USC Transfer Adding Toughness, Leadership to Trojans Defensive Line

USC approached the singular transfer portal window in January much differently than previous years.

After having mixed results this past season, they focused on players that had proven production at the Power Four level. Instead of targeting players that were projections, the Trojans wanted to know exactly what they were getting.

Alex VanSumeren Adds Veteran Experience

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Recruiting Transfer Portal Skyler Jones Alex VanSumeren Jahkeem Stewart Jide Abasiri Spring — 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

Michigan State transfer defensive lineman Alex VanSumeren was a two-year starter for the Spartans. USC saw plenty of VanSumeren when they squared off this past season at the Coliseum.

“Alex is tough, Alex is physical, Alex has discipline,” said defensive line coach Skyler Jones. “Alex is what 'dawg work' stands for. When you watch the tape, you see him strike the blocks and being able to anchor versus double teams. You've seen him being able to do all of the movement and win in one-on-one situations when he's rushing the passer. From a leadership standpoint, he's older than everyone in the room, and guys follow him, guys listen to him.

“Alex comes to meet with me every day after practice. We’ll have practice in the morning, Alex is going to come meet with me that night, and we watch every rep that he did in practice, so he knows what he needs to get better at. Now, when we get in the meeting room the next day, he's able to explain stuff to other guys that I've explained to him the night before. I like where Alex is at.”

VanSumeren, a former four-star recruit in the 2022 cycle, is an old-school Big Ten defensive lineman and exactly what the Trojans need on its roster.

“Alex has this natural demeanor to him," Jones said. "He’s got this tough guy demeanor to where guys are automatically going to respect him. Guys automatically respect him just for how he looks. He shaved all his hair, he came with a low haircut, it looked like he was in the Marines. He's student of the game, and he knows what's going on and guys listen to him because he doesn't make a lot of mistakes when he's on the field.”

USC needs to be more stout on the defensive front if they want to compete at the highest level in the Big Ten and make a run at the College Football Playoff and adding a player like VanSumeren is a step in the right direction.

Deep Position Unit

As Jones mentioned, VanSumeren is the oldest player in the defensive tackle room as he enters his redshirt senior season.

Junior Jide Abasiri saw action in all 13 games in 2025, including nine starts. Sophomore Jahkeem Stewart was a Freshman All-American this past season, and Floyd Boucard was also a key rotational player as a true freshman. Jamaal Jarrett saw action in five games before having season-ending surgery. The 6-foot-5, 375-pound Jarrett is a massive human being and the focus has been to use that size to be a disruptive force in the interior.

Five-star freshman Jaimeon Winfield is one of the crown jewels of the Trojans recruiting class. Local freshman Tomuhini “TomTom” Topui, a Mater Dei (Calif.) product, flashed in the spring, showing off his power and quickness. Redshirt freshman Cash Jacobsen, freshman Jake Johnson and redshirt sophomore Brendan Cho round out the room.

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