Twenty-seven players entered the transfer portal after USC went 7-6 overall in the 2024 season, forcing the Trojans to remodel multiple position groups on both offense and defense.
Some transfers were high-profile, like quarterback Miller Moss’ decision to leave USC for Louisville or Bear Alexander’s exodus in favor of Oregon. Both seem to be faring well in their new college football homes.
There have been other outcomes, like that of receiver Charles Ross, who decided to retire from football due to health-related reasons. And then there’s running back Quinten Joyner, who had an early setback in the form of a knee injury.
Here’s a look at what all 27 former Trojans are doing now:
Offense
RB A’Marion Peterson, UTSA: Peterson saw limited playing time in his two years with USC and decided to transfer shortly after USC added current leading running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders. Now at UTSA, Peterson is part of a large running back room and has been given the ball 13 times for 36 yards and a touchdown.
OL Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon: This guard was one of Oregon’s biggest additions out of the transfer portal and established himself as a starter early on. He left the Ducks’ season opener early due to an apparent lower leg injury, but otherwise had not missed playing time. Oregon’s offense is averaging 503.8 yards per game.
WR Charles Ross, Purdue: Ross was expected to be a contributor to the Boilermakers’ offense after collecting 70 catches for 904 yards and four touchdowns in his combined seasons at Nevada, San Jose State and USC. However, he announced in early August that he is medically retiring from football for a health-related reason.
WR Zachariah Branch, Georgia: Branch was a major component of USC’s receiving corps. He played two seasons for the Trojans and recorded 1,863 all-purpose yards, including 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 78 catches. Branch made a statement when he hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass in Georgia’s season opener against Marshall and has become the second-leading receiver on the team with 14 receptions for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
OL Kalolo Ta’aga, Utah: The former three-star prospect enrolled early at USC but transferred to Utah after one season. He has played in two games for the Utes in 2025, against Cal Poly and Texas Tech.
WR Duce Robinson, Florida State: Robinson was a budding star receiver for USC after starting in six games in 2024. He caught 39 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons before transferring to Florida State, where his father played football and baseball. Robinson is now Florida State’s leading receiver with 346 yards and three touchdowns on 17 catches.
TE Kade Eldridge, Washington: Eldridge returned to his home state after playing in just one game for USC and is becoming increasingly valuable for the Huskies. He has seen playing time at fullback and rushed for a 1-yard touchdown in the season opener against Colorado State.
OL Mason Murphy, Auburn: Murphy was an experienced starter on the offensive line and had one year of eligibility remaining when he entered the transfer portal. He secured a starting spot at tackle for the Tigers and his blocking has helped a 3-2 Auburn team average 342.2 yards of offense per game.
RB Quinten Joyner, Texas Tech: Joyner was poised for success in USC’s running back room after Woody Marks turned pro, but he returned to his home state after his redshirt freshman season. He was projected to be Texas Tech’s starting running back before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the Red Raiders’ preseason scrimmage.
QB Jake Jensen, Montana: Jensen played in three games for the Trojans before moving to Montana to battle for the starting quarterback spot in his final year of college football. He lost out to Keali’i Ah Yet but has played in two games so far this season.
OL Amos Talalele, Kansas State: USC lost depth when Talalele, who started in six games, entered the transfer portal. He’s played in one game for Kansas State so far, against Army on Sept. 6.
WR Kyron Hudson, Penn State: Hudson was Penn State’s first commit out of the transfer portal after proving his worth in the receiver room at USC. He played in 27 games in two seasons and caught 32 passes for 341 yards and five touchdowns. Now, he’s one of quarterback Drew Allar’s favorite targets as the Nittany Lions’ second-leading receiver and has collected 156 yards and one touchdown on 14 receptions.
OL Gino Quinones, Fresno State: Quinones played 21 snaps in 2024 before deciding to enter the transfer portal. He has yet to see playing time with the Bulldogs.
QB Miller Moss, Louisville: Moss’ decision to transfer was one of the most publicized player moves of the offseason. He started in five games — including a win over LSU — before the coaching staff decided to replace him with Jayden Maiava. Moss secured the starting job at Louisville and has his team out to a 4-0 start while completing 86 of 131 passes for 1,029 yards and five touchdowns with three interceptions.
Defense
S Jarvis Boatwright Jr., Florida State: Boatwright didn’t see playing time and was set to move on as a redshirt-freshman for the Trojans. He has participated in two games for Florida State: East Texas A&M and Kent State.
EDGE Lorenzo Cowan, Kentucky: Lincoln Riley praised Cowan during spring training camp, but Cowan ultimately chose to transfer to Kentucky, the school he was initially committed to in 2024. He has yet to get into a game.
CB Maliki Crawford, San Jose State: The former four-star recruit enrolled early at USC but his two seasons were riddled with injuries and he didn’t get into any games. He has played on defense and special teams in two games this season at San Jose State.
EDGE Solomon Tuliaupupu, Montana State: Tuliapupu dedicated seven seasons to the Trojans, but injuries had kept him from being a major contributor in all but two of them. He is on track to finish his career on a high note and has logged 14 tackles, two tackles for a loss of 19 yards and a sack for a loss of 17 yards.
S Zion Branch, Georgia: Branch went with his younger brother, Zachariah, to Georgia after getting 19 tackles three pass breakups and one sack as a backup. He had season-ending injuries in 2022 and 2023. Branch hit a season-high seven tackles in Georgia’s season opener against Marshall — one of two games he’s played in this season.
DL Elijah Hughes, Notre Dame: Hughes was seeing his stock rise on the defensive line and was setting himself for future success by appearing in 15 games and recording 12 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in two seasons. Injuries on Notre Dame’s defense allowed Hughes to step in for four tackles and one tackle for loss against Purdue.
LB Raesjon Davis, Oregon State: Davis joined the Beavers with experience that gradually increased in each year at USC. He had four starts in 11 games as a junior and racked up 18 tackles and one QB hurry. He has made nine total tackles in three games for Oregon State.
EDGE DJ Peevy, Montana: Peevy never got into a game for USC and is not currently on a college football roster.
DL Bear Alexander, Oregon: Alexander was a regular starter at USC and tied for the team lead in QB hurries with four in addition to 48 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks despite a hamstring injury in 2023. He was a player who USC could build its defense around, but he didn’t get opportunities in 2024, and now he’s thriving at Oregon. He’s part of a passing defense that ranks fifth in the nation and he had five tackles in the Ducks’ 30-24 double-overtime statement win over Penn State.
EDGE Sam Greene, Kentucky: Greene was the first defensive player from USC to hit the portal and appeared in all 12 games while starting in three in 2024. He’s starting at the jack linebacker position and has 11 tackles (seven solo) in the first four games of the season.
Special teams
Tyler Robles, K, Texas State: Robles made his only PAT attempt and had three kickoffs in 2023. He’s a key part of Texas State’s special teams and has hit 17 of 17 PATs while making four out of five field goals, including a season-long field goal of 50 yards.
K Garth White, Rhode Island: The junior college product didn’t get on the field for the Trojans but seems to have found a home in Rhode Island. He’s 14 for 14 on PATs and has made 5 of 7 field goal attempts.
K Denis Lynch, San Jose State: Lynch was USC’s starting kicker in 2023 and made 98.4% of his extra point attempts. He had a rocky start at San Jose State. He missed two field goals in his first game with the team, but has since recovered and kicked three field goals in the Spartans’ most recent game against Stanford.