Lincoln Riley confirms who will — and won’t — be playing for USC in Alamo Bowl
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USC coach Lincoln Riley announced several key contributors, including receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, will not play in the Alamo Bowl against Texas Christian on Dec. 30.
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With numerous regulars sidelined, the USC coach views the bowl game as an opportunity for less experienced players to gain valuable reps.
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Riley, who just signed the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class, is balancing immediate preparation with long-term roster decisions.
Following Monday afternoon’s practice at Howard Jones Field, USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed the media for the first time since the Trojans’ victory over crosstown rival UCLA on Nov. 29.
USC (9-3), ranked No. 16 in the AP poll, is preparing to play Texas Christian (9-4) on Dec. 30 in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. USC finished 7-2 in its second season in the Big Ten and won four of its last five games, the only setback during that stretch being a 42-27 loss to Oregon, which is the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff.
Riley announced that safety Kamari Ramsey, receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, tight end Lake McRee and linebacker Eric Gentry will not play in the Alamo Bowl. Lane declared for the NFL draft on Monday.
USC DE Jahkeem Stewart (6-5, 290) celebrates his interception during a 26-21 victory over IOWA on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Coliseum. Stewart played the entire season with a stress fracture in his foot, Lincoln Riley told reporters on Monday. The true freshman will not be available to play in the Alamo Bowl against TCU. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
“Anthony Lucas and Bishop Fitzgerald want to play in the game but are dealing with injuries and trying to get back … we’ll see how that goes,” Riley said. “Kilian O’Connor and Elijah Paige and Jahkeem Stewart all had surgery and will not be ready to play.”
Tanook Hines figures to be a big Trojan target vs TCU in the Alamo Bowl. (Mark J. Terrill / AP)
Asked about signing the No. 1 recruiting class for 2026, Riley said: “It was a great day. We tried to keep the focus on building next year’s team. The amount of guys that we signed is a big portion of it and as we start to look ahead … half of our day and maybe even more is pointing towards next year and coming years. Meanwhile, obviously getting ready for this bowl game. It was a lot of hard work to add talent and people who care about this place and starting to put next year’s team together has been exciting here these last few weeks.”
Riley has a 35-17 record in his four seasons at USC and is hoping to improve his bowl record to 3-1. He guided the Trojans to wins in the 2023 Holiday Bowl and 2024 Las Vegas Bowl.
Riley watched the CIF state Open Division bowl game between Santa Margarita (coached by former Trojans quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer) and De La Salle on Saturday and was impressed by the performance of USC commit Trent Mosley, who had 11 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the Eagles’ 47-13 win.
“He was someone we targeted very early on,” Riley said. “I thought he was super impressive and it was important. He’s one of the best receivers in the country. He’s proven that and he just played out of his mind. It’s a great family and he’s a really smart kid.”
Asked what advice he gives to players who are deciding what to do next in their careers, Riley said: “Yes, it’s an important decision. The guys that make the right decision no matter what it is get a leg up on the rest of their lives. Consequently, a wrong decision can be catastrophic. That’s the world we all live in. I just try to educate them on their options. I don’t like telling guys you should do this or you shouldn’t do that. It’s more about, here’s this option, this is what it would look like, here’s what you need to consider. Sometimes the decision’s pretty clear one way or another, other times it’s not. I try to give them as much guidance as I possibly can.”
RB Bryan Jackson is among the players who are entering the portal ahead of the 2026 season. (Gina Ferazzi / LAT)
Given that USC will be missing quite a few players who were key contributors throughout the season, Riley acknowledges the likelihood of younger players seeing much action against TCU.
“There’s gonna be guys all over the place who are going to have opportunities,” Riley said. “All sides of the ball, all position groups, maybe it’s some of the guys you saw a little bit during the season and in some instances you’ll see guys get some burn in this game that haven’t played at all or very little. Bowl games are great, but days like this are the most valuable part of it because we’re just pouring reps into all of these guys, it’s super competitive and the energy level is just different. All these guys feel it’s their time.”
It’s also unlikely that any early enrollees from USC’s top-ranked recruiting class will be able to take part in the bowl game.
“It’s complicated,” Riley said. “It’s not as easy to just show up one day and come out and practice. There’s a lot of certification that has to go on, so I don’t know that we’re going to be able to do that with our guys this time around.”
Riley admitted he and his staff had to make hard decisions based on the incoming freshmen, a majority of whom are spring enrollees.
“It’s huge, it’s a high, high number that are going to be here and it’s important,” he said. “We’ve had to make a bunch of roster decisions in the last couple of weeks. We have a large number of players who have already signed and some of the decisions we had to make were based on knowing what we have coming in, and when you sign as many as we did, you’re going to have tough decisions to make.”
latimes.com
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Even without ND, our schedule in 2026 is going to be brutal and the team will be young and inexperienced though talented. We don’t need another top 10 team on our schedule(especially one that we lose to every year). We need to schedule a 12th game? We want one that will at least give us a little competition? I have the perfect candidate. Let’s schedule the monsters of the midway from Po-Dunk Corner U out there in southwest no-where where the most exciting thing that you can do all day is take a scenic walk through the potato fields.
