National Analyst JD Pickell Names One USC Trojan Primed for a Resurgence

Lincoln Riley went into last season believing he had his best running back room in his time as the coach of USC.

One of the big reasons why was because of the addition of Waymond Jordan, the No. 1 junior college running back in the 2025 class. Jordan was an immediate hit in the Trojans offense and began to emerge as one of the top running backs in college football.

USC Trojans On3 JD Pickell Recruiting Lincoln Riley Injury Update King Miller Waymond Jordan Deshonne Redeaux Big Ten — Oct 1, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley applauds after a touchdown in the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Jordan allowed Riley to return to his roots as a balanced play-caller. However, an ankle injury late in the second quarter of a win over Michigan last October ultimately ended his season. In five and a half games, Jordan carried the ball 88 times for 576 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and five touchdowns.

In that same game, former running back Eli Sanders suffered a season-ending knee injury and Bryan Jackson was initially ruled out because of his own injury. So, the Trojans turned to a fourth-string redshirt freshman walk-on in King Miller, who exploded for 158 yards and a touchdown. And for the rest of the season, USC leaned on the Calabasas (Calif.) native to power the running game. Miller finished with 972 yards and eight touchdowns in half a season as the starter.

Jordan is healthy and will pair with Miller this season to give Riley a dynamic one-two punch in the backfield.

“I think people sort of forget how good of a season Waymond Jordan was having and then the fact that a dude who was a walk-on came in and still went berserk against Michigan and had this tremendous season in his own right,” said On3’s JD Pickell in an exclusive interview with USC Trojans on SI. “People just think Riley is a quarterback guy but the way they ran the ball at Oklahoma, they had some real balance to that offense.

“Having both of those guys, they’re definitely top 10, might even argue top five when it’s all said and done with one-two punches. That’s a position that’s flying under the radar when talking about USC.”

Dynamic One-Two Punch in USC’s Backfield

Jordan is expected to step back into the RB1 role but share the workload with Miller.

“I'll be shocked if Waymond Jordan isn't a 1,000-yard back, even with him splitting carries with King Miller. I think he's gonna have a huge year,” Pickell said.

For the second half of last season, it was primarily Miller that received a majority of the carries because of the lack of depth in the running back room. The Trojans had to move former defensive back James Johnson to running back just to have more bodies on game days. Miller expressed his excitement at Media Day earlier this month to have someone like Jordan to take some of the burden off.

“It's kind of a relief,” Miller said. “You have another one of the best backs in the country. Kind of just happy to be able to have a one-two punch or whatever it may be when we go on that field. Even right now when we're going on this field, he's the hype man. He's an energy junkie. When he's out there on that field, it's always beneficial.”

Running Back Depth

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Injury Riley Wormley King Miller Waymond Jordan Deshonne Redeaux Recruiting Spring Practice — USC Trojans redshirt freshman running back Riley Wormley | USC Trojans on SI

Riley Wormley spent most of his first year on campus rehabbing from a significant knee injury he suffered midway through his senior season in high school. Wormley went through the entirety of offseason workouts this year and is no longer wearing a knee brace. He’s returned to the form that made an electrifying prospect in the 2025 class.

USC also signed a pair for four-star running backs in the 2026 class in Deshonne Redeaux and Shahn Alston to solidify the depth of the room.

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