Eric Musselman Doesn't Hold Back on USC's Leaders Next Season

Heading into the 2026 season, the USC Trojans have three key players returning who could have a major impact on USC's performance next season.

Feb 8, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman looks on from the bench during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

After a 2025 season riddled with injuries, the USC Trojans seem to be a lot healthier entering 2026.

In addition to getting healthier, the Trojans also have three key players returning who coach Eric Musselman believes could have a major impact on USC’s 2026 campaign. 

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Rodney Rice (1) dribbles the ball during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Culture Of USC Basketball

“Yeah, we’re super excited to have Rodney Rice, Alijah Arenas, Jacob Cofie. Those three guys have to bring the culture. They gotta bring the rest of the guys to where we wanna go. They know what the expectations are. The great thing about returners is to see growth in their game. Those three guys had good years last year, now we need them to have great years, and they need to build off what they’ve already done. And then we’ve gotta see a great deal of improvement as well in certain areas of their game,” said Musselman.

As mentioned by Musselman, the Trojans are getting guard Rodney Rice, guard Alijah Arenas in addition to forward Jacob Cofie to return to USC for the 2026 season. Being able to bring back these three players is something that could do a lot more than just help the Trojans win more games, it could help to establish a winning culture at USC.

Last season, the Trojans were unable to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. In order to reach March Madness, the Trojans must have leaders who can step up to show what the standard is at USC to compete at the highest level in college basketball. 

That is why the returns of Rice, Arenas, and Cofie could be such a big deal. All three of these players had solid performances during the 2025 season and could take a step forward in 2026. However, they do need to help the younger players on the roster to develop and adjust to what is a very competitive and physical Big Ten conference. 

Jan 24, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard KJ Lewis (5) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Revamped Roster

Throughout the offseason, USC has been very active through both the transfer portal and high school recruiting, which seems to have helped the Trojans build one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the Big Ten. 

Through the transfer portal, USC added guards KJ Lewis, Isaac Bruns, Jalen Cox, Jadis Jones, and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor in addition to center Eric Reibe. Across the board, it appears that the Trojans did a solid job of finding productive players, but also have a decent amount of experience to become solid contributors for USC as soon as next season.

In high school recruiting, the Trojans added a significant amount of talent and depth to the frontcourt after bringing in forward Christian Collins in addition to centers Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff. These young frontcourt players for USC bring a solid amount of length and could be very valuable depth pieces for the future of the Trojans basketball program.

Based on the significant changes that Musselman and his staff have made to the USC roster, having returning players like Rice, Arenas, and Cofie could be huge to help the new players get acclimated from a schematic standpoint, as well as the culture the Trojans have begun to implement with Musselman at the helm.

With the experience that Rice, Arenas, and Cofie have, they have an opportunity to help Musselman develop the young talent on the roster and potentially put the Trojans in a position to have one of the best rosters top to bottom in the entire country. 

USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman watches during the second half of the NCAA men's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center on Feb. 11, 2026. Ohio State won 89-82. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Potential NCAA Tournament Opportunity

With the changes that USC has made, this could be a great opportunity for the Trojans to get back to the NCAA Tournament and potentially make a deep run in it. 

A major reason why USC could make a deep run in the tournament is the success that the Michigan Wolverines had last season with a similar approach to the offseason. Michigan built the starting lineup entirely through the transfer portal, with dominant players in the backcourt and the frontcourt. With the depth that the Wolverines were able to build, Michigan became a dominant force and could be a blueprint that the Trojans may look to replicate. 

Based on the success that the Wolverines had in the Big Ten and in the NCAA Tournament, USC could have similar success with a balance of newcomers and returners. With that balance, the Trojans could have an advantage over other teams in the Big Ten, with an opportunity to have some continuity in addition to bringing new players in who could have major roles in 2026. 

As USC prepares for the 2026 season, the balance of returners and new additions could help the Trojans to establish a strong culture with a significant amount of talent that may very well help the Trojans to become one of the better teams in the Big Ten and could lead USC to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

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