Notre Dame vs. USC is officially on hiatus as two sides fail to reach extension. The 97th game in the historic rivalry won’t be happening next season. After months of stalled talks, USC and Notre Dame will be playing different opponents in 2026. Will Backus (cbssports.com) — USC and Notre Dame failed to reach an agreement on playing one another during the 2026 season, placing the future of the greatest intersectional annual rivalry game in jeopardy, per Yahoo Sports. USC seeks a replacement opponent while Notre Dame announced a home-and-home series with BYU to take place from 2026-27. The two universities are still working to… Read more »
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hallelujah,
Hal…Le…Lujah
Thanks for the heads up on the USC VS ND series. I was one of those who felt that this series should remain no matter what. Even giving in to ND wanting to continue a late season game ( all disadvantages to USC) but no more. Look at Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule. Just put them in a 2026 playoff bracket now. This is getting ridiculous. Seriously, it’s become a popularity contest and not SOS.
Notre Dame will not be playing USC next year and Notre Dame instead will play a 2 game set with BYU
Stop Playing “Footsie” Lynn
Mark Kulkin (WeAreSC.com) — If D’Anton Lynn stays, USC retains a coordinator who fits the program and understands the conference transition ahead. If he leaves, Lincoln Riley will again be forced to make a critical hire — one that must stick, not just impress.
The next step, though, is clear. USC and its current defensive coordinator need to go their separate ways if Lynn is going to continue to play footsie with his alma mater.
Stability on defense isn’t just desirable anymore — it’s necessary if USC wants to join their friends in the playoffs.
on3.com
Caleb Williams is really a once in a generation player. He’s got the agility of a Larmar Jackson but with a much better arm. I’ve seen him throw 50 yards(right on the money) off of his back foot with just the flick of the rist.
Caleb Williams’ Packers dagger gave the Bears more than just a win Caleb Williams made the best throw in Bears history to beat the Packers and maybe help even the scales of football’s most lopsided rivalry. Ricky O’Donnell (sbnation.com) — The Green Bay Packers have inflicted nothing short of psychological terror on the Chicago Bears over the last three-plus decades. Since the dawn of the Brett Favre era in 1992, the Packers have beaten the Bears in 78 percent of their matchups, and somehow it doesn’t even feel that close. For once, Chicago was confident going into Packers Week as the two teams… Read more »
amen
1/1/26, 1pm PT
Nah, to much fun watching them cry.
James Madison gained 509 yards against Oregon. JMU went into this game 4th in the nation on defense and 20th in the nation on offense. Maybe JMU was the real deal this year and UCLA has a really good coach coming in.
Oregon led JMU) 34-6 at half. The game was quickly over. The Ducks scored with no sweat on their first five possessions. JMU has a decent offense and I liked some of their play callng, but the game was out of hand so fast, I stopped watching.
Well maybe that guy is not such a great coach after all….I hope not since he is going to UCLA. His record is good, but I would say, not great.
Personally, I think Bob Chesney’s a smart pick by UCLA, much better than some of the retread names from bigger programs but much worse records.
JMU lost not because of scheme, game plan, player readiness etc, IMO. They lost because from all the one-on-one matchups, they simply couldn’t come close to ORE’s superior talent.
Yep
JMU scored 6 points in the 1st half and 28 points in the second half. Me thinks Oregon cleared the bench on defense in the second half. 42 players got in the game for Oregon, 37 guys got in for JMU, whatever that tells us.
Caleb Williams leads Bears to improbable 22-16 win over Packers in OT Charean Williams (Yahoo Sports) — The Bears walked it off against the Packers after having less than 1 percent chance of winning in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. D.J. Moore caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams with 4:50 remaining in overtime for an improbable 22-16 win over the Packers. The Packers were within an onside kick recovery of beating the Bears for a second time in three weeks and taking over the NFC North. Instead, the Bears moved to 11-4 and the… Read more »
Great game……what a turn around.
Shifting over to packers vs bears!
JMU doesn’t belong on the field with ORE. TUL vs OLE MISS was a replay of the reg season joke these teams already played.
I’m thinking Group of Five teams shouldn’t be in the POs unless they are a top 12 ranked team like everyone else. Letting the little guys into the POs is admirable. But not necessarily good for the game, unfortunately.
