Soaring into contention

USC is realizing what occurs when a college program develops its high school recruits and doesn't lean into the transfer portal

- By Ryan Kartje

HARRY HOW Getty Images

MAKAI LEMON, who played at Los Alamitos, has blossomed in his third season at USC and projected as a first-round draft pick.

When Lincoln Riley first landed in Los Angeles, his audacious plan to remake a lacking USC roster on the fly revolved almost entirely around the transfer portal.

The Trojans brought in two dozen transfers ahead of his debut season, including their top two running backs, three of their top four receivers, six starters on defense and, of course, a Heisman-winning quarterback.

The plan worked quite well for Riley and Co. at the time. USC won 11 games in 2022 and fell just short of the College Football Playoff.

But it didn't go as planned over the next two seasons. Riley and his staff relied almost as heavily on quick fixes in the portal - but without the same results.

Now three years later, with No. 7 Oregon awaiting Saturday, No. 15 USC is back on the brink of the College Football Playoff for the first time since Riley's debut. And it's gotten to this point by following a totally different plan than the one that worked the first time.

When the Trojans take the field in Eugene, barring some late lineup change, they won't have a single transfer from 2025 starting on offense. It isn’t much different on the other side of the ball: Safety Bishop Fitzgerald is the only transfer among the top 12 in snaps played on USC's defense — and his status for the game is in serious doubt because of injury.

It’s rare these days for a Power Four roster to be that homegrown. Oregon, for instance, has seven transfers from its 2025 class in its usual starting lineup. Two of whom were Trojans last season.