starter again in 2026. Noa missed multiple practices before USC played Georgia Southern last season, which caused him to lose his starting… Read more »
It looks like USC will have 25 on the ’26 D Line roster? Am I counting correct? Plenty of depth in the trenches. If T Carroll gets them trained up we should be solid there, right?
For the first time in many years USC will go into next year with a veteran, upper class OL with some depth. Big change.
This is the O Line depth we have all been dreaming of.
This is an excellent sign! SC is getting at least two true frosh elite OL who will play a ton next year. And, the two OL who left signed with Purdue! To me, that means they were asked to leave as the incoming true frosh elite players were going to get PT over them. I think this is the best returning OL depth we have had in years!
Sam Darnold vs 49ers, Sat, 5:00 PT; Caleb Williams vs Rams, Sunday, 3:30 PT
NFL screwed the Niners by making them play on a short week
The Niners are so beat up, it’ll take a Herculean effort for them to beat Darnold and the Seahawks (best D in the NFL). Since I’m pulling big-time for Seattle, I have no sympathy for Joe Montana’s old stomping ground.
What’s the Musical Chairs Market for Husan Longstreet Now? Kendell Hollowell (si.com) — With Oregon and LSU going in different directions, what does the market look like for Husan Longstreet? Could Nebraska still be searching for another quarterback with former Notre Dame signal-caller Kenny Minchey initially committing to Nebraska but flipping to Kentucky? Minchey has been in school for three years but has the same college production as Longstreet. Do the Cornhuskers prefer a veteran quarterback, considering they signed TJ Lateef in the 2025 cycle? Lateef started four games last season after Dylan Raiola suffered a broken fibula late in… Read more »
And look who’s in the portal, Again, Malaki Nelson! Will Longstreet follow the same path? If Husan ends up a back up somewhere else I think Alan you were right, he didn’t want to play for LR anymore. Hard to think Miami would make him a starter. If he’s a starter it looks like a bottom feeder Power 4 or Group of 6.
For all we know, USC doesn’t even want Longstreet back. He’s already turned his back on the school. How would the rest of the Trojans feel with him on the team? Do these “pro kids” just figure it’s all business now? Or do they regard important players who actively seek employment elsewhere to the detriment of the team as driftwood that’s best jettisoned onto someone else’s roster, especially one that’s going nowhere? For all I know, USC’s coaches may already think Jonas Williams is a better 2026 backup candidate as a frosh. So much about being a great QB has… Read more »
Most of us were thinking Longstreet might battle Maiva for starter. If he was actually going to battle Williams for backup, wow.
Nice to see USC QBs Sam and Caleb now dominating the NFL.
Such different paths: Sam’s already been with five NFL teams and Caleb’s already Mr. Chicago in only year two in the League.
And RB Woody Marks was doing well for Houston last night. Seems like there are more Trojans in the spotlight during this NFL season than I remember from the past.
Miami’s 2025 roster had 37 four stars and 5 five stars. SC’s 2025 roster had 39 four stars and 3 five stars. So their talent level was very similar. Yet Miami is playing in the final game for the NC and SC finished 4th in the Big 10 and never even made the playoffs. Which coaching staff did more to earn their money?
I don’t know why we don’t just hire this guy from Missouri. Look at his record. He’s been a DC from 2018-2025(8 years). He started coaching in 1991 so he has 35 years of experience yet he’s only 57 years old. Here’s his record as to where his teams finished in total yardage given up on defense in the nation. 2018….Hawaii…….21st in the nation 2019….Hawaii…….21st……… 2020….Liberty…….10th…….. 2021….So. Alabama….41st……. 2022….So. Alabama….3rd……. 2023….So. Alabama….15th……. 2024….Missouri…….17th….. 2025….Missouri……8th……. He’s been a DC for 8 years and the worst year he had was 41st, which isn’t that bad considering that there are over 130 teams… Read more »
One of the main arguments against Husan Longstreet coming back to USC is that the Trojans used up his NIL money signing other portal people. Sam Huard is sticking around for another year to backup Maiava and Jonas Williams. One could argue that Longstreet could return to USC under a reduced NIL agreement, even though he rejected USC’s earlier offer which the Trojans stood fast on. Or the Trojans could somehow come up through extra fundraising with even more money above what they’ve already spent on the new portal guys, and agree to pay Longstreet what he already flat out… Read more »
Sounds kind of Nico Iamaleava like.