What a waste of time. Proves nothing and the poor Madison players must feel like they want to cancel the second half. Hopefully Lanning will play the 2nd team soon. One note for Oregon…..it looks like wr’s Moore, Bryant and even Stewart will be available and off injury in their next game, joining Benson and others.. Which elevates their wr room to the best in the field. It’s as if the committee is living in 2000……with the cash and portal……the elite are nearly pro teams…..the James Madison’s are average college teams. Do we really need to watch several games to… Read more »
We ended up with some really bad matchups. But I enjoyed ALA/OU, even though I was rooting for the Sooners, and the intense defensive struggle between MIA and A&M today was a nice change of pace for me in today’s high-octane, score-at-will offense world.
The quarterfinals should be a blast.
ORE / TT
ALA / IU
OLE MISS / GA
MIA / OHIO ST
Much more like it…..
This is where it gets fun.
I think one Group of 6 should get in to give those schools some hope to grow their programs. Duke or Virginia were more deserving by strength of schedule despite their records. ND, join and win a conference, lose to playoff teams and play cupcakes doesn’t work.
No totally marginal team like DUKE that loses five reg season games should ever get into the playoffs.
Clearly, ND should have gotten in. They could have won at least a couple of games.
They won a Power 4 conference, that should count for something. They played a tougher schedule than JM. ND should get in cause they beat USC? Just don’t think so. We can both agree JM does not belong.
Duke stunk, and would have but run out of the stadium by Oregon, Bama, Georgia, Tech, etc
DUKE was actually borderline pitiful. Winning their conference obviously didn’t mean jack. Even 4-loss ILL beat them 45-19. Five losses already. Ya, right.
You are correct.JMU and Tulane are getting embarrassed. Notre Dame, Texas, BYU, Vanderbilt, etc are watching as these 2 group of 5 teams get destroyed. The criteria for admitting these type of teams has to be much higher.
BTW- As much as I hate Oregon, I am enjoying watching the ucla coach of the future get his ass handed to him.
And the new ucla coach begins his descent into career mediocrity.
It is a stinky whiff of socialism. 😎
After watching the Miami-TAM game I’m convinced that both of those defenses are way ahead of SC’s defense. TAM’s fans are a multiverse ahead of the SC fans. That crowd is worth 10 points by itself. It would be nice to see a wild crowd like that filling every seat in the coliseum.
Even the 12th Man couldn’t help A&M today! USC’s D hasn’t learned to play like these teams yet. Maybe next season.
Sure would like to be a fly on the wall regards this Lynn stuff. He’s been good at USC, but certainly not great. He’s not a recruiter really, so I guess we can’t blame him for the lack of talent on D. I’m not sure how much his departure would hurt USC, if at all.
There’s other good possibilities out there, and maybe USC’s tired of renegotiating Lynn’s contracts. That really got under Pete Carroll’s skin re Norm Chow.
SC’s got other great recruiters but you’re right…..he’s not one of them
If D’Anton Lynn heads back to PSU, which more people are suggesting is likely if his buy-out can be handled … Ethan Inman (Trojans Wire) — Promoting a lower defensive staffer — easy but unlikely. This late in the offseason, you often see teams that lose a head coach or coordinator forced to promote someone from within. I don’t think the Trojans should promote anyone on its defensive staff. Eric Henderson, Doug Belk, Shaun Nua, Trovon Reed and Rob Ryan haven’t been consistent enough for long enough with their respective position groups for me to trust them leading USC’s… Read more »
The money Lynn was paid this season would buy many top DC’s in my opinion. I am leary about his schemes anyway in too much reading on defense not enough attacking. There’s a reason our defenses these past two years are giving up much rushing yards each game,
Why teams announce re-signings in transfer portal era Grant Hughes (247Sports.com) — College football teams have started publicizing the returns of star players with several major developments — Maryland quarterback Malik Washington, USC running back Waymond Jordan and South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers — lighting up social media the past week. The news of these returns, typically featuring flashy graphics and hype videos typically reserved for NFL free-agent signings, often draw criticism from fans. So, why do these return announcements matter? “I know some fans don’t like it, and people roll their eyes at the ‘I’m coming back’ announcements, but they are valuable to schools because they are sick of getting asked, over… Read more »
These re-sign announcements by USC are the most open about their business they have been in years.
Watched the Alabama/Oklahoma game. Not sure either team is playoff caliber but in the end it was somewhat entertaining. Great comeback by the Tide, reminded me of USC this past season.
Alabama is not going to win the NC. Personally, I don’t think Indiana will either. They’re an extremely well coached team with an extreme lack of talent.
For Alabama to go on the road and beat Oklahoma handily is no small feat. Alabama is playoff worthy but Oklahoma not so much. I do think Bama will lose to Indiana by at least 10. Who should have replaced Alabama and Oklahoma? ND, BYU, Texas?
So far Alabama/OK put on a good show. It was fun to watch. Miami/TAM actually put me to sleep for an hour. This shit show with Ole Miss/Tulane is a waste of time for everyone, and the James Madison/ducks will be another one. It sure seems we could go to an 8 team playoff and watch some decent ball games. So this Saturday has been a huge bust.
