Instant Reaction From USC Trojans' First Spring Practice

LOS ANGELES - The USC Trojans hit the field for the first time this spring on Tuesday, March 3.

USC coach Lincoln Riley enters a pressure-packed fifth season in Los Angeles as the Trojans begin their quest for its first trip to the College Football Playoff. Media is only allowed to view stretching and individual drills but here are some takeaways from day one.

Offensive Observations From Day One of Spring

USC Trojans Early Enrollee Jayden Maiava Recruiting Class Recruit King Miller Injury Lincoln Riley Jonas Williams Big Ten — Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up prior to the game against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

All three of the Trojans quarterbacks, redshirt seniors Jayden Maiava and Sam Huard and four-star freshman Jonas Williams jogged onto the field together coming out of the locker room, something we never saw the room do last season. USC opened up with special teams drills as the quarterbacks got loose with offensive coordinator Luke Huard on a different field.

A lot of eyes are on the Trojans new-look pass-catchers for Maiava with star receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane and tight end Lake McRee headed off to the NFL. NC State transfer receiver Terrell Anderson has great size at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and it shows. Anderson glides when he runs and showed off his athleticism with a beautiful leaping grab during routes on air.

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Five-star tight end Mark Bowman has an extremely strong lower body, his calves pop out. The Mater Dei (Calif.) product looks like a player that has been in college for years. He moves very well and is a natural hands catcher. The same can be said for his high school teammate, four-star receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and former Trinity League rival, Trent Mosley, the 2025 MaxPreps California Player of the Year.

Running back King Miller is rocking his new No. 8.

Miller and looks stronger this spring. Miller was one of the biggest surprises in college football last season. He began the season as a fourth-string walk-on and nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, after becoming the lead back because of a slew of injuries at the midway point of the season.

"Yeah, it happened but I'm on to the next. I was ready to come back and get out here with my guys," Miller said. "Now it's time to take it up a knot."

Freshman running back Deshonne Redeuax showed off his receiving skills that his position coach, Anthony Jones, raved about during his press conference last month. He's very comfortable lining up in the slot or flexing out wide.

Defensive Observations From Day One of Spring

USC has invested heavily into its safety and nickel development with the hiring of safeties coach/defensive pass game coordinator Paul Gonzales from Baylor and nickels coach Sam Carter from Louisiana Tech. The two position groups go through individual drills together and at one-point, defensive coordinator Gary Patterson came over to help coach them, defensive backs are his specialty.

Prophet Brown, who missed all of last season with a lower body injury, returns for his sixth season. The veteran defensive back has primarily played nickel and corner at USC but got some reps at safety during individual drills. Joshua Holland was one of many freshmen cornerbacks the Trojans signed in the 2026 recruiting class, but the St. John Bosco (Calif.) product was working with the safeties and nickel group on the first day.

Redshirt freshman Alex Graham stepped in late last season at nickel and his progression on a week-to-week basis was evident. One thing that was very clear on the first day was the Detroit native is much bigger and stronger than when he arrived on campus a year ago. It is easy to tell he has spent a year in a college strength and conditioning program.

Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed demands excellence from his players on every rep. He had them doing up downs early and made players redo a rep if it wasn't up to the standard. Redshirt sophomore Marcelles Williams started 11 games last season and is one of the more experienced players in the secondary. He was seen coaching up some of the freshman, so was redshirt freshman RJ Sermons, who was one of the first people to go in every drill. His technique was smooth.

Freshman cornerback Elbert "Rock" Hill looked as good as advertised. His technique and speed are tremendous. It is going to be very hard to keep him and Sermons off the field in the fall.