Linkin’ could give up a sizable amount of his head coach salary to resign Husan. After all, Riley is not much more than an OC and is grossly overcompensated as a head coach….
Prove me wrong!
LSU lands top transfer portal QB Sam Leavitt to run Lane Kiffin offense Austin Curtright (USA Today) — Lane Kiffin finally has his next quarterback. Kiffin and LSU football landed a transfer portal commitment from Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt earlier today. Leavitt is the 247’s No. 1-ranked player in the transfer portal. It took the Tigers until the final days of the transfer portal window, which lasts from Jan. 2-16, to find their starting QB for next season. Leavitt is LSU’s second quarterback commitment of Jan. 12, joining Elon’s Landen Clark. Leavitt was heavily sought-after by numerous programs, including Miami, Tennessee and Kentucky, each… Read more »
Is Husan Longstreet headed to LSU? Lane Kiffin Teases LSU QB Announcement Amid Sam Leavitt & Husan Longstreet Pursuit Yogesh Thanwani (Essentially Sports) — Lane Kiffin dropped a cryptic tweet on Sunday that sent LSU fans into a frenzy, posting, “Today is going to be so exciting @LSUfootball You have been waiting for exactly this …” alongside a quote about overcoming fear and building “a new home.” The timing couldn’t be more loaded. Kiffin has been in an all-out sprint to land a transfer portal quarterback for three weeks now, with Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt sitting atop his wish… Read more »
Yahoo Sports just reporting, Leavitt to LSU, Raiola to Oregon. Looks like all the QBs ahead of Longstreet have a new home. The 4 below him have as well. Where will he go. Go back to USC, learn the offense, hone your skills. Be the star in 2027 with a loaded team. You are only 19. Be patient.
Maybe Longstreet just doesn’t want to play for Lincoln Riley anymore. Why be patient if you’re at a place you don’t want to be at anymore?
MIA is also an option for HS now that Carson Beck will be trying out the NFL after six years in college. MIA also recruited and offered Longstreet as a prep.
You could be right on both points. There is only one other top 20 QB left in the portal besides Longstreet. Miami should get one of them.
Could be correct. It is clear that LR choose Maiava over Longstreet for next year’s starter. After watching Maiava all year on TV and in person in the Alamo Bowl, I do not view Maiava as a superstar QB (his NIL value is seen at about $2Million, versus to $4-5 Million that the elite transfers are rumored to have gotten). So, any team looking at Longstreet will probably assume that Longstreet is, as of now, not as good as Maiava. So, do you want a QB of that caliber as your starter next year? But guess is “no” if you… Read more »
He’s not exactly in the position of power given he essentially has no starting experience. The one thing all other QBs in the discussion have is at least one year of starting experience. All other teams losing a top starting QB already have a decent younger QB waiting in the wings, or have brought in an experienced guy.
USC WBB is 10-6, tied for 12th in the Big10. They had an Elite 8 team last year and lost players to the portal and didn’t get any forwards or centers. Is Cohen not getting money to Gottlieb to get and keep players? Meanwhile, MBB is 13-3, tied for 11th in the Big10. Muss having troubles of his own. At least they did pay a transfer $3 million, Rodney Rice, but he’s out for the season. Looks like it will be a long winter for USC sports with football over and BB mediocre. There’s the Olympics next month, may be… Read more »
Besides Cignetti, I’d like a coach like Vrabel. His defense was knocking the snot out of Herbert all game.
Ya, Vrabel’s awesome. The Pats are immed back under him.
