USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Adds Penn State Linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson Via Transfer Portal

After hosting former Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson for a visit in Southern California, the USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley have landed another transfer portal commitment. Robinson committed to USC on Tuesday, and the former Penn State product will have three years of eligibility remaining after playing one full season with the Nittany Lions.

As a redshirt freshman, Robinson rotated at linebacker for Penn State's defense. In 2024, he finished with 11 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss on a Nittany Lions team that reached the College Football Playoff. Robinson also competed in the Big Ten Championship with Penn State, but he is bringing his postseason experience with him to the Trojans and defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn.

Robinson is USC's second portal addition of the spring after former Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Kennedy Urlacher committed to the Trojans over the weekend. According to On3's transfer rankings, both Urlacher and Robinson are three-star prospects.

On3 also has USC's incoming class of transfers ranked No. 16 out of 18 teams in the Big Ten.

Penn State linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson (24) celebrates after recording a tackle for loss in the second half of an NCAA football game against Kent State, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in State College, Pa. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Schools like Iowa, Northwestern, and Penn State benefitted from having so few players leave the program. Other teams like UCLA, Washington and Michigan lost a good amount of players, but they each brought in over 15 transfers.

When the portal was opening, Riley spoke about potentially adding depth pieces, especially to the defense. The Trojans coach made USC's strategy clear.

"I think there are some of the obvious positions where we're a little bit thin that we may look at," Riley said. "Linebacker is one of those. Certainly it will kinda depend on how spring plays out and some of those other position battles and all that. That will determine the most. But I don't think it will be a huge, incredibly active period for us."

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As Riley noted, the Trojans are not expected to bring in a slew of transfers this spring. Could they be finished on defense with Urlacher and Robinson?

USC's depth at linebacker was thin, with Eric Gentry and Desman Stephens as projected starters. Redshirt freshman linebacker Jadyn Walker is also making some noise during spring practices, according to Riley.

Oct 28, 2023; Berkeley, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before the game against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

“We were pretty impressed by how he just jumped in and was ready to go. His body has dramatically changed and he’s just come out here more confident. No question he’s gonna help this football team a lot and he’s gonna be a really bright spot when you look at the future,” Riley said.

Coinciding with the hiring of general manager Chad Bowden from Notre Dame, the Trojans are also recruiting at an elite level, currently holding 23 commitments with months to go before the Early National Signing Period. USC's transfer portal strategy of this offseason can be explained by the amount of high school talent expected to join the program in the Trojans' 2025 recruiting class.