Matt Leinart says USC football is headed in the right direction
Matt Leinart says USC football is headed in the right direction originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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USA Today
10 minutes ago
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USC football countdown to kickoff—Marcus Allen in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 33 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at the first Heisman winner on the list—USC Heisman Trophy running back Marcus Allen. Position: Running back Years played at USC: 1978-1981 Career highlights: Allen did not start at running back for USC his first two years, because the Trojans had another Heisman winner in the backfield: the late, great Charles White. After winning a national championship as a freshman backup in 1978, Allen started at fullback in 1979. Following the graduation of White, Allen took over as USC's featured back in 1980. After rushing for more than 1,500 yards that season, he shattered the record book as a senior in 1981. That year, Allen became the first player in college football history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season, carrying the ball 403 times for an incredible 2,342 yards and 22 touchdowns. He was named a Unanimous All-American and won just about every award that he was eligible for, including the Heisman Trophy, becoming the fourth USC running back to take home the honor. Allen's retired jersey No. 33 hangs in the Peristyle at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000. After USC: Allen did not have to move very far after graduating, as the newly-moved Los Angeles Raiders selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft. Playing his home games in the Coliseum, just as he did in college, Allen quickly became a star for L.A. In eleven seasons with the team, he was named to five Pro Bowls, made first-team All-Pro twice, made second-team All-Pro once, won MVP, offensive player of the year, offensive rookie of the year, and Super Bowl MVP, leading the Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XVII. Allen spent the final five years of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, making another Pro Bowl and winning comeback player of the year in 1993. Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003. He is the only player in football history to win a college football national championship, the Heisman Trophy, a Super Bowl, NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and be named a Unanimous All-American.
USA Today
40 minutes ago
- USA Today
USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield files lawsuit against NCAA over eligibility issue
A few weeks ago, it was revealed that USC offensive lineman DJ Wingfield still has not yet been ruled eligible for the 2025 season. Now, it appears Wingfield is taking the NCAA to court. On Monday, it was reported that Wingfield has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA. The amount in the suit is reportedly $210,000, which is what USC had offered him to play the 2025 season. "Wingfield's collegiate career began in 2019 at El Camino College, a junior college in Torrance," Ryan Kartje of The Los Angeles Times wrote. "He left El Camino during the 2020 season due to the pandemic, as Wingfield was tasked with taking care of his mother. "He played at El Camino in 2021 before transferring to New Mexico in the spring of 2022. Before completing a single game with the Lobos, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, ending his season. He returned to play in nine games in 2023 before entering the transfer portal. "Wingfield transferred to Purdue where he earned a starting job in 2024, five years after he first started his college football career." Wingfield's assumption that he would be able to play another year of college football in 2025 was presumably based on Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's successful lawsuit against the NCAA last fall, in which a court ruled that years spent at the junior college level do not count towards a player's NCAA eligibility. USC cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson took advantage of the ruling to return to the Trojans in 2025. To date, however, Wingfield's eligibility waiver has yet to be granted. "Wingfield is seeking to challenge the lawfulness of the NCAA's 'Five-Year Rule', which contends that players are eligible to play four seasons of competition across five years," Kartje wrote. "Both USC and Wingfield believed, according to the complaint, that his waiver would be approved, considering recent rulings in the cases of Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia and Rutgers' Jett Elad, each of whom won the right in court to play an additional season. "But the waiver was denied, robbing Wingfield, he claims, of what could have been a 'once-in-a-lifetime' NIL payday as well as an opportunity to 'enhance his career and reputation' by playing at USC." Losing a potential starter on the offensive line prior to the start of the season would be a brutal blow for the Trojans. USC will certainly be pulling hard for Wingfield in his legal fight with the NCAA.
USA Today
40 minutes ago
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Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning breaks down reason for offseason meeting with Dabo Swinney
During Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas last week, Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning revealed that he spoke with Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney this offseason, citing discussions over the process of running a program — including how he developed his "Double Down" mantra heading into the 2025 season. On Monday, during Oregon's 2025 media day in Eugene, Lanning was asked to elaborate on the meeting and why it occurred. In essence, it was to pick the brain of a coach who has succeeded on the biggest stage. "Every year, I kind of challenge myself to find some people to touch base with, and he was kind enough to touch base back, you know," Lanning said. "So there's a lot of people who've done the game at a really high level that I want to go pick their brain." Lanning continued, breaking down the topics the two coaches discussed. "We really talked about all things. All things program, right?" Lanning said. "Not necessarily messaging, but all things organizationally, why he thought he was able to have some of the success that he's had over the years, and what separates some of his team. So I really appreciate his insight." Entering his fourth season at the helm for the Ducks, Lanning has quickly established himself as one of the top coaches in the country with three straight double-digit season win totals. Last season was his best work, as Oregon was ranked No. 1 in the country for the back half of the season, won a Big Ten title, and earned the top seed in the College Football Playoff. However, the season-ending Rose Bowl loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes stung for a team with national championship hopes. It doesn't get much better than asking Swinney for advice, who's 35th in all-time wins as a college football head coach, including two national titles in 2016 and 2018. With a new perspective and the ensuing inspiration for a new season motto, Lanning's meeting with Swinney should prove to be another building block towards the continued success of the Oregon program. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
