USC's Lincoln Riley Provides Waymond Jordan Injury Update Before Oregon Game

The No. 14 USC Trojans will go on the road to Eugene to take on the No. 7 Oregon Ducks in a must-win game if they want to have a chance to make the College Football Playoff.

USC coach Lincoln Riley addressed reporters after Tuesday's practice about a key injury update to running back Waymond Jordan and if he will be able to go on Saturday.

What Lincoln Riley Said

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Injury Update Oregon Ducks Waymond Jordan Kamari Ramsey Elijah Paige Running Backs College Football — Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Waymond Jordan Update

“Yeah, he's he's he's getting closer. I don't expect him to play this week. He's fighting. But for a back it's not a great injury. Some positions might be able to come back a little bit faster, but he's giving it everything he can right now. Yeah, just it's a position naturally that that cuts a lot.”

“That's probably the number one limiting factor coming back from something like that. So if there's other positions that cut less on the field that historically have been able to bounce back a little bit quicker, but that one's that one's probably one of the longest positions in terms of of return to play.”

Injury Updates to Kamari Ramsay, Elijah Paige, Bishop Fitzgerald

“No, they all did some things today. We'll get through the week, see where they're at. Addressed on the injury report.”

Former Colorado State Coach Jay Norvell at Practice

“Just here visiting. A friend of a lot of ours on the staff and happened to be in the area so came out and hung out with us for a few days.”

Killian O’Connor Evaluation After Injury Return

“It was good. He did a good job. He's always a good operator. He knows our stuff really well. He's a great leader. I thought it was good for him to get back and just play another game. I think he's continuing to knock some of the rust off from the injury and just the time away and each week he's just been better. The week before he was better. He got to play a little bit obviously in the Northwestern game.”

“He was a lot better last week and he's already a lot better even today than he was at any point last week. So he's just getting further away from that injury and getting back in the swing of things and he's a good player. He’s played in big games so he'll be ready.”

MORE: USC Quarterback Jayden Maiava's Heisman Trophy Odds Shift Before Oregon Game

MORE: College Football Winners and Losers After USC and Texas A&M Comebacks

MORE: USC Coach Lincoln Riley Gets Real About Doubters Before Oregon Game

WOULD YOU LIKE MORE USC TROJANS NEWS? SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!

Alex Graham Expectations Against Oregon

“He certainly got a chance to. He's done a good job for us. Was unfortunate he had the injury when he did, which I know we've already discussed at length because he was trending towards playing a lot very early in the season, but he’s done a good job, I think, just one, getting his body back and then mentally kind of hanging in there ‘cause that was that was tough where you think you're going to play and you've kind of earned that right and then all of a sudden the the rug gets pulled out from underneath you.”

“I've been impressed with his just maturity and and desire to get back and opportunity presented itself the other day and he did a nice job with it and we've got a lot of confidence in him and really just the the rest of this entire season, I think, will be a really good opportunity for him.”

SoCal Recruiting Battle With Oregon

“Southern California, you recruit against a lot of different people. There's very few schools that don't come here and try to recruit. So, for us, it's not about a competition with any one school. We feel like we've got something pretty unique here and it’s just trying to get this place as good as we can and target the guys in this area that we think will best fit this university and this place.”

“So, just never never got too caught up into that, because it's not like all these guys have only two choices, especially really good players in this area. So, yeah, you're recruiting against a lot of people and we're just trying to make it as good as we can here.”

Emotions After Iowa Win

“Oh, I have emotions. You guys don't always see it. I'm not always as outward with cameras out there. Our guys know how I feel about them and how I feel about winning and competing. And we may not always put stuff out there on social media or do this and that to enhance it in the public eye, but all I care about is for our team and doing the best job that I can.

“And I was excited in that moment for how we responded and how we played and even on a day that wasn't our best and had some some unfortunate things go against us on top of that and then to still find a way against a really tough team and a really good program was important. Just the way our guys responded, and to pull that out there in the end was important and I think everybody on that sideline felt that way.”

Running Back Evaluation After Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders Injuries

“Gone remarkably well. I don't know that anybody could have predicted that to be completely honest. To lose what we lost and then on top of that have have all the reshuffling on the offensive line that we've had, normally that could be almost a death sentence for an offense. So we've handled it well.”

“We've had some big challenges. We've been able to respond to this. Being able to run the football, been able to stop the run is always key. No matter who you're playing, where you're playing, what year it is, like it's always important. We’ve been clutch there. We've been able to do it. Hopefully, we can get it done this time.”