USC Trojans Leaning into New Era of College Football with Wave of Re-Signings

The USC Trojans have drawn some attention this month with the announcement of re-signings for its returning players. NIL and revenue-sharing are at the center of college football, and the Trojans are leaning into the new era of college football.

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Since the introduction of name, image and likeness (NIL) in July 2021 and the transfer portal turning every offseason into free agency with no guidelines, college football has never been the same. It’s an unprecedented era but the current state of the sport. 

NIL effects recruiting, it factors into a player's decision to enter the draft or return to school and can determine whether someone decides to return to their current school or explore other options in the portal. Revenue-sharing was also instituted this summer. 

It’s a battle to retain players on your own roster. The portal allows student-athletes to transfer as many as they want with no restrictions and player movement has become rampant, seven of the last nine Heisman winners were transfers. 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s all part of the new norm of college football and the USC Trojans have embraced it. Re-signing players is nothing new, it has always been happening at the end of every semester with scholarships. 

It’s the same idea with NIL and revenue-sharing, but the Trojans are just approaching it in a different way than the rest of the country and it has gone viral. 

Southern Cal has been making official re-signing announcements and posting them on social media. Players are making video messages for the fans. It’s all reflective of the NFL model when a player signs an extension with their current team or sign with a different team in free agency. 

Everything USC general Chad Bowden does is with purpose. In just first season with the Trojans, Bowden reeled in the No. 1 ranked recruiting class. It’s a strategic personnel and creative department in Los Angeles that could be on their way to starting a new trend in college football.

Returning Star Players 

Nov 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) throws against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

All eyes have been on what will redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava do in 2026. The lure of entering the NFL Draft was tempting, especially considering it’s a particularly weak quarterback class that he could take advantage of. 

Well, the re-signing of Maiava made it official that he would be returning to USC. So will the team’s two leading scorers in Waymond Jordan and King Miller. Freshman standout receiver Tanook Hines, also made his official. 

Tobias Raymond's versatility was massive for the Trojans. The local product started all 12 games at either guard or left tackle. 

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Jahkeem Stewart arrived last winter as a highly touted five-star defensive lineman. The New Orleans native played all 11 games this season with a stress fracture in his foot. It limited his practice reps, but still, Stewart made his presence known in the Big Ten. 

He is joined by starting defensive ends Kameryn Crawford and Braylan Shelby, and fellow freshman defensive lineman Floyd Boucard. 

Redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams quietly became one of the top cornerbacks in the Big Ten the second half of the season. With a season under his belt and the guidance of cornerback coach Trovon Reed, sky is the limit for Williams.

Jadyn Walker started any time USC went with a 4-3 defense, rather than its traditional 4-2-5 defense. Walker will get the start in the bowl game in its traditional defense, with Eric Gentry opting out of the bowl game and is prime candidate to become a full-time starter next season.

Underrated USC Re-Signings 

Sep 27, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley before an NCAA football game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Justin Tauanuu started all 12 games this season. In a year where the Trojans had to shuffle around its offensive line on almost a weekly basis, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Huntington Beach (Calif.) product was a constant at right tackle with Raymond playing on the left side.

Prophet Brown has missed the entirety of the 2025 season after suffering a hip injury during the second week of fall camp. Brown was projected to start at nickel and then it was freshman Alex Graham, who missed the first half of the season with an injury himself. Those injuries caused a ripple effect in the secondary. 

The redshirt senior is able to use a medical redshirt. Brown dressed for practice this week for the first time since fall camp. Whether he plays is the bowl game in some capacity or not, Brown will be back in 2026. 

One of the more intriguing players come this spring will be freshman cornerback RJ Sermons. The local product reclassified to the 2025 class in May and did not enroll on campus until just before the start of fall camp. 

Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Originally the No. 1 rated cornerback in the 2026 class, Sermons spent his first season working with the Trojans staff and getting acclimated to college football. Although he didn’t take a single snap this season, USC brought Sermons with the team on every road trip he was healthy for. 

Sermons will be part of a young, but incredibly talented cornerback room for Southern Cal in 2026 and a position battle that will carry well into fall camp, if not the season. 

When Kamari Ramsey and Bishop Fitzgerald went down with injuries in the first half against Iowa on Nov. 15 that cost them the rest of the season, safety Kennedy Urlacher stepped into the lineup opposite of Christian Pierce. 

With Ramsey primarily playing nickel this season and occasionally moving back to safety, Pierce has started almost every game this season. Now, he becomes the vocal presence on the backend of the defense. 

But for Urlacher, when the injuries happened, he had not taken a defensive snap since week 2. The Notre Dame transfer played well in the second half the Trojans big time win over Iowa, and started the final two games. 

Urlacher and Pierce project as the starting safeties next season. Redshirt freshman Marquis Gallegos, who also resigned, will serve as the third safety and get a head start on that competition.