USC Trojans X-Factor Position Group Looks A Lot Different in 2026

The USC Trojans lost its top two tight ends from last season but major moves this past cycle landing five-star Mark Bowman and four-star Josiah Jefferson, the top-ranked junior college tight end to revamp its room.

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

The tight end position was a big part of Lincoln Riley’s offense during his days at Oklahoma. 

The USC coach had been pushing to get the tight ends more involved during his first few seasons with the Trojans and it finally came about in 2025. Lake McRee had a career year in his final season of eligibility and sophomore Walker Lyons emerged as a breakout candidate. 

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

They provided a new element to the offense that defensive coaches had to spend extra time preparing for, but McRee is headed off to the NFL and Lyons has since transferred to BYU, which means it’s a new crop of players that will have to carry out Riley’s vision. 

Mater Dei (Calif.) five-star tight end Mark Bowman is one of the crown jewels of the Trojans No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle. Bowman was a highly sought-after recruit in the Big Ten and SEC for good reason. 

He drew comparisons to former Georgia and current Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers throughout the recruiting process. 

Bowman is an offensive chess piece because of his position versatility. He’s a great blend of size and speed that creates matchup problems. The freshman has an advanced route tree and can impact the game as a blocker. 

Bowman was on campus for every game this past season outside of the Trojans week 11 matchup against Northwestern on Friday night and saw firsthand the tight end usage.  

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Chula Vista (Calif.) Southwestern four-star Josiah Jefferson was a longtime Utah commit, until he visited USC the weekend they routed Michigan in early October. The No. 1 ranked JUCO tight end flipped his commitment later that month. 

Jefferson is still new to the game a football. Primarily a basketball player in high school, Jefferson didn’t play football until his senior year. He elected to take the junior college route and blossomed into an elite recruit.

Football is in his DNA. Jefferson is the younger brother of Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson, an 11-year NFL veteran. The 6-foot-5 Jefferson can line up with his hand in the dirt or flex out wide. He uses his basketball background to box out defenders and be a massive red zone target. 

Dec 30, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches in the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs during the Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jefferson will have the ability to work with tight ends and inside receivers coach Chad Savage, who paid dividends in the development of McRee and Lyons this past season. 

USC signed former Wisconsin tight end Tucker Ashcraft in the transfer portal. He played in 16 games for the Badgers over the last two seasons with six starts. He has 22 career catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.Ashcraft is a great blocker and he is also the tight end with the most experience on the roster. 

The tight ends were a security blanket for Jayden Maiava but also were able to create plays down the field. They were also great blockers in the run game.

Returning Tight Ends 

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Taniela ‘Nela’ Topou continued to move up the depth chart during freshman season and served as the the Trojans No. 3 tight end. And with McRee and Lyons out of the lineup, the Folsom (Calif.) product played the most snaps at the position in the Alamo Bowl. 

Topou caught two passes for 26 yards in the game, his only stats of the season. His ascension late in the year speaks to his development and shouldn’t be counted out to find a role in 2026. Topou appeared in four games this past season and was still able to redshirt. 

Carson Tabaracci saw action in nine games this year and caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. Walter Matthews was primarily a special teams player and enters his third year with the program.