USC has been known for producing elite football talent for decades now. Even as the team has struggled in recent years, the Trojans have still consistently had top-level players, particularly at the offensive skill positions. With Lincoln Riley’s arrival in Los Angeles and the newfound flexibility for players thanks to the transfer portal, USC has attracted some of the top talent in the nation for the 2022 season.
Will it all work in year 1 for Riley? Who knows, but we can still gawk at all of the individual potential on this team, much of which is listed below on these preseason All-American and All-Pac-12 teams. In comparison, the Trojans had two AP All-Americans in 2021 (Drake London and Andrew Vorhees) and four AP All-Pac-12 players (London, Vorhees, Parker Lewis, and Drake Jackson).
PFF Preseason All-American Team: USC
First Team
USC WR Jordan Addison
Second Team
USC QB Caleb Williams
USC WR Mario Williams
USC ranks seventh in the nation on PFF’s list of most players on its three preseason All-American teams. However, all four are on the offensive side of the ball, a number only matched by Ohio State. So, it’s evident that USC’s offense will have sky-high expectations for the upcoming year, largely thanks to the transfer portal, which is how three of those four players arrived in Los Angeles.
Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Team
First Team
WR Jordan Addison
Third Team
QB Caleb Williams
Fourth Team
OL Andrew Vorhees
Steele is lower on Vorhees than PFF, as the latter recently ranked the USC guard as the top interior offensive lineman in the nation. Tuipulotu is also receiving plenty of hype heading into his junior season, after 5.5 sacks in his all-Pac-12 first-team sophomore season. He will need to play a big role on a defense that, at least on paper, lacks the star power seen on the other side of the ball.
Preseason All-America Team by Athlon Sports
First Team
WR Jordan Addison
OG Andrew Vorhees
Third Team
QB Caleb Williams
All-Purpose: Travis Dye
Fourth Team
DT Tuli Tuipulotu
Dye makes an appearance on Athlon’s list on the third team, after over 3,000 rushing yards during his four-year stint at Oregon. That all-purpose tag applies to Dye due to his additional abilities as a pass-catcher and return specialist, though USC isn’t expected to use him much as a kick or punt returner. Regardless, he’s another explosive, versatile weapon on a USC offense that’s had five different players on various All-American lists.
Preseason Media Pac-12 All-Conference Team
First Team
QB Caleb Williams
WR Jordan Addison
WR Mario Williams
OL Andrew Vorhees
DL Tuli Tuipulotu
All-Purpose/Special Teams: Travis Dye
Second Team
RB Travis Dye
OL Brett Neilon
Return Specialist: Gary Bryant Jr.
Honorable Mentions
WR Gary Bryant Jr.
DL Solomon Byrd
Return Specialist: Brendan Rice
USC has tied for the most players on the first team with Utah at six players, with the Trojans dominating much of that top offense list, including both wide receivers. The versatile Dye is listed in two different positions, which highlights how many ways he can impact the game. Those four Trojans filed in the defensive honorable mentions will be a major part of how far USC goes in 2022, as the USC defense definitely has more question marks than on the other side of the ball.
Phil Steele’s Preseason Pac-12 Team
First Team
QB Caleb Williams
WR Jordan Addison
C Brett Neilon
OG Andrew Vorhees
DT Tuli Tuipulotu
Second Team
RB Travis Dye
WR Mario Williams
KR Gary Bryant Jr.
Third Team
LB Shane Lee
CB Mekhi Blackmon
PR Brendan Rice
Rice’s name keeps popping up as a return specialist to watch, between these lists and his appearance on the Hornung Award watch list. As you might know, he’s the son of Jerry Rice, and you can probably tell watching highlights like this. USC has no shortage of return specialist depth between Rice, Dye, and Bryant Jr., so don’t sleep on the potential impacts that can be made by the Trojans’ special teams unit.
Preseason Pac-12 All-Conference Team by Athlon Sports
First Team
QB Caleb Williams
RB/All-Purpose Travis Dye
WR Jordan Addison
OL Andrew Vorhees
DL Tuli Tuipulotu
Second Team
WR Mario Williams
C Brett Neilon
Third Team
WR Gary Bryant
DL Nick Figueroa
LB Eric Gentry
CB Mekhi Blackmon
Fourth Team
DL Korey Foreman
LB Shane Lee
KR Brenden Rice
PR Gary Bryant
USC’s 16 selections to this list are four clear of the next teams — Utah, Oregon, and Washington — all at 12. To again highlight how beneficial the transfer portal has been to Riley and the Trojans, eight of those selections transferred to USC. The 2022 Trojans are truly an unprecedented experiment in college football, because as stated in the intro: there’s plenty of talent, but who knows if it will work. Either way, USC shouldn’t falter this season due to a lack of individual caliber.
Good Works Team
To finish these lists off, one more USC player stands out, but not simply because of his athletic potential. The Good Works Team recognizes a group of players “with exemplary community service, academic dedication, and impact on and off the field.” USC quarterback Caleb Williams is one of 114 preseason nominees for this slightly different kind of All-American team, but one that is just as important.