USC Freshmen Benefiting As Early Enrollees Poised for Early Impact

USC defensive coordinator Gary Patterson laid it off perfectly in his opening press conference when he was discussing the Trojans early enrollees.

“A kid nowadays has three cycles of lifting and he went through 15 practices and all the meetings. They’re not a freshman anymore,” Patterson said.

USC Trojans Recruiting Class Jonas Williams Mark Bowman Deshonne Redeaux Early Enrollee Spring Practice Breck Kolojay — Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Trojans have 32 of its 35 recruits on campus right now, going through the first round of offseason workouts. Which freshmen will benefit the most from enrolling in January.

Mark Bowman, Tight End

Five-star tight end Mark Bowman has an impressive skillset and can make an impact immediately. With each of the Trojans top two tight ends moving on, USC is going to count on the Mater Dei (Calif.) product.

The 6-foot-5 Bowman is listed at 225 pounds. Continuing to add physical strength but also adding around 10-15 pounds will be huge to play tight end in the Big Ten. But the mental side is just as important.

The leap from high school to major college football is massive. Adapting to the college game, learning the offense and building a rapport with quarterback Jayden Maiava will be vital.

Deshonne Redeaux, Running Back

From the moment he burst onto the scene as a freshman at Oaks Christian (Calif.), four-star running back Deshonne Redeaux immediately became a player USC couldn’t let out of the state.

Redeaux, the No. 86 overall recruit and No. 5 running back, per the 247Sports Composite Ranking, is the electric. He runs with tremendous short area agility and quickness and then has a burst in the open field. Redeaux is good route runner from the backfield or flexing out wide. He was stellar showing it route running and hands all week at the Navy All-American Bowl.

The Trojans return it’s two rushers in Waymond Jordan and King Miller but lost three running backs to the transfer portal. Their depth took a major hit but opens the door for Redeaux to compete for the No. 3 running back spot with redshirt freshman Riley Wormley and fellow four-star Shahn Alston.

Jonas Williams, Quarterback

Reps, reps and more reps are always valuable for a quarterback. Four-star quarterback Jonas Williams had a prolific high school career. He first started on varsity at 14 years old and finished as the state of Illinois all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. This past season, he was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.

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Now comes the transition. Learning from a quarterback like Maiava that has started 31 games in his career and enters his fifth season in college has tremendous value for Williams. Just seeing the way a veteran prepares and operates under Riley are small details that can have a big impact.

Williams is competing with sixth-year senior Sam Huard for the backup job and depending on how the Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) product progresses will determine how much we see of him in mop up duty early in the season.

Breck Kolojay, Center

USC will return all five starters on the offensive line and several key reserves from a year ago. And then in comes a group of top-notch freshmen, including five-star offensive tackle and four-star center Breck Kolojay, IOL Esun Tafa and offensive tackle Vlad Dyakonov.

The freshman most likely to shake things up on the offensive line would be Kolojay. Kilian O’Connor started last season at center after he beat out J’Onre Reed, a two-year starter at Syracuse the Trojans brought in via the transfer portal, coming out of fall camp. O’Connor is a highly intelligent player and as a former walk-on, has earned everything.

Kolojay is a mauler upfront. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound IMG Academy (Fla.) product is competitive and plays with an edge. He will definitely push O’Connor in the spring.

Peyton Dyer, Safety

Depth at safety is a question mark for USC right now. Kamari Ramsey and Consensus First Team All-American Bishop Fitzgerald are gone. Christian Pierce was a starter this season because Ramsey moved down nickel out of necessity. Kennedy Urlacher started the final three games of the season because of injuries to Ramsey and Fitzgerald.

Marquis Gallegos returns for his third season but has primarily been a special teams player and has very limited experience at safety. Alex Graham will be someone to monitor. The versatile defensive back played both nickel and safety during his true freshman season.

The Trojans chose not to add a safety in the transfer portal and that is where four-star Peyton Dyer comes into play. Dyer can play multiple positions in the secondary but his future long-term is most likely at safety. The Georgia native could be a key depth piece in the fall, so having him on campus to learn Gary Patterson's defense is huge.

Three-star safety Madden Riordan is also enrolled but the local product projects more as a nickel right now.

Wide Receiver Class

Four of the six receivers the Trojans signed in 2026 are on campus. Four-star Boobie Feaster and three-star Roderick Tezeno will enroll in the summer.

And with USC losing its top two receivers from last season, there's a good chance one of the freshmen could start in the fall alongside Tanook Hines and NC State transfer Terrell Anderson. Four-star Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Trent Mosley, the Trinity League stars are the two likely candidates.

Dixon-Wyatt and Mosley capped off their stellar high school careers with excellent senior seasons and are college ready. Whether they start or not, both will see playing time in the fall and getting acclimated to the playbook, college environment and Maiava are very important this spring. Feaster still shouldn't be counted out, Hines didn't arrive until the summer last season and was a day one starter.

Expect USC to widen its receiver rotation next season. Because the Trojans wanted to keep Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane in the game, they played about four, sometimes five receivers. In previous seasons it was anywhere from six to eight. That opens the door four another pair of local products in four-star Luc Weaver and three-star Ja'Myron 'Tron' Baker.

Talanoa Ili, Linebacker

Mike Ekeler was brought in from Nebraska to be the Trojans new special teams and linebackers coach. Four-star Talanoa Ili will have an opportunity to work with the longtime college assistant in the spring and get a head start on his development.

The versatile 6-foot-3 linebacker is listed at 225 pounds. And adding 10 more pounds to frame would be ideal and the Southern California native could be a key depth piece in the fall.