Defense had their way and the swirling wind.
Lincoln Riley on Penn State’s interest in D’Anton Lynn: ‘Well see how it turns out’ Steve Galluzzo (LA Times) — After Friday afternoon’s practice, USC football coach Lincoln Riley said he had no update on D’Anton Lynn, who has been the target of Penn State’s defensive coordinator search. Penn State showed interest in Lynn last year before he received a contract extension from USC. Lynn was hired by the Trojans after a successful season as the defensive coordinator at UCLA. “This is what happens this time of year, especially when you have a really good staff and are doing a lot of positive things,”… Read more »
Lincoln Riley on Penn State’s interest in D’Anton Lynn: ‘Well see how it turns out’
Hardly sounds like a coach who wants this professional collaboration to continue….
He may be okay with Lynn leaving, and then he may want him to stay and is not influencing any decision. To me it is a big step down to go to PSU at this time, but perhaps the challenge is attractive to Lynn. He has started a build that in my mind he would want to see through. Seems the sport has changed drastically in the last few years.
Myles Jack, former UCLA star, charged with deadly conduct after falling from 2nd-floor window in Texas Chuck Shilken (LA Times) — Former UCLA football star Myles Jack was arrested on suspicion of deadly conduct Tuesday after an incident in which Texas police say he fell from a second-story window. The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker faces charges of deadly conduct, including the third-degree felony of discharge of a firearm and the Class-A misdemeanor of discharge of a firearm in certain municipalities. The Frisco Police Department said in a news release that officers visited a residence Tuesday at approximately 5:40 a.m. in response… Read more »
Not surprising.Jack was always a thug, typical bruin knucklehead.If he couldn’t make a living playing football, he would have been a professional robber of liquor stores
He’s a typical ucla dude with impulse control problems. I echo the description of him being a thug.
I can’t believe Michigan really thinks they have a shot at Kalen DeBoer. Alabama is sitting on a new contract for him right now. Michigan needs to hire someone who can carry on their tradition of cheating, stealing, and lying.
I have always been a big Darnold fan, and am very happy for Sam. Would love to se him lead the Seahawks to the Superbowl
It was wonderful to see Sam come through for his Seahawks at the end when he made some incredible throws and was the beneficiary of some cool catches as well. Before then, Sam was being roundly booed as frankly it looked like he was seeing “ghosts out there” again, to use his own words, and Seattle fans were leaving the stands. It was an incredible turnaround for both Sam and the Seahawks. This amazing Ram loss is gonna stick in their craw for awhile I imagine. It will be very interesting to see where the Rams, who lost their #1… Read more »
Sam Darnold goes from total goat to hero and leads the Seahawks to 38-37 OT win over Rams.
Sam had a lot of practice at USC with this type of game.
It was an amazing game to watch. Happy for Sam that he was able to overcome his two interceptions and a fumble.
One of the most exciting, and unlikely, football endings I have ever seen.
So much more special, for me at least, since I was rooting for Sam, one of my favorite USC QBs, to emerge victorious after some horrible throws, and his poor history vs the Rams.
Sam hung there like a real pro. Fortunately for Seattle, the Rams QB sure seemed to be having a off night passing the ball.
Uber-crazy SEA/LA game. Now miraculously tied 30-30 with 4:47 to go. Darnold was playing horrible and somehow has brought back the Hawks with poise and playmaking, plus a major dose of pure luck.
Wildest two-point conversion to tie the game in the history of football.
Seattle wins…….great game…..for Seattle fans.
Sam Darnold, Leonard Williams, and the Seahawks take on the Rams in about 30 mins. TNFonPrime
They played back in Week 11. The Rams won 21-19. Seattle had four turnovers but also controlled time of possession (37:49 to 22:11) and out-gained the Rams by more than 160 yds.
I’ll shed no tears if Lynn leaves. Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll take Ryan with him. Lynn was OK but this is USC…..8 Heisman winners, 11 NC’s……with that kind of tradition…..come on…..we can do better than Lynn
Pete Kwiatkowski would be a nice pick……lots of raw clay DL folks coming in to develop.
The former DC at Wisconsin(Jim Leonhard) would also be a great pick. Either way, you have to make sure that you don’t make a mistake
If you remember Leonard has no interest in coming to CA.
I like PK, I have to laugh like the DC was the problem at Texas, not the HC/OC.
PK would be a smooth transition his defense is similar. Another would be Ryan Walters from WA. I bet Jenn has a list already.
I would take Kwiatkowski over Lynn….much more experience and accomplishment. But, if possible, I would like to get somebody better than him.
