The USC football team has been working behind closed doors for the summer, melding its returners with 10 transfers and 35 freshmen ahead of what could be a make-or-break season for head coach Lincoln Riley.
He and the Trojans are still building toward an appearance in the College Football Playoff and a signature season in the Big Ten Conference. He’ll have an offense loaded with returners, and a defense that’s rife with change under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.
Here are four questions surrounding USC, which begins fall training camp on Friday and has its first game against San Jose State on Aug. 29:
How will Gary Patterson’s impact show?
Riley brought Patterson, a Hall of Fame coach, aboard with hopes that he could shore up a defense that struggled under previous defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. What type of defense will show up this season is one of the biggest mysteries of the fall.
Patterson hasn’t coached in an actual football game and it’ll be his first fall camp as a coach since 2021, before he parted ways with TCU. He has, however, served as a consultant in the years since then and claims he’s more than just the 4-2-5 defense that he coined.
TCU defenses were known to be smart and well-prepared under Patterson, and he’s already upholding that reputation at USC. He told reporters in April that he had already began studying San Jose State, Louisiana, Indiana and Ohio State.
“Even as a coordinator, it’s all about how you prepare,” he said. “That’s how you start setting up what you want to teach in practice. Because you want to have those answers for people so you don’t have to come up with something new on Sunday evening of game week.”
Which freshmen will assert themselves?
USC brought in a massive 2026 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation, but only a few will stand out enough at fall camp to earn playing time in Big Ten games.
If ratings are any indication of future success, there are three former five-star recruits in offensive lineman Keenyi Pepe, edge rusher Luke Wafle and defensive lineman Jaimeon Winfield.
Running backs Deshonne Redeaux and Shahn Alston could compete for playing time — especially if Riley Wormley doesn’t deliver in camp. Tight end and former Mater Dei standout Mark Bowman also has a solid shot at landing a spot on the depth chart.
Bowman is 6-foot-4, 245 pounds, and his versatility has the attention of receivers/tight ends coach Chad Savage, who said that he’s capable of being a traditional “Y” tight end or an “H” tight end that takes mostly blocking duties and short routes.
“He’s got the natural gift of being a willing blocker,” Savage said. “Plays compact, ability to unlock his hips. He’s in my office every single day asking the right questions, where he can get better at.”
How will Maiava increase his chances to win the Heisman Trophy?
This sounds like a hot take, but current betting odds have quarterback Jayden Maiava as a dark horse to win the Heisman Trophy.
He’s primed to have his best season of college football yet, as Riley detailed at Big Ten Media Days. The coach explained that it was a “cram session” to get him ready to start the final four games of 2024 as well as the full-time starter in 2025.
“Now we’re getting a little bit more in-depth into him and the person and the competitor,” Riley said. “He’s definitely embracing it and the relationships behind the scenes, the role of a quarterback outwardly. You can just feel him embracing that. And he’s good at it.”
Ten interceptions marred an otherwise impressive season for Maiava last year. Improved decision-making combined with his quick release can lead to efficiency, and his newfound confidence can mean more notoriety.
Production and personality both count when it comes to being a face of the Big Ten and earning a shot at the biggest awards. Fall camp will reveal a lot when it comes to these areas.
Who will win the position battle at receiver?
Sophomore Tanook Hines is USC’s only returning receiver from last season’s two-deep depth chart, leaving wide open opportunity for new talent to step up. And they have to be physical, according to Savage.
“I’m going to emphasize physicality every day, and you’ve got to be able to block on the perimeter. If you don’t do that, you’re not going to see the field.”
Savage pointed out true freshman Trent Mosley, in particular, when asked about physicality, saying that he’s a willing blocker and “packs a punch.”
Mosley, a Santa Margarita Catholic product, gained 10 pounds since enrolling at USC to bring his weight to 180 pounds. And Riley won’t hesitate to start a freshman at receiver if he believes in him — as was the case with Hines last season.
Players with more college football experience who could be vying for a spot include junior NC State transfer Terrell Anderson, who hauled in 54 catches for 787 yards in two years with the Wolfpack.
There’s also redshirt sophomore Zacharyus Williams, who only played in five games last season for the Trojans but is healthy and a strong contender for a starting spot.