Bowl Contest Standings as of 01/11/26 Names: Points Golden Trojan 19 Satyrdancing 19 Are playing for first and second. Both have Indiana so this will come down to the tie breaker. Golden has 48 points and Satyr had 57 points for the game total. Trojan562 PE 16 TommeTrojan 16 Mrs Steveg 16 Patrick9 16 Illinois Trojan 16 Trojan562, Tomme, MrsG all have Indiana winning the Championship, so if Indiana wins all three will go to the tie breaker. With Trojan562 having 72 points in the tiebreaker, Tomme has 52 and MrsG has 59. If Miami wins then all 5 of them will go to the tiebreaker. Patrick9 has 39… Read more »
Max points 52 or less, go defenses! 😉
Tarnish on the Dome?
https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/breaking-news/article/hs-wrestling-coach-accuses-marcus-freeman-of-battery-notre-dame-says-video-evidence-fully-exonerates-freeman-190325532.html
Tracking where transferring Trojans will play in 2026 (Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)
DE Gus Cordova – Mississippi State
TE Walker Lyons – BYU
CB Braylon Conley – Georgia
DT Carlon Jones – Arkansas
CB Kevin Longstreet – New Mexico
WR DJ Jordan – Arizona
DT Devan Thompkins – Alabama
RB Bryan Jackson – Wisconsin
RB Harry Dalton – Maryland
OLs Micah Banuelos and Makai Saina – Purdue
WR Prince Strachan – West Virginia
Former USC players still in the transfer portal
QB Husan Longstreet – visited LSU
LB Matai Tagoa’i – visited Clemson, Florida State, Colorado and Arizona
S Steve Miller
LB Anthony Beavers Jr.
LB Garrison Madden
TE Joey Olsen
DB/RB James Johnson
on3.com
Out of the 12 players you mentions who transferred out, I will miss 5 of them. Why would Thompkins want to go to Alabama. They have 7 D-Lineman who are 4 star or better coming back plus 7 more coming in from high school and transfer portal.
I used to hate the Bears but now I like them
Welcome to the Den! Once every twenty five years or so we emerge from our sleep and go out for lunch.
They had a great team back in 1985 when they had Buddy Ryan as their DC. I didn’t like them back then
The Fridge!
McMahon, Singletary, Marshall, Hampton, Frig, McMichael, Fencik, Dent, Gault, Richardson, Hildenberg, Covert, Wilson, Van Horne, Bortz, Frazier, Duerson, McKinnon, Moorehead, Suhey, Payton, Thayer Every one of the Da Bear fans worth their salt will never forget those men. I was at the Hall of Fame ceremony for Singletary, Payton, Hampton and Dent. I’ve never seen a defense like the 85 one. When they started barking like dogs…..QB’s used to wet their pants. McMahon got the crap knocked out of him hundreds of times and got up. A Green Bay tackle picked him up and literally threw him down to nearly… Read more »
Caleb Williams isn’t the only football superstar who pays attention to his nails. Take elite Rams receiver Puka Nacua, who should be this year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year: LAT — As for Puka Nacua’s hands, he babies them. He typically gets a manicure before games, and wears clear polish on his nails. Those hands are his money-makers. He didn’t see the beautician in the week leading up to the Carolina Panthers game, however, because his mom was in town and therefore he didn’t have the time. “I’ll be back in there this week,” he said. On a day… Read more »
It’s great to be a Bear, now that Caleb’s there …
25-6 in the 4th amazing Bears!
That’s the Caleb we grew to love in his first year at USC!!!
Bears somehow win 31-27. Caleb is now a Comeback God (25 points in the 4th Q) in the NFL.
The NFL sure is more fun for me to watch with Sam Darnold and Caleb Williams excelling.
Amazing Bears go ahead 31-27 behind passing of magical comebacker Caleb Williams. 1:43 to go. Caleb has saved the Bears to get here. But Jordan Love has plenty of time to put the Bears to sleep.
Bears and Caleb Williams are coming back (as usual) and now only trail GB 21-16 with 10 mins to go. GB held scoreless so far in 2nd half. Great D is so important, even to those of us with “untrained eyes.”
Bears tackling on that GB TD with about 6 minutes left looked like USC trying to tackle TCU.
That play will probably cost the Bears the game. It’s now 27-24 Packers with four mins to go. Caleb throws another TD and a 2-pt conversion. Caleb is so hot and cold. But when he’s hot, he’s simply unreal.
This is an amazing battle.
Bears up!
I don’t get the NFL. Why is the late night playoff game always up north on the cold and snow while the warm locations are the early game? Do they not care fans have to drive home on icy roads?