It seems to me D’anton Lynn’s defensive strategy is being reactive in reading what the opponent’s offense is executing. Brent Veneble’s strategy as not only the HC of Oklahoma but the DC calling plays which is proactive & aggressive forcing an offense to react to it in executing. You look at the numbers and you see very quickly the Sooner defense is superior in every way. Coach Lynn talks about players being put in position to make plays and mostly what we see is our front 7 spending the first seconds at the start of each play looking at what… Read more »
Lynn is trying for his second renegotiation this year, and he already got a big money extension boost in Jan. If he goes to PSU, or wherever, I’m fine with it.
Just where Bowden and Riley would turn if Lynn splits is massively important to USC in 2026. It’s drama city as usual around USC football.
This is SC’s chance to get the best DC available if Lynn leaves.They have a chance to get someone better than Lynn and if he leaves they can’t make a mistake. They should get the best guy out there that can be persuaded to come to SC. Having said that, this guy Pete Kwiatkowski is growing on me. He has 37 years of coaching experience and a lot of success. Getting fired by Texas(even though he has had success at UT) has tarnished his reputation. He’s going to be red hot in his desire to re-enhance his reputation in his… Read more »
Steve Sarkisian Makes Pair of Shocking Texas Longhorns Coaching Moves
Matt Galatzan (si.com) — The Texas Longhorns are parting ways with two defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. WIll Muschamp (former Texas HC) has already been hired to replace Kwiatkowski.
Defensive passing game coordinator Duane Akina is also being replaced for 2026. Akina’s replacement has not been named.
Kwiatkowski had been with the Horns for five seasons, coaching one of the best defenses in the history of the program in 2024.
si.com
Who will be the next Michigan Man?
Per BetOnline, the betting favorite to be named the next HC of Michigan is Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham (-150). Washington head coach Jedd Fisch (+110) and Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (+550) aren’t too far behind.
Other names of interest with betting odds include Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter (+1,400), Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi (+2,000) and Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm (+3,300).
yahoo sports
I kind feel like Michigan is so tainted it isn’t an attractive job anymore.
If Lynn’s gonna leave, I just wish he’d get on with it. Why leave USC dangling?
He’s improved USC’s D for sure, but he can be replaced. Many of us thought he wouldn’t be around that long. I’d like Lynn to stay for the sake of continuity, but the biggest benefit USC can do itself now is to bring in better players, some of whom are already on the way if you believe in recruiting rankings.
USC’s D’Anton Lynn is again the target for the PSU DC job, sources tell CBS Sports.
Matt Zenitz — The ex-PSU DB (2008-11) has improved USC from 121st nationally in scoring defense two years ago to now allowing 12 fewer points per game. Before USC, Lynn led a top 15 defense at UCLA.
While I think the defense didn’t improve this year as much as we thought it would, this would still be a loss if he left. Coaching continuity into the next year or two will be important until we fully incorporate this dynamite recruiting class into playing field positions.
But in coaching, no one is irreplaceable once you get past Nick Saban and Pete Carroll.
But SC was still 46th in the nation scoring defense after 2 full years as DC. Defense wins NC’s. You’re not going to win an NC with a defense that finishes 46th. And, don’t forget……SC played a bunch of weak offenses this year. Had they played the same schedule that Alabama played they wouldn’t have finished anywheres near 46th
I think the talent has a lot to do with it. SC did not have any front seven player who was All Big Ten. In fact, I think the DL had much improved depth and talent over last year, but it was very young. The LBs were at best mediocre. Hard to play in the B1G with the combination of lack of talent and maturity in the front 7 on D. We will know over time.
Thanks for that RJJ, I agree. We tend to blame the coach but we don’t consider they could have been a lot worse under a differenty DC. We flat out did not have that good of players, they were okay but I thought well coached on defense and played pretty good for what talent we had.
Urban Meyer says a good number of these “rumors” about players & coaches being contacted by other programs are coming from their agents seeking renegotiations of their clients contracts. And their clients are not being told this is going on behind their backs.
agents ruin all the sports. harder for fans to become attached to their home town players when the agents want to keep them churning, changing teams…. jmho
Boy the line for our bowl game seems to be dropping by the minute.
CBS Sports — USC DT Devan Thompkins is entering the transfer portal. Thompkins had 31 tackles, 6.5 TFL and three sacks this season.
Departures (15):
WR DJ Jordan
RB Bryan Jackson
CB Braylon Conley
DE Gus Cordova
OL Makai Saina
S Steve Miller
LB Matai Tagoa’i
DL Carlon Jones
LB Anthony Beavers Jr.
OL Micah Banuelos
LB Garrison Madden
RB Harry Dalton
WR Prince Strachan
DL Devan Thompkins
TE Walker Lyons
I don’t get it. Why is Thompkins leaving. Seems like he was getting quite a bit of playing time.
Thompkins and Lyons leaving are bummers as well Saina and Banuelos. Oh well, it will be next man up for the Alamo Bowl.
I could see Walker Lyons leaving, due to that great TE recruit we just signed. Will Lyons sign with BYU where his brother is a player?
