Texas Longhorns Hosting Transfer Portal Lineman Emmanuel Pregnon From USC Trojans

Former USC Trojans All-Big Ten guard Emmanuel Pregnon is set to visit the Texas Longhorns and coach Steve Sarkisian after spending a few days at Tennessee this week. Pregnon is one of the most coveted players remaining in the transfer portal.

Kendell Hollowell | Jan 12, 2025

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks downfield while coaching in the second quarter as the Texas Longhorns play the Arizona State Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Jan. 1, 2025. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Former USC Trojans offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon is set to visit the Texas Longhorns this weekend. The Longhorns are preparing to face off against Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Friday, Jan. 10. The winner will face Notre Dame in the National Championship.

The highly coveted offensive lineman is coming off a visit with Tennessee that began on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and Pregnon stayed in Knoxville until Friday. Oregon is also in the mix for Pregnon but does not have a visit lined up yet. Another NCAA FBS dead period is scheduled for next week from Jan. 13 to Jan. 15. He will be able to take more visits after that.

Pregnon entered the transfer portal on Jan. 3 after initially deciding to forgo the 2025 NFL Draft and return to USC for another season. He suited up for the Trojans in their win over Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 27 but changed his mind about where he would playing next season soon after.

The Denver, Colorado, native is an immediate plug-and-play on the offensive line and brings a ton of experience to whichever program he chooses. Pregnon began his career at Wyoming, where he started 11 games for the Cowboys in 2022. He then transferred to USC in 2023 and has started 25 games over the past two seasons. Pregnon earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors after helping pave the way for running back Woody Marks to become the Trojans first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017.

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Pregnon was one of three starting offensive lineman in 2024 to depart from USC, joining center Jonah Monheim, who is headed off to the NFL, and offensive tackle Mason Murphy, who has since transferred to Auburn. The Trojans will return offensive tackle Elijah Paige and guard Alani Noa in 2025.

However, the Trojans have been busy rebuilding the offensive line via the portal. USC coach Lincoln Riley has landed two commitments this week from former Purdue interior offensive lineman DJ Wingfield and from former Syracuse center J’Onre Reed.

Wingfield started for the Boilermakers at guard in 2024 and nine games at right tackle for New Mexico in 2023. Reed started 25 games for the Orange over the past two seasons.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Tobias Raymond is expected to step in at right tackle in 2025 and Kilian O’Connor will provide excellent depth at center. Both players made their first career starts in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Freshman offensive tackle Justin Tauanuu stepped in for an injured Elijah Paige at left tackle in the bowl game and gained some much-needed experience playing in a live game at the collegiate level. In addition to Tauanuu, the Trojans signed three other offensive linemen in the 2024 recruiting cycle and four more in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

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Published Jan 10, 2025|Modified Jan 12, 2025

KENDELL HOLLOWELL

Kendell Hollowell, a Southern California native has been been covering collegiate athletics since 2020 via radio and digital journalism. His experience includes covering programs such as the USC Trojans, Vanderbilt Commodores and Alabama Crimson Tide. Kendell He also works in TV production for the NFL Network. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kendell was a collegiate athlete on the University of Wyoming and Adams State football team. He is committed to bringing in-depth insight and analysis for USC athletics.