Golden……just a guess but the networks love that frozen tundra image on TV. Fans all wrapped up…..sort of like a reverse rose parade. They love the tough people playing a tough sport on a frozen turf in freezing weather message. Can’t beat it. Bears vs Packers…….can’t be matched anywhere. Believe it or not the Bears are taking quite a bit of critical talk about building a new dome in Arlington. Lots of folks think the weather is a major weapon for them and part of the sport. Besides….except for the folks in the booths….a good 60% of the crowd is… Read more »
If Riley is going to play the same way in only playing Jayden Maiava, unless he gets hurt, the only salvation the new QB recruit Williams has is Maiava is a senior ending his college play. Riley will no doubt try to bring an experienced Portal QB to back up Maiava and we could right back as we are now losing a highly rated freshman QB like Longstreet.
2026 Navy All-American Bowl: USC signee Luke Wafle earns MVP with dominant performance Top247 four-star edge Luke Wafle spearheaded an East defense that collected five sacks en route to a 17-14 victory in Saturday’s annual showcase. Gabe Brooks (USCFootball.com) — SAN ANTONIO – Saturday’s 2026 Navy All-American Bowl marked the second year of juniors competing in the prestigious event, featuring more than 40-plus class of 2027 prospects. However, a well-known senior standout stole the show, as USC-bound Top247 four-star edge Luke Wafle earned MVP honors from 247Sports in leading the East to a 17-14 victory against the West in a nationally televised showcase on… Read more »
Cignetti after the win to the media…..I’am cracking open a beer!
He’s the ultimate curmudgeon.
What I like about him……as a guy jumping on the band wagon…..they asked him to describe himself……he said…..I win.
Cignetti can “communicate” more in one sentence (okay, maybe two) than Lincoln Riley can in five mins of annoying coach speak. I have noticed this on many occasions.
Can you imagine Riley sitting in a bar with a bunch of dudes drinking a beer? He so full of corporate platitudes I’am not sure he even recognizes his image. They wonder why he has trouble recruiting and keeping linemen.
I think Riley probably drinks Chablis
and…..oh this cheese is so creamy……kind of like the ice cream truck.
Sounds a little like Donald Trump
He may not have a smaile but he has a lot of coaching ability
On Dec 20, Caleb Williams and the Bears beat the Packers, pulling off an incredible 22-16 OT comeback win thanks to a game-winning 46-yd TD pass from Williams to DJ Moore.
Today they meet again in a wild card playoff game (only on Amazon Prime TV). Go Caleb. Beat the Packers twice in one year — the first time since 2018.
Go Caleb! Hard to believe this is only the 3rd playoff game between Bears and Pack.
This is perfect for Caleb. He’s improved so much over the year under Ben Johnson’s coaching that he’s become a truly deserving #1 pick.
As you say, Go Caleb! Make USC and all your fans proud by beating Jordan Love and the Packers the 2nd time this season.
32 degrees and clear. Kick it off!
L.A. college basketball is not drawing the fans, that’s for sure:
LAT — UCLA’s home average of 5,211 fans entering its game against Maryland on
Saturday evening at Pauley Pavilion is ranked third to last among the 18 Big Ten teams, topping only Northwestern (4,886) and USC (4,280). 
SC has nothing to brag about, of course, but are the Bruins also playing their basketball games in Pasadena?
