USC adds Wyoming transfer DL Gavin Meyer 

The versatile 6-4, 282-pound Cowboy NT moves to USC after playing four seasons for the Cowboys…

Luca Evans (OC Register)  —  LOS ANGELES — For a fleeting moment, the interior depth was stable. A couple days after the group call that reeled prized defensive tackle Bear Alexander back in at USC, Lincoln Riley told media it was possible the Trojans would look to add defensive-line help in the spring transfer-portal window. But his tone was noncommittal, reflecting a front that had grown in talent and in size, a development everyone around the program knew was necessary entering the Big Ten.

“I wouldn’t say no,” Riley said April 11, on looking to add defensive-line help, “but it’s not – I don’t know that it’s necessarily like offensive line, where we’re obviously going to have to go make a couple moves.”

Not a day later, Texas A&M transfer DT Isaiah Raikes had vanished from the team’s spring roster, gone eventually to Auburn. A week later, redshirt freshman Deijon Laffitte left for San Jose State.

Help became necessary, USC’s lack of experienced depth on the defensive front the most glaring weakness on the roster. And after coming up empty for much of the spring, the Trojans finally plucked one of the last names remaining in the portal: Wyoming’s Gavin Meyer, who announced his commitment to USC on Wednesday morning.

A 6-foot-4, 282-pound nose tackle in his final year of collegiate eligibility, Meyer isn’t a flashy name, but brings four years of experience in the Mountain West and proven production as a difference-maker up the middle. Minted as a starter at Wyoming by the second half of 2022, he made his mark in the pass rush, racking up 29 pressures and 17 hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. He was more involved plugging up holes against the rush in 2023, making significant strides even as his raw-numbers production dropped slightly.

For a month, USC was linked to several other DT names in the portal, all of whom sailed past Troy. Michigan State’s Derrick Harmon chose Oregon. TCU’s Damonic Williams, who went to high school at Alemany High, went to Oklahoma.

Meyer, though, offers as much veteran experience as anyone in the portal. His frame and history form a natural fit for Eric Henderson and Shaun Nua’s defensive line in new coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s scheme, as Nua has emphasized the package up front is “very, very versatile.”

Meyer will likely be relied upon to stay on the field on a variety of downs, as USC remains thin in the depth behind him. Sophomore Elijah Hughes had a handful of nice moments last year as a freshman, and is likely ready to fill a rotational role. True freshmen Jide Abasiri and Carlon Jones could see some snaps if they develop in fall camp.

But Alexander, Meyer and Vanderbilt transfer Nate Clifton – who might profile better as a defensive end – are USC’s only interior defensive linemen with proven collegiate production. And entering a smashmouth new conference, the Alexander-Meyer combination could well prove to be the Trojans’ most important tandem come fall.

ocregister.com

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