The names of five true freshmen appeared at the top of USC’s depth chart for Saturday’s opener against San Jose State.
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It’s a big deal, at first glance. But head coach Lincoln Riley and the Trojans don’t view the concept of “starters” in a traditional way.
“Starting is not – I don’t want to be dismissive of it, but it’s not that big a deal in our program,” Riley told reporters on a Zoom call Thursday morning.
The lack of permanence allows for flexibility on game day. If an opponent deploys an unexpected scheme on the opening drive, the USC coaching staff can plug in players without hesitation.
Measuring success is less about who’s starting the game and more about who’s playing the most snaps.
“That’s the bigger deal,” Riley said. “We have a lot of freshmen that are going to play some significant snaps, which is great, and I think they’re ready for it. I know they are. The ones that are going to play a lot have shown a competitive maturity combined with a good sense of humility coming in.”
For the record, receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, tight end Mark Bowman and defensive end Luke Wafle were all listed at the top of the depth chart.
Elbert “Rock” Hill IV was given an “or” designation at cornerback, meaning he or redshirt sophomore Chasen Johnson could start against the Spartans.
USC brought in the No. 1 recruiting class of the 2026 cycle, and 32 of the 35 freshmen enrolled early to arrive on campus in time for spring practices.
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“Some of these guys came in pretty far down the line in terms of their development and being physically ready to play,” Riley said.
“A lot of these guys came in with a good combination of humility, knowing they had to come in and work and earn their place on the team and earn an opportunity to play. But also a confidence, and an aggressiveness that they weren’t just going to come in and take a back seat just because they were a freshman.”
Freshman players are not allowed to speak with reporters until they’ve played in a game, in accordance with USC’s media policy. Many may soon get the opportunity after Saturday’s game.
Hines a game-day decision
Sophomore wide receiver Tanook Hines missed roughly half of fall training camp due to an undisclosed injury and will be a game-time decision Saturday, Riley told reporters.
“He’s definitely progressed enough to look like himself, which has been great,” Riley said. “We’re certainly gonna keep all factors in mind this game, the rest of the season, certainly all of that in making the decision and see how he progresses.”
The depth chart indicates that either Corey Simms, another sophomore, or Hines could start, and true freshman Tron Baker is third on the list.
Hines is USC’s only returning starting receiver.
Permanent captains
The Trojans have elected permanent captains for this season, which is a change from last season’s system of rotating weekly captains.
The captains will be revealed before kickoff Saturday.
“I felt like we had some guys that really were starting to step out enough that I felt like permanent captains for this group was the right way to go,” Riley said. “We elected those last week, and we’ll announce those guys and be excited for those guys to lead us out.”
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