This article gives an insight into the brave new world of collegiate football – roster management. Collegiate football is now clearly a professional sport. And, the top kids, particularly a player of Walker Lyons ability, are represented by agents. So, you are not dealing with the kid, you are dealing with the kid’s agent. SC is bringing in the TE from Mater Dei (Bowman I think), who I think is the top (or one of the top) TE recruits in the nation. He was also represented by an agent. It cost SC a significant amount of money to get him… Read more »
USC spent $5 million on the class of ’26 according to ON3. How much is revenue sharing direct from USC and how much is from House of Victory is hard to find out. The combined spending on football players is $15 million in school revenue sharing and estimated another $5-15 million from House of Victory. I haven’t seen what specific players are getting. MBB player Rodney Rice, now out for the season, was reportedly getting $3 million. Anybody have more dirt?
GT- I just checked with Grok (AI). It confirmed what I had read – SC paid in excess of $9 Million for this class. That is a very realistic budget. I think to compete for CFP level talent on the roster is a minimum of $50 million over 4 years, probably closer to $60 Million. I heard that Texas Tech spent $70 Million for its roster, which is mostly transfers. So, for their 2025 class, Texas Tech probably spend in excess of $30 Million. While no one knows for certain, Jeremiah Smith’s NIL for tOSU is estimated to be in… Read more »
I would guess at least that, probably more. I bet the reason Maiava is back is his agent figured he would get $750-900 K next year in the NFL. He’s probably getting $3-4 million at USC.
I read where top QB’s in the portal this year will get up to $5.5 million, for one year.
Is Lyons so sure Bowman is going to walk right in here and take all the snaps? Or was this a push out maneuver by the coaching staff? Riley will take this info to the grave.
Jamaica, Obviously I do not know, but given we recruited both Bowman and the #1 JUCO TE, my guess is the staff knew it did not have the budget to retain Lyons. Remember, these kids are represented by agents. The staff most likely knew that Lyons agent would want AA TE level payment to return. So, they instead invested that money in Bowman and the JUCO kid. The roster is being very professionally managed. They know what they are doing.
Trojans = QB U For all the disappointments USC fans have had to endure ever since Pete Carroll bolted to the NFL after dominating college football for nine years (two NCs, seven Pac-12 titles) — it’s both terrific and ironic to see USC now dominating the QB landscape in the NFL. Key USC QBs in the NFL Caleb Williams: The 2024 first overall pick, Heisman winner and now the resurgent Chicago Bears’ starting QB under masterful new coach Ben Johnson. Sam Darnold: An eight-year itinerant veteran, now playing exceptionally well for Super Bowl contender Seattle. Jaxson Dart: Starting for the N.Y. Giants after… Read more »
Super Winner Carson Palmer I find it simply astounding that in his very first year of coaching, Carson Palmer immediately led his own alma mater, Santa Margarita, to the 2025 CIF State Open Div Football Championship, dominating Concord De La Salle 47-13, for their first state title since 2011. The Eagles were powered by USC-bound star WR Trent Mosley (below, 11 catches, 183 yds, three TDs) and QB Trace Johnson (four TDs, headed to TUL). Johnson transferred into Santa Margarita from Florida specifically to play for Palmer. “Mosley is incredible,” De La Salle coach Justin Alumbaugh said. “He does some special things on… Read more »
Is he a great coach or a magnet for talent? Some of both I would suspect.
Let’s get him on the SC staff now, might be a great replacement for Riley in three years. 😎. I’m not really joking.
I would love to know what he thinks about his coaching and where he would like to go with it. The important part is what he thinks of it.
I bet as soon as his son moves on to college he will be moving up, if his wife is cool with it.
He certainly knows the SoCal when it comes to recruiting
There’s a kid down in San Diego by the name of Honor Fa’alave-Johnson. SC is said to have the inside track on him at this point. They’re recruiting him as a safety and in his film he looks good on defense. But this kid is phenomenal on offense. He shouldn’t be a safety. He should be a running back. He ran a 10.48 in the 100 meters as a junior. That will probably be lowered this summer. The kid rushed for 1265 yards this year as a junior with a 9.9 per carry average and caught passes for 564 yards… Read more »
It would be good to send the coaches down to Palmer and at least build a solid pipeline. If he stays there coaching he will attract some top talent.
Say what you will……Phil Knight made a gift in 2025 of 2 billion dollars to Oregon Health and Science University. The largest hospital in Portland. The money is dedicated for cancer research.
It was the largest charitable gift in the US this year.
I don’t like folks buying a football championship but I have to say thank you to Mr Knight.
Cancer is one h— of a nasty way to go. They are getting closer to ending it.
f
I like Phil Knight. I always have. As I’ve said here before, he was a SuperPrep subscriber, and an enthusiastic one at that. I really enjoyed our conversations.
He gives away a lot and to a lot of different places.
Amen to that. Let’s hope they use the money wisely.
