Key USC Trojans Safety's Patience Paying Off for Defensive Coordinator D'Anton Lynn

USC Trojans safety Christian Pierce waited three seasons for the opportunity to start for his first career game at his hometown school. What did the former four-star recruit and defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn have to say about the moment?

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES - Patience isn't very common in this transfer portal era of college football. Players are free to leave schools as many times as they please in either the winter or spring portal windows — or in some cases, players will elect to leave a program during a season. 

Student-athletes will hit the portal for a variety of reasons, most commonly, a lack of playing time, but not USC Trojans junior safety Christian Pierce. 

Seizing the Opportunity 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pierce, a former four-star recruit in the 2023 cycle, waited three seasons for his opportunity to start a game for the Trojans. 

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn chose to go with a three-safety defense against Missouri State in the season opener. Redshirt junior Kamari Ramsey moved down to the nickel spot and Pierce started alongside redshirt senior Bishop Fitzgerald in the backend. 

Pierce played the entire first half, with the starters, other than defensive end Anthony Lucas, not playing in the second half with the game out of hand. He registered three tackles, including one for loss and one pass breakup. 

“I was super impressed. He's a guy that, again, has improved a lot,” Lynn said. “He's always as far as what he does on the field, he's always done since I've been here. But just mentally, he's grown a lot. He's one of the guys that we really trust out there on the field.”

Path to Starting Lineup 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) product appeared in 23 games across his first two seasons, primarily on special teams. Instead of complaining about his role, or looking for another school, where he could a plug-and-play guy, Pierce just kept working. 

He's a perfect example of a player that zeroed in on a goal that he laid out before even arriving on campus and never stopped pursuing it until it became a reality. Adversity and competition are a big part of college athletics and Pierce did not shy away from either.

 “To be honest, I really kind of worked my way up and was able to have that opportunity to go out and start for the team,” Pierce said. “Just a big moment for me and I'm grateful for it.”

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For someone that played his high school football just 50 miles away from Southern Cal, getting the opportunity to start for his hometown school was a special moment. 

“It meant everything. Just being able to go out there, get the opportunity to play, it's truly a blessing to be able to play for this program and really go out and play with my teammates, guys I love,” Pierce said. 

Safety Room 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley gestures during the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ramsey and Fitzgerald are the veterans in the room and lead the backend of the defense. Regardless of whether or not Lynn decides to continue with the three-safety defense, Pierce has carved out a significant role. 

Sophomore Kennedy Urlacher was the fourth safety. The son of Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher and Notre Dame transfer made an impression on his new teammates during fall camp. 

Lynn mentioned redshirt freshman Marquis Gallegos as someone that stood out on the Trojans defense in the second half. Saturday’s 60-point win over Missouri State gave the USC staff an opportunity to get an extended look at their young players in a game environment.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; The Southern California Trojans SC logo at midfield at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The former four-star recruit from Sierra Canyon (Calif.) made back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter that showcased his aggressive style. On second down, Gallegos quickly got in the backfield and recorded a tackle for loss and on third down, he came flying down from his safety position, split two blockers and delivered a low hit on a screen pass that prevented the Missouri State running back from making an acrobatic catch.

Gallegos has a nose for the football and flies around the field. It's a playing style that his teammates have grown accustomed to seeing.

“That boy is a dog. He has an instinct for the game,” Pierce said. “He's just he's getting better every single day, and you can tell,” Pierce said. “Juust like on Saturday, he just attacks the ball, and he's a physical player, so he's been doing great.”