USC Trojans Cornerback Battle Preview: DJ Harvey, DeCarlos Nicholson, Chasen Johnson

Cornerback will be one of the more intriguing position battles for the USC Trojans when fall camp rolls next month.

All three starters, Jaylin Smith, Jacobe Covington and Greedy Vance, as well as John Humphrey have moved onto the NFL, leaving a wide-open competition.

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson (17) warms cup before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

USC landed San Jose State transfer DJ Harvey in the winter portal. The redshirt senior played alongside his close friend, Trojans redshirt junior safety Kamari Ramsey at nearby Sierra Canyon (Calif.) high school.

Harvey has appeared in 37 career games over the past four seasons at Virginia Tech and San Jose State. The Southern California product drew strong praise from USC coach Lincoln Riley during spring practice and is a favorite to start at one of the cornerback spots in the fall.

“Harvey brings a lot of energy and juice to the field, he’s a really competitive guy, you kind of feel his energy and presence every day,” Riley said. “He’s really focused on his craft. His energy, his competitiveness, that fire, you feel the impact.”

Sep 20, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; San Jose State Spartans defensive back DJ Harvey (2) intercepts the ball in front of Washington State Cougars wide receiver Kris Hutson (1) in OT at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 54-52 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

USC landed UCF transfer Chasen Johnson for a second time this offseason in the spring portal. Johnson committed to the Trojans in December, but then flipped to SMU a couple of days later, before ultimately deciding to withdraw his name from the portal and return to Central Florida.

Johnson entered the portal again and committed to USC in May, reuniting him former UCF cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed, who joined the Trojans staff in January.

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Johnson played 452 defensive snaps across 12 games as a true freshman in 2024, which included starting four of the last five games. USC pursuing Johnson twice in the portal speaks volume to how they view him and his ability to immediate contribute this season.

Redshirt senior DeCarlos Nicholson was part of the Trojans two-deep rotation in 2024. He appeared in all 13 games last season, including three starts in his first season in the Cardinal and Gold. The 6-foot-3 defensive back was tied for the team lead with five pass breakups.

Prophet Brown has appeared in 39 career games over the past four seasons with USC. The redshirt senior is a strong candidate to start at the nickel spot.

Redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams figures to be part of the two-deep at cornerback or nickel but will continue to push for a starting spot in the fall.

A four-year starter at national powerhouse St. John Bosco (Calif.), Williams was impressive as an early enrollee in the spring of 2024, but in a senior heavy cornerback room, the former four-star recruit only appeared in one game last season. The Southern California native was a standout during spring practice once again this year. Riley detailed the improvement he saw from Williams after a full year in the program.

“He’s right in the middle of it, without a question,” Riley said in April. “I mean with all the guys we lost at corner, there’s some real position battles, some real opportunities right now. He had a really good spring last year, he had a solid camp to, some of the other guy's kind of stepped up and were just a little ahead of him, but it was a great fall for him.

“He was able to develop physically, which was probably the biggest thing for him. He had to put on weight, he had to put on strength and then learn to be able to use that and play a little bit more physical, a little bit more sturdy and that’s happened,” Riley continued.

Braylon Conley and Isaiah Rubin were also part of the Trojans 2024 recruiting class and vying to be a part of the two-deep rotation. Three-star freshman James Johnson and redshirt sophomore Kevin Longstreet, who appeared in five games last season with Texas A&M, will compete for playing time at the nickel spot.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a time out against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) five-star RJ Sermons reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 class in May is expected to enroll this month. Although it’s more likely that fans see more of Sermons in 2026, the local prospect shouldn’t be counted out to receive early playing time. Sermons is a technician at the position and possesses elite speed.

Trestin Castro, a four-star recruit in the 2025 cycle, was a two-way star at Upland (Calif.). The 6-foot-1 defensive back has a receiver background that translated to him becoming a ball hawk at the high school level.

It’s very unlikely the Trojans cornerback battle is settled by the time open the season against Missouri State on Aug. 30. And the first two games against Group of Five schools could be used to determine the starters for the rest of the season.

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