I am a beneficiary of a cancer drug that was largely developed at OHSU. The drug effectively killed two tumors before the surgeons cut them out and kept the cancer from recurring for 12 more years. After I stopped taking it to mitigate other issues and the cancer returned after 2 years, resumption of the drug knocked it out in a few months.
A great story……OHSU is a terrific place…….glad they were able to help you.
Great for you, keep ringing that bell. My wife had the battle of her life this year and won. We look back at what she went through and marvel she is still here. Through it all she never missed a game, although she would fall asleep during some of them.
She got cured at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Great for your wife and for you. Sounds like you and she endured a lot more hardship than I did.
With the drug I took (and now will probably take for life), there were no side effects; and after my 2010 surgery, I didn’t have to have chemo or radiation. Just one pill a day and follow-up scans. I’ve always felt like I was cheating.
I’ve read a lot of their stuff and they are a very good organization. If I’m thinking of the right organization, they are less into drugs and more into alternative medicine(herbs and such).
He’s running the plays that the coaches call unlike what he did his senior season as SC.
Caleb’s finally getting coached.
It’s no secret that Lincoln Riley was hugely intimidated by Caleb in 2023, and Caleb was allowed to play “Hero Ball” while USC completely sunk into the dumper during the second half of the season.
Ben Johnson, in his first year coaching the perennially woeful Bears, has immediately corrected weaknesses and bad habits Caleb eventually developed in college under Riley and carried without check into his first NFL season, which resulted in the firing of Matt Eberflus.
Ben Johnson, the NFL’s next superstar head coach
#1 Rose.
#2 Hawaii
#3 XBox
I agree on the Rose. It’s the only one I consider a true logo — a picture or shape that instantly tells you what the product is without words. Like the Playboy bunny, the Apple apple, Nike swoosh, etc. The rest are just decals for the back window of your camper.
If all of those were refrigerator magnets, how awesome would that look in your kitchen?
The venue needs a serious makeover and getting in and out of the place sucks but the Granddaddy Of Them All’s logo doesn’t look like the hood of a Nascar.
So weird, and sad that popular former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his wife and their two young children, were just killed in a North Carolina plane crash.
I doubt NASCAR has ever even been mentioned on the TDB until you posted yesterday.
Good picks. I like the Hawaii Bowl too.
For me, being a traditionalist, two stick out as forever favorites above all, the Rose & Orange Bowls. Their games just caught the flavor of what CFB was all about and NBC seemed to understand and broadcast it perfectly.
Ordinarily I would decry players opting out of a bowl game, but in this era of professional college student players I am not surprised. My opinion is bowl games were a good chance to show NFL scouts your skills. Now, because it has nothing to do with the championship the bowls are meaningless. Players used to play for the school and teams. Now they play for themselves. It’s another reason to feel College football is dead.
Sadly, the NFL needs a minor league…..the rest as you stated…..is dead.
Makai Lemon named 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year
Yahoo Sports — Lemon, a First Team All-American and the winner of the 2025 Biletnikoff Award, has had a stellar 2025 campaign. Per PFF, Lemon is the highest graded wide receiver in college football, holding an overall grade of 90.4 and the nation’s top receiving grade of 91.3.
Eagerly looking forward to the announcement of the white, black, Hispanic, and dyslexic POYs.
Bama – Okie is Friday evening.
Jayden Maiava is officially returning to USC for 2026.
Ryan Kartje (LAT) — Maiava’s return now turns the attention to five-star backup Husan Longstreet, who will have a decision to make about his future at USC.
It’s unclear if Longstreet would be willing to wait another season behind Maiava.
USC announced earlier this week that it had re-signed No. 1 RB Waymond Jordan and receivers Tanook Hines and Zacharyus Williams for the 2026 season.
latimes.com
That is good news for the Trojans chances next season. Longstreet needs to be patient and put the work in with Riley, Huard and Maiava. It took Maiava 2 seasons to get command of the offense. Husan will be the man in ’27 with a loaded team. He would be making a big mistake to transfer.
Husan Longstreet is going to be the complete Qb, who can pass short, long, and run the ball. I personally feel it is a shame he sits, or even worse transfers. 26 is not going to be a championship season, 27 could very well be, and there we are with Husan finally getting action. Maiava in my opinion has just about maxed himself out, he didn’t really improve that much over the 2nd half of the season. But that is jmho. I can see most people do not agree.
