USC Trojans Announce Big Ten Media Days Representatives

The USC Trojans' representatives for 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days have been announced as quarterback Jayden Maiava and defensive linemen Jide Abasiri as well as Alex VanSumeren. As always, USC coach Lincoln Riley will accompany the Trojans players to Chicago at the end of July as members of the entire conference will be in town.

It will be the first time for all athletes, as USC brought offensive lineman Elijah Paige and former Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon and safety Kamari Ramsey as player representatives alongside Riley before the 2025 season.

usc trojans big ten media days lincoln riley jayden maiava jide abasiri alex vansumeren college football playoff chicago — Southern California’s Jayden Maiava throws downfield against Oregon during the first half Nov. 22, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Maiava returns to USC after forgoing the 2026 NFL Draft, and in his first full season as the Trojans starting quarterback, he threw for 3,711 yards with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 157 yards and 6 touchdowns, using his legs as a threat especially in the red zone. Will another season of starting experience for Maiava help push USC over the edge and into the College Football Playoff?

Offense is typically taken care of on teams coached by Riley, and while the Trojans do have some question marks at wide receiver, the USC defense is an intriguing unit thanks to new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson as well as some key transfers.

The Trojans have some depth on the defensive line with Abasiri, VanSumeren, Jahkeem Stewart, Braylan Shelby, and Kameryn Crawford, as well as exciting freshmen like Luke Wafle, Jaimeon Winfield, and Tomuhini Topui.

Abasiri finished 2025 with 3.5 sacks, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 26 total tackles. VanSumeren registered 1.5 sacks, 2.0 tackless for loss, and 52 total tackles.

With Abasiri and VanSumeren attending Big Ten Media Days, one can presume that the defensive line may be a strength of the USC defense. VanSumeren is not the first transfer to represent the Trojans for the conference's media days, but his inclusion implies that the former Michigan State defensive lineman has made an early impression on USC's coaching staff.

Lincoln Riley's Big Ten Media Day History

At the 2025 Big Ten Media Days, Riley spoke candidly about building USC's roster through the transfer portal and the decision to shift to a bigger focus on high school recruiting.

"For us, year one when we walked in the door, we felt like we needed to use the transfer portal in a big way to kind of 'shock the system' to get the roster where it was competitive and try to create some belief and excitement and momentum early. We landed on a bunch of the right guys in the transfer portal year one, the team really came together, caught fire. Honestly, probably played a little bit over our head, but I think the belief and momentum was established," Riley said.

"We went heavy again on the portal again in year two. . ." Riley continued. "If you asked me maybe my biggest regret up to this point, that's probably it. Because I think we all knew deep down, long term that when you're at USC, the core values and the core beliefs of how you build a program is always going to start from your high school recruiting, specifically in Los Angeles and Southern California and branching out all over the country, and then your ability to develop that."

USC signed the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 after Riley's comments, and the decision to focus on California recruits has remained the Trojans' strategy through the class of 2027.

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