Update on USC Trojans Star JuJu Watkins' Injury Recovery

For the first time in over a year, there's real momentum in JuJu Watkins' injury recovery, and USC fans are starting to feel it. The Trojans star, who suffered a torn ACL during the 2025 NCAA Tournament is no longer stuck on the sidelines. At USA Basketball's national team training camp in Phoenix, Watkins returned to the floor, shooting and moving without a knee brace. She is not fully cleared, but the clip signals her imminent return.

"Recovery's coming along very well," Watkins told ESPN while at USA Basketball training camp. "Just staying with it, and I'll be back soon. I'm working out and stuff. While I'm here just shooting mainly, but back home just working on everything. Getting closer to the finish line, so I'm grateful about that."

Watkins' Making Noticeable Progress

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb USC Trojans guard Jazzy Davidson USA Basketball NCAA Tournament — Mar 24, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) during pregame warmups before an NCAA Tournament second round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The context behind JuJu Watkins' recent optimism comes from knowing where she was just a few months ago. Back in December, Watkins attended Team USA camp at Duke University, but did not participate. Similar to her time with the Trojans this season, she was actively watching and engaging with her teammates. But she wasn't physically ready to fully join them.

Now the difference is clear. With her now shooting and getting real work in, she is inching closer toward full clearance. That progression stood out to USA Basketball managing director Sue Bird, who is highly optimistic about how far Watkins has come in her recovery.

"JuJu's in a great spot," Bird told ESPN. "Just in talking to her, you can see she's in a really settled place, a really calm place. Ready to get back on the court. As you get closer to the end, it actually gets harder because you know you're ready, but you still have to take your time with it. But she looks great."

With modern medicine, the ACL injury is not necessarily a career killer like it was in the past, but some of the lasting effects are still the same. More so than the physical aspect of recovery, the psychological side is what carries the most weight. Watkins is through initial phase of her rehab process, but building back up he confidence, rhythm and trust in her body is the next step in her journey back on to the floor.

What USC Learned Without Its Star

While Watkins was navigating her way back from injury, USC spent the 2025-26 season adjusting to life without of the sport's most dominant players. The results were mixed, but not without promise.

The Trojans finished 18-14 and earned a No.9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They were eliminated in the second round by the South Carolina Gamecocks, but the season wasn't defined by the loss. It was defined by player development.

None more important than that of star freshman guard Jazzy Davidson who emerged as a foundational piece, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and delivering a historic 30-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist performance in her tournament debut. Expectations were set high coming into the season for the former 2025 No.1 ranked recruit. Safe to say she delivered on the hype.

With the growth of Davidson over the course of the season, USC now has hopes of being more than just a one-player system. Pairing Watkins with Davidson now gives them a proven one-two punch on par with some of the best backcourts in the country entering next season.

Why the Ceiling Just Changed Again

With Watkins getting closer to returning to action, this updates act as both good news for Trojans fans and a warning to the rest of women's college basketball.

Before going down with injury, JuJu Watkins had the entire college basketball world in the palm of her hands. While averaging 23.9 points per game, she won the AP Player of the Year, becoming only the fourth sophomore to complete such a feat. Now she comes back to a team featuring a rising star in Jazzy Davidson, another No.1 ranked recruit in McDonald's All-American MVP Saniyah Hall and two more five stars in Sitaya Fagan and Sara Okeke.

This season, expectations were tempered and USC's results reflected why many were low on them entering the year. But with Watkins' return around the corner, the Trojans now find themselves immediately right back in the contenders conversation.

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