The College Football Transfer Portal officially opens up on Monday, and there are plenty of questions surrounding the USC Trojans, specifically at the wide receiver position.
One WR, Kyron Hudson, has already submitted his name into the portal, and there are plenty of murmurs that more receivers will, with no guarantee that any of the big four return.
We have received intel that head coach Lincoln Riley met with the WR room and had a really good meeting with the group. The constant rotation of the group was discussed as well, which is something that certainly needs to end if USC wants to keep all 4.
This is really hard to predict, but how do we see this shaking out?
USC Trojans WR Ja’Kobi Lane
I keep going back and forth on what Ja’Kobi Lane will ultimately do. After QB Miller Moss was benched, Lane took to social media to voice his frustration (now deleted), and he was seemingly benched himself the following game against Nebraska.
At that point, it felt like it was a guarantee that he would be hitting the portal.
But after a touchdown against UCLA, and three TDs against Notre Dame, perhaps some faith was restored between both Lane and the USC Trojans.
However, he has felt more than likely to hit the portal and we still feel 50/50 at this point.
Also Read: USC Trojans 2025 Transfer Portal Tracker
On Sunday, Lane went on a reposting spree on X.com, reposting many of his plays and mentions from his two years at USC.
This could mean absolutely nothing, but it could also be some breadcrumbs leading into Monday.
Could it be an ode to a two-year career with the Trojans as he now moves on to take his talents to another program? Or could it be a rendition of highlights as he decides to run it back with the Trojans into 2025?
USC Trojans WR Zachariah Branch
Zachariah Branch took College Football by storm as a true freshman. This season had many ups and downs and left his future with the USC Trojans unclear.
He was stripped of his kick return duties after some lackluster decisions and a lack of explosiveness. As a receiver, he struggled mightily early in the season and looked like he had regressed. However, towards the end of the season, with Jayden Maiava at QB, he had a bit of a resurgence and was used a lot in the offense as Lincoln Riley tried to keep him heavily involved.
To me, as the season wore on, Branch felt like the most likely candidate to enter the portal. Whether it was on him or the coaches, the lack of development was eye-opening.
Also Read: Emerging Defensive Star To Enter Transfer Portal
The one thing that must be factored in is his brother, S Zion Branch. It is not guaranteed, but similar to the Arnold brothers last offseason, both feel like a package deal.
Zion Branch was much healthier this season but did not get as much opportunity to play as was expected. If he is unhappy with his situation, both brothers could hit the portal looking for new opportunities.
The coaching will need a full-proof plan of both brothers’ development and usage moving into next year if they hope to keep both.
USC Trojans WR Duce Robinson
Duce Robinson is a really interesting case. He has probably been the most outspoken “Pro-USC” WR of the group and had a really steady snap count throughout the season.
His production was a bit of a roller coaster, but that is to be expected with such a deep room, each game typically features a different WR.
After the Notre Dame game, albeit a tough loss, I felt really strong that Robinson would be back for 2025. But now there are some rumors that he might want to explore the portal and look for a true opportunity to be WR1.
I still think that ultimately Duce remains a Trojan. USC and Lincoln Riley have supported his decision to play both Baseball and Football, and he did see an increase in production this season.
To me, Duce Robinson and the next receiver we talk about should the featured wideouts in 2025.
USC Trojans Makai Lemon
After playing virtually no snaps as a freshman in 2023, Makai Lemon really made a name for himself this past season. In my opinion, he seized the role of WR1 and was the most explosive and most reliable in crucial situations. He was also the WR who could do a little bit of everything in terms of the entire route tree and running from the slot or out wide.
Not to mention, the kick return game improved mightily once he was given the return duties.
I have always felt that Lemon was the biggest lock to remain a Trojan until he declared for the draft, but even his status is unknown at this time.
On Sunday he pretty much wiped his X.com account clean, but he never followed anyone to begin with, so that really could mean absolutely nothing.
At this point, I still feel strongly that Lemon will be back and will be the face of the USC Trojans WR corps in 2025.
What Will USC Trojans Do In The Transfer Portal
We will dive much deeper into this in the coming week, but we do know for sure that the Trojans are expected to be much more aggressive with NIL offers this portal season. They will certainly hit the trenches, linebacker, secondary, and the backup QB spot.
Whatever Lane, Branch, Robinson, and Lemon decide will ultimately play a huge role in how aggressive the Trojans have to be at WR.