Six Wildcards for the USC Trojans in 2023
Expectations are high for the USC Trojans as they prepare for the 2023 college football season. This is the deepest and most talented roster the Trojans have had in years and it’s led by the returning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. But there are some names, maybe off the radar, not cemented as surefire starters, or their potential production at this level is unknown, who qualify as true wildcards in USC’s search for success this season.
Here, we’re looking at six wildcard players for the Trojans. Those are the players who could create the biggest swing in production, shake up the depth chart the most, or simply the biggest unknown.
Raesjon Davis
Injuries crushed USC’s inside linebacker position in the middle part of the 2022 season. Eric Gentry missed a handful of games. Shane Lee missed one and was limited for others. Ralen Goforth and Tuasivi Nomura saw some time as backups there. But the eye-opener came at the end of the season in the Cotton Bowl. Raesjon Davis got his first extended time on defense and showcased a few solid tackles that made him one of the few brights spots on that side of the ball for the Trojans.
With the additions of Mason Cobb and Tackett Curtis, plus the returns of Gentry and Lee, Davis is again getting a bit lost in the discussion when it comes to inside linebackers. But if Davis can play his way into the rotation and prove he should see the field this season, that would be a huge boost to the linebacker spot overall. And that could change how this Trojans’ defense performs overall in 2023.
Duce Robinson
Had Duce Robinson announced his commitment to Georgia or Texas, USC’s wide receiver room still would have been special. He doesn’t make or break the Trojans this season. But my goodness what he might be able to add if he’s ready to go as a true freshman. That combination of size, speed and ability to go up and get the football doesn’t exist many places. It’s not expected this season that he’ll lead the Trojans in receptions or receiving yards or be the go-to guy in any sense. But he’s a guy who could give the offense an edge and turn would-be field goal drives into touchdowns.
Raleek Brown could have gotten a mention here as a wildcard receiver and would have been deserving. But Robinson’s ability and potential positional flexibility is really intriguing.
Rush End
I’m only counting this as one, even though it’s about half the defensive roster.
You can’t diminish how important getting elite play at all three defensive line positions will be for the Trojans. But the impact this position provides in 2023 could mean the difference between going to the College Football Playoff and watching them from home.
Anthony Lucas, Romello Height, Jamil Muhammad, Sam Greene, Braylan Shelby, David Peevy and whoever else winds up practicing or taking snaps here has to turn this into a position that controls the game. The USC defense depends on creating havoc plays with tackles for loss and sacks. This spot didn’t do nearly enough of that last season. Part of that was due to depth issues. But those appear to be fixed now. This has to be a strength for the USC defense.
Domani Jackson
USC has a couple of cornerback spots that need to be filled. And nobody at the spot (and maybe no player on the defensive roster) has as much upside as the former Five-Star Plus+ prospect, Domani Jackson. He spent last season trying to come back from a significant injury and never got all the way right. Jackson was back on the field this spring and looks to have regained that speed and athleticism that made him one of the most coveted prospects in the 2022 recruiting class.
Jackson might be the fastest player on the team and brings a physical presence to the cornerback position. USC would likely be fine there if veteran transfer Christian Roland-Wallace and either Ceyair Wright or Jacobe Covington landed the starting cornerback spots.
But Jackson’s ceiling is incredibly high. If he can get close to it this fall, the USC defense won’t miss a beat at the position despite the departure of third-round pick Mekhi Blackmon.
Emmanuel Pregnon
USC fans likely didn’t watch much in the way of Wyoming football games last season. But it’s safe to say Power 5 head coaches watched plenty of film of offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon once he went into the portal. He became one of the hottest commodities of the second transfer portal window this spring.
Pregnon is a likely starter along the offensive line for the Trojans in 2023 and could slot in at left guard. If he does that, he’ll be replacing All-American Andrew Vorhees there. It’s a pretty big fall from a guy who earned national All-America honors to someone who didn’t make First or Second-Team Mountain West last year. But that was Pregnon’s first year of playing time for the Cowboys. And it’s clear he is on a positive trajectory. Pregnon arrives as the one real unknown for an offensive line that has four probably starters with a ton of Power 5 playing time.
His performance could leave the Trojans scrambling all season in replacing Vorhees, or push the Trojans again into the discussion of the nation’s best offensive lines.
Zion Branch
Another defensive player and another player returning from injury on this list is Zion Branch. There is a chance he spends this season still getting back to full health from the ACL injury he suffered last summer. There’s also a chance he fully recovers enough to make a huge impact in the USC secondary.
He could make an impact at free safety or nickel, or potentially as a versatile dime defender who can work as an extra linebacker. He’s big enough to play at a couple of different levels in the defense and he is a willing tackler.
USC’s secondary needs to take a step up from its play last season. Branch wasn’t active for the spring game. His potential role or level of availability this fall remains to be seen. But what kind of impact he could make this fall could be something that swings the overall defensive performance of the 2023 Trojans one way or the other.
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