I would prefer to see Maiava go pro because I think Longstreet is the better player. If we remove the stats from the Missouri St and Georgia Southern games, Maiava has 16 TDs and 8 Interceptions against real competition which we will be facing more of next year. It is also better for Maiava to go pro because he has a better chance of getting picked by a better team where he can be tutored to be a better player like Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers. I believe (just a thoughtful guess) that he stayed beccause the money… Read more »
I agree…….in addition…..I fear Husan, if he is not guaranteed the starting job might unfortunately look elsewhere no matter what he says now. Too many quality programs need a good QB. Miami, Indiana, maybe Oregon, Penn St etc etc. and some of them could step up to the plate with big time cash. Husan is too talented to sit another year. Maiava has topped out and with the schedule next year it may be more evident. If we play ND the schedule is going to be a killer. If I were Riley I would have announced that Husan would start… Read more »
I thought most TDBers here thought that Lincoln Riley was the greatest QB coach alive. He’s supposed to be the phenomenal QB expert, right? And Riley’s the one who obviously doesn’t believe Maiava has topped out and he’s decided to sit Longstreet in 2026 to prove his point. I personally don’t think local kid (Corona Centennial) Longstreet’s gonna leave and I’m sure Chad Bowden has already made him an offer he can’t refuse. Plus, QB’s get hurt a lot, especially those who can run, and when they go down, it can be very damaging. We saw what happened to USC… Read more »
If Longstreet doesn’t get the PT like he didn’t get much this last season, we go into 27 with what is supposed to be top caliber team, and a pretty inexperienced leader at QB. Hopefully LR can use Husan more next year, give him plays he can be put in for and get some serious game time experience. To me, Maiava is pretty good, but I think Husan is going to be really good. Like you say Allen, jmho.
Longstreet took his ‘shirt for this past season, correct?
If there is anyone who has proven himself to be effective at getting and keeping talent it is Chad Bowden. However, transfering from school to school is an extremely effective way to make more money, get playing time and win a Heisman. 5 of the last 7 Heisman winners were transfers and 2 of them transferred twice. And from USC history, Jaxson Dart successfully transfered and he became a Heisman finalist. If Longstreet has an agent, you can count (actually I am guessing) on the fact that the agent is in ear about this. Lastly, I do not know whether… Read more »
LOL….you must have me confused with someone else……I’am the guy who would sell Riley for a nickel to an elf…..and I believe you are pulling my leg anyway. Your opinion of Riley is probably very close to mine…..although you have your moments of variance. As far as Riley opinions….worth less than a ham sandwich to me. As far as Husan….no way USC has enough cash to pay Maiava as a starter and give Husan enough to compete with Oregon, Indiana etc. I don’t know the kid….maybe he grew up dreaming of USC or has a mama that wants to see… Read more »
Hah. Yes indeed. You’ll notice I said “most TDBers here“, never meaning to include you my friend. Like you, I think Riley wants to eat his cake and have it too. Who can blame him? He’s around these QBs every day, and frankly he needs them both. If he can keep ’em, more power to him. I have to think Maiava and Longstreet are part of a package deal for USC at this stage. It’s a juggling act I just figured was working out for USC at this stage. I think Longstreet has been promised some things by Riley making… Read more »
As a USC fan….fantastic. Hope your spitball is exactly what happens.
I agree with you, Steve G.
I was about thirty percent hoping Maieva would declare for the NFL.
Let’s hope Team Husan tells the kid this is a season to learn. I am sure Riley will put in some run pass option packages for Street. Maieva can and should run more, but he is too reluctant. This season proved that.
But the sponsors are not paying for a developmental exhibition game.
Either Hussn understands himself or it is clearly brought to his attention what will happen if he sticks it out here. A talented top & experienced offense would be placed in his hands to operate and win big in another year. It will either be him if he’s smart or another QB whose ship just came in!
So what I read into this game is a lot of player rotation will occur on our side and if we can stay close in the game versus TCU with having an experience advantage, we can make a game of it in the 2nd half. If TCU gets too far ahead in the scoring, we could see our coaching staff more into player evaluations on the field and leaving it at that. It’s all about prepping for next year.
If Jayden Maiava stays his senior year, he would set himself up for the Heisman watch. I would think his chances to win this award would be determined by his numbers as Carson Palmer was able to do. But getting enough wins to make it into the playoff would greatly enhance his chances. USC’s tough 2026 schedule would amplify that accomplishment.
Maiava wouldn’t be a first-rounder if he leaves now. He might be with another good year at USC, when he also might get to play in the playoffs, though many would doubt that with USC’s exceptionally tough schedule.
But sooner or later, USC has to finally get into the playoffs. Maiava probably gives us a better shot at that.
I’ve seen Carson Palmer. Jaden Maieva ain’t no Carson Palmer
I fear we are going to learn that the hard way next year. Hope to be wrong.
No major opt-outs or injuries have been confirmed in reports for TCU’s expected Alamo Bowl roster …
As of Dec 15, TCU has not had any players officially opt out or definitively ruled out for the Alamo Bowl against USC, with Horned Frog coach Sonny Dykes expecting everyone to play, including potential NFL prospects like WR Eric McAlister and S Bud Clark.
In stark contrast, USC is dealing with several significant absences, stemming from injuries and players opting for the NFL Draft, creating a much less experienced Alamo Bowl Trojan team.