USC kicks off 2027 class with blue-chip CB Aaryn Washington Four-star CB Aaryn Washington (5-11.5, 160) from Santa Ana Mater Dei is staying close to home, picking USC over NEB, OHIO ST, ALA and UW during his live commitment at the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl. Blair Angulo (USCFootball.com) — “They wanted me to be the leader of the pack, and that means a lot to me,” Washington told 247Sports. “To be a leader of a group that is coming in trying to win a national championship is special for me. “With USC, I built a lot of relationships with the whole… Read more »
Most all of us here are making program comparisons between USC and IU (yearly basement dweller) after last night. I’m in shock on how far down the coaching level we are compared to what we’ve seen this season, and especially in the playoffs. IU, Miami, Oregon and a few of the rest have publicly expressed that they build their teams from the inside out, both sides. Secondly, the focus is on player development and discipline. We’ve had several former portal players mentioned they left for development reasons ( plus cash ). Every season we push the reset button hoping we… Read more »
I completely agree, and I’m not saying LR is good at all. However this year was not to let him go. His current contract. The fact that he only has 1 year of full NIL is very significant. I think that the transfer portal has made parodies much bigger now in college football. Making the building process longer for a program added with NIL. I think that this recruiting class should be a bigger measurement this year and of your not building on more wins from this year then it’s time for LR to go. I also think that a… Read more »
I concur for sure
If it wasn’t for Chad Bowden, does anyone think Riley would have even come close to a #1 recruitment class? Does anyone think at all the new additions coming in for the 2026 season wouldn’t be close to 50% portal players again? Riley is purely a definition of insanity unless he is pushed away from it (Jen & Chad). After 3-seasons he still hadn’t a clue how to rebuild a football program. Air Raid is what he knows and believes in. Until he is fired and finds no other top level program wants him, he will stubbornly hold on to… Read more »
Unfortunately for Lincoln Riley, he’s been increasingly exposed over these four years as an Air Raid/no defense coach who was never suited to rebuild USC football. He hasn’t shown the chops to install a great football culture. Over the last few years I’ve been hoping he could change his colors and grow into the job as some TDBers have suggested here. But we’re all still waiting while Riley has remained soft to USC’s detriment. Then a magical meat-and-potatoes guy like Curt Cignetti comes along and the disparity between his abilities and Riley’s is so great that it’s literally shocking. Of… Read more »
I completely understand that I just think based on past decisions with coaches, and 1 year of NIL and this years in coming class, and his contract we have to let it play out. No doubt in my mind about defense at all! If he does not make a solid DC hire what we’re talking about is gonna be just another niche in his side on the defense. As I already mentioned he blew it in the transfer portal a vet WR instead of 4 star LB depth 🤷 classic LR ✌️
Absolutely Allen this next DC hire will either be the positive indicator we so hope for or another sign that forced change must take place after this season. The more than hard 2026 schedule fortunately or unfortunately will demonstrate to us and the nation all the warts LR has as a HC.
Looking at the transfer abyss I wonder how much back room trading student athletes are engaged in. How many football fathers contact schools, in what used to be called tampering, are getting away with deals? Also I see a lot of players that answer to the name who (?) going to schools that I see as less than a good jump. I wonder how many of the players in the portal for USC are just waving a white flag at football and hoping to sit on a bench in a different neighborhood. As much as I hate the NCAA, I… Read more »
100% You should not be able to transfer until the end of your Sophomore year. All coaching and player transfers should happen the day after the National Championship. 1 time transfer for your whole career in college.
I hope Lincoln Riley got his fill of what a real rebuilt football program looks like realizing he has failed by making mistakes that should have never happened under his decisions. That definitely includes his poor eye on recruiting players that produce and purposely ignoring SoCal talent. There is no way Riley could say USC football was in worse shape than Indiana football when Cignetti took it over two seasons ago. Going on the 5th season making mini-steps each season and needing all the support from AD Jen Cohend to get him even this far. I can’t imagine where the… Read more »
Most often times poaching coaches from legacy programs is gonna work out for you. This one of the major areas in which USC has struck out with coaching searches. It’s the mind of and reputation of the original coach and his success, and how long his staff is there learning under him. Those are where the gems in coaching lie. I can already tell with Lynn gone the decision making in the transfer portal by LR is horrible. The guy still doesn’t understand the importance of defense and weakness 🤷✌️
Cignetti works at a slow pace…….two full years to go from the basement of the BIG to the national title game. Kinda takes the wind out of my sails in regards to needing top notch talent to get to the top. Just need a coach that knows what he is doing.
Cignetti is top notch he came from the Alabama coaching tree under Sabin.
We have to get a quality defensive mind to replace Lynn because that is where we lack compared to the rest of the nation otherwise you will get horrible moves from LR like getting a Vet WR in the portal over filling quality home grown talent at LB like Khmori House which is where we are weakest, and not to mention how important run defense is in the Big 10. ✌️
Just think – Cinetti will be paid around the same as LR….
Have not been on in awhile, and still Oregon can’t get to the show 😂😂😂. Love it. Cignettie is getting the title. Only grump I have is Riley going after a Vet WR in the portal when the talent we have and have had at the position is elite 4 and 5 star players. We lack in talent and depth at LB and run defense. Especially with the loss of Eric Gentry and another top LB entering the transfer portal. Our LB’s are mostly 3 star. We had a chance to get Khmori House a 4 star LB and pair… Read more »