USC guard Desmond Claude intends to enter NCAA transfer portal

USC guard Desmond Claude intends to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3’s Joe Tipton reports. He did so after spending just one season with the Trojans.

Claude originally began his career at Xavier, where he played for two years. He turned into a star as a sophomore, starting 34 games and playing exceptionally well. Well enough to transfer to a more high-profile school.

He landed on USC. And once at USC, Desmond Claude continued to put up big numbers.

During the 2024-25 season, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 15.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He even shot 30.7% from 3-point range, the best mark of his career to date.

All of that came after a standout sophomore season at Xavier. In 2023-24, Desmond Claude averaged 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He also turned in 1.1 steals per game, showing a knack for using his length to force turnovers.

Clearly, given the production, Claude will be highly sought after in the transfer portal. He’s not the only one, and with one on the way out, USC has also landed some help from the portal.

USC lands talented transfer forward

While Desmond Claude has entered the portal, Utah transfer forward Ezra Ausar has committed to USC, he announced via Instagram. He began his career at East Carolina.

Ausar had an impressive 2024-25 season at Utah after arriving from ECU. He averaged 12.5 points and 5.0 rebounds across 31 games, including 29 starts. That came after an impressive junior season when he averaged 11.4 points and 4.7 rebounds for East Carolina. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Ausar is a Snellville (Ga.) native and played high school basketball at Charlotte (NC) Liberty Heights Athletic Institute, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 209 overall player from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this report.

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