During Thursday’s media time, USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley was asked about the players on the scout team who have stood out so far and have potentially surprised him with their quick development.
He listed quite a few defensive players, which should get the fan base excited about where this program is and the direction it is headed.
Here is a quick look at who he mentioned.
- DL – Carlon Jones
- EDGE – Gus Cordova
- EDGE – Jadyn Ramos
- LB – AJ Tuitele
- LB – Matai Tagoa’i
- DB – RJ Sermons
- DB – Trestin Castro
- DB – James Johnson
USC Trojans Have A Bright Defensive Future
Carlon Jones is a player that I have spoken about a few times as someone to watch out for. At 6’3, 310 pounds, the redshirt freshman is a big body who has a skillset that is going to translate well to playing in the middle.
He may be behind the likes of true freshman Jahkeem Stewart and Floyd Boucard on the depth chart, but don’t let that make you think that he isn’t developing and won’t have a role on this team. Some players take a little longer to carve out a role, but Jones is someone who certainly can make an impact for this program.
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Both Gus Cordova and Jadyn Ramos are true freshmen from the state of Texas who were severely overlooked. Both were three-star prospects with a ton of production in high school. It is no surprise that they are standing out early.
Matai Tagoa’i was one of the top prospects in the USC Trojans’ 2025 class. He has gotten quite a bit of game action through the first two weeks and has demonstrated an elite motor and a nose for the football.
AJ Tuitele was a late addition to the 2025 class out of Las Vegas (similar to Ramos). He was also a player with a ton of high school production who is demonstrating early on that he should have been approached by quite a few more programs.
The trio of Sermons, Castro, and Johnson are all very talented defensive backs who have a bright future in the USC Trojans’ secondary. The DB room is deep, so expect these players to have scout team roles for most of the year, but I would not be surprised in the slightest if they did get some game action later down the line.
The future is bright for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans on the defensive side of the ball.
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