USC football wide receiver depth: Breaking down a loaded room
With spring practice in the books, we've put out our projected USC football depth chart for the fall. But let's go deeper. Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll release position by position breakdowns of USC's roster.
Who is back from last season? Who's new? Who will have the biggest impact? Who's an under the radar player to watch? What does the future of the position look like?
We'll answer all of those questions and more.
We started our breakdowns with the quarterbacks and running backs before moving over to the tight ends. Let's now dive into the wide receiver spot.
THE ROOM
USC enters the 2023 season with nine scholarship wide receivers. If Raleek Brown (So.) is included with the wide outs — he'll be playing some slot receiver in addition to running back this fall — then that number jumps up to 10.
Brown, Brenden Rice (Sr.), Mario Williams (Jr.), Michael Jackson III (Jr.), Tahj Washington (R-Sr.) and Kyron Hudson (R-So.) are all returners. Dorian Singer (Jr.) transferred to USC following a breakout season at the University of Arizona. Zachariah Branch (Fr.), Ja'Kobi Lane (Fr.) and Makai Lemon (Fr.) will all be true freshmen this season.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
1. Brenden Rice (Sr.), Dorian Singer (Jr.) OR Tahj Washington (R-Sr.), Mario Williams (Jr.)
2. Michael Jackson III (Jr.), Zachariah Branch (Fr.)
3. Kyron Hudson (R-So.), Ja'Kobi Lane (Fr.), Makai Lemon (Fr.)
Lincoln Riley will likely rotate in receivers regularly like he did last season. Eight USC wideouts caught at least 15 passes in 2022. There's a strong chance that every non-freshman receiver will get opportunities to contribute in the fall. Of the freshmen, Branch is the likeliest to be targeted consistently. The room is loaded. Strong fall camps from Lane and Lemon could allow those two to factor in as well.
Brown isn't listed on the depth chart — we'd like to learn a little bit more about his role before placing him somewhere. Brown mostly took reps at slot receiver this spring, but Riley said had Brown been healthy for all of spring ball, he would have lined up at running back during the first half of the practice sessions.
2022 STATS
Rice: Caught 39 passes for 611 yards and 4 touchdowns in 14 games
Singer (at Arizona): Caught 66 passes for 1,105 yards and 6 touchdowns in 12 games
Washington: Caught 50 passes for 785 yards and 6 touchdowns in 14 games
Williams: Caught 40 passes for 631 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games. Had 1 rush attempt for 10 yards
Jackson: Caught 17 passes for 236 yards and 4 touchdowns in 8 games. Had 2 rushing attempts for 72 yards
Hudson: Caught 15 passes for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games
Brown: Caught 16 passes for 175 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games. Had 42 rushing attempts for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns.
WHAT TO EXPECT
With Caleb Williams at quarterback, expectations will fairly be sky high for this group. There isn't one standout star like with Jordan Addison last season. Instead, this is a group of talented wide outs, which include a few who have number 1 receiver/star potential.
It wouldn't be surprising if Rice, Singer, Washington or Williams emerged as USC's top wide out. Branch, the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the 2023 class, may have the highest ceiling of any player in the room.
Five-star freshman tight end Duce Robinson, who signed with USC in March, is expected line up as a receiver for the Trojans in some sets next season as well. He's another potential star.
This a deep and talented group that will be very challenging for opposing defenses to handle.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE POSITION LOOK LIKE?
It's tough to predict exactly who will be back at USC in 2024, but there is a chance that the four players at the top of the depth chart — Rice, Singer, Washington and Williams — all depart for the NFL after next year. They could all return if they choose though, which makes answering the question posed challenging.
If there's a lot of turnover, expect USC to take a transfer or two and expand Branch's role significantly. Players leaving would provide Jackson, Hudson, Lemon and Lane more opportunities.
In USC's 2024 high school recruiting class, the Trojans secured a commitment from four-star Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) Xavier Jordan last week. He's ranked as the No. 13 wide receiver nationally, according to 247Sports.com. How much of a chance he gets as a true freshman will largely come down to what the roster looks like.
