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The USC Trojans signed 21 players at their high school recruiting class, but with the transfer portal officially opening on December 9, the Trojans will now turn their attention to the portal to address their positional needs.
USC will lose defensive backs Akili Arnold, Bryson Shaw, Jacobe Covington, John Humphrey, Jaylin Smith, Greedy Vance, DeCarlos Nicholson and Prophet Bolden when they graduate in the spring. In addition to losing six defensive backs to graduation, safety Kamari Ramsey will have a chance to go to the NFL, something he could consider if his draft grade is high enough. USC returns four cornerbacks, including Marcellus Williams, who plans to fight for a starting job this offseason. In the safety room, USC will return five players, not including Ramsey. The Trojans should enter the portal for veteran transfers to fill the depth left by the graduating class.
USC will graduate its top two tacklers for the 2024 season. Both Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Mason Cobb will be leaving the team next fall, and the Trojans desperately need someone who can step up and fill the productive void left by the senior linebackers. Mascarenas-Arnold had 88 tackles, three sacks and two picks in his lone season in Los Angeles. It will be difficult to find that kind of production through the portal, but luckily USC will bring back Eric Gentry, who missed most of the season with a concussion. The Trojans expect a big jump from Desman Stephens II after the young linebacker showed his potential in 2024. However, there isn’t a ton of experience across the board in the positional unit. USC will need to find experienced linebackers at this spot to help guide the young and promising defenders like Stephens II and Garrison Madden.
USC will face a serious renewal of the offensive line in 2025. With Trojans team captain Jonah Monheim and offensive tackle Mason Murphy graduating and heading to the NFL, there are some holes up front for USC. If offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon also declares for the NFL Draft, that will be three starting positions that will need to be replaced. The Trojans finished strong recruiting the offensive line at the high school level, but similar to a broken record, the Trojans should look for help from the veteran offensive line to ease the transition for the talented youngsters.
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