USC Trojans' Lincoln Riley Addresses Spring Transfer Portal Targets

The spring transfer portal officially opens on Wednesday, April 16 and will close on April 25. The 10-day window is much shorter than the winter period, and likely to less chaotic, but in the era of unrestricted free agency anything is possible. For graduate transfers, the window is extended to May 1st.

The USC Trojans grabbed a few key starters in the spring last season, including defensive lineman Gavin Meter, cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. and kicker Michael Lantz. Receiver Kyle Ford also made the decision to transfer from UCLA back to USC.

USC coach Lincoln Riley doesn’t expect the Trojans to be overly active this time around, but he did point to one position on Tuesday.

"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. My gut is we'll end up having a handful of positions that we're going to look at, and if we feel like someone fits, then we may pursue it."

Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Mason Cobb occupied a majority of the snaps at linebacker in 2024, but both have exhausted their eligibility. USC hosted several linebackers during the winter window but were unsuccessful in landing any of them.

Senior Eric Gentry is back after he was forced to redshirt a month into the season after sustaining a series of concussions. The Philadelphia native is the only linebacker on the roster that has played significant snaps.

Sophomore Desman Stephens played in all 13 games last season, working primary on special teams and as a reserve. He is the clear favorite to start alongside Gentry in the fall. The need for another linebacker comes more from how thin the room is.

“He does so many things well,” USC linebackers coach Rob Ryan said about Stephens. “He’s really smart, he’s physical. He’s got great speed, I mean there’s everything to him.”

Redshirt freshman Jadyn Walker appeared in one game last season as he recovered from a shoulder injury. Senior Anthony Beavers Jr. and redshirt junior Garrison Madden round out of the room. Four-star Matai Tagoa’i and three-star AJ Tuitele will arrive in the summer.

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Other positions the Trojans could target in the spring window are receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback.

At receiver, juniors Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon give the Trojans one of the top duos in college football, but what about the rest of the room. USC added former Boise State receiver Prince Strachan in the winter. Senior Jay Fair appeared in eight games last season and redshirt freshman Xavier Jordan, a former top 100 recruit did not take a single snap in 2024.

Four-star early enrollee Corey Simms is taking part in spring practice. Four-stars Tanook Hines and Romero Ison will arrive in the summer.

Receiver is a position Riley and his staff will continue to evaluate over the next week before deciding whether or not they want to pursue a veteran in the portal.

Lane and Lemon — Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) celebrates with Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) after scoring first half touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Redshirt sophomore Elijah Paige is locked in at left tackle after starting all 13 games in 2024, earning Freshman All-American. Redshirt sophomore Tobias Raymond and redshirt freshman Justin Tauanuu are competing at right tackle, but it appears Raymond is beginning to separate himself.

“Tobias Raymond has established himself as one of our best offensive linemen,” Riley said on Tuesday.

Raymond has only started one game in his career, the Las Vegas Bowl. The only other time he played significant reps was the second half of the Trojans loss to Michigan in week 4. Although Raymond has impressed the Trojans staff this spring, if experienced offensive tackles become available, USC could decide to pursue one.

At cornerback, the Trojans are incredibly young and inexperienced outside of redshirt seniors DJ Harvey, DeCarlos Nicholson and Prophet Brown. Right now, those three are the favorites to start at the three cornerback positions, but the staff is very high on redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams. The St. John Bosco alum was a highly coveted player in the 2024 class and could be too talented to keep off the field another season.

Redshirt freshman Braylon Conley and Isaiah Rubin were also part of the 2024 class. Four-star Trestin Castro and three-star James Johnson are two early enrollees on campus this spring. Same as offensive tackle, cornerback isn't necessarily a need, but if the Trojans have an opportunity add another player with experience, they could explore that option.

"It's maybe a little bit different than other years," Riley said. "I don't feel like sitting out here that we're missing a whole lot. We just have to keep developing what we have and make sure that we've got enough depth to make the run that we expect to make."

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