USC football countdown to kickoff continues -- Lake McRee in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 87 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 take a look at current USC tight end Lake McRee.
Position: Tight end
Years played at USC: 2021-present
Career highlights: McRee saw action in four games as a true freshman in 2021, preserving his redshirt status. Over the past three seasons, he has served a key role in USC's tight end room, becoming a regular starter this past season. For his career thus far, McRee has 67 receptions for 704 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
McRee enters the 2025 season as one of the last remaining players who played for Clay Helton at USC. He will look to step up as a leader for the Trojans not just within the tight end room, but across the team as a whole.
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Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Who Are The 10 Best Players in The Big Ten Entering The 2025 Season?
College Football Who Are The 10 Best Players in The Big Ten Entering The 2025 Season? Published Aug. 13, 2025 9:33 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Week 1 of college football is nearly upon us, and there are some incredible matchups to kick off the 2025 season. The most notable, of course, is the SEC-Big Ten showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Aug. 30 on FOX. This will be a pivotal year for the Big Ten, which has been hard at work to make its mark as the top conference in modern-day college football. Big Ten teams, Michigan and Ohio State, have won the past two College Football Playoff National Championships. Big Ten teams also went 4-0 against SEC teams in the CFP over that same span. That got us thinking about the biggest stars in the Big Ten entering the 2025 season: 10 Best Big Ten Players Entering The 2025 Season Makai Lemon #6 of the USC Trojans catches a pass during a spring football game in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) Lemon had a breakout season during his sophomore year at USC, hauling in 52 passes for 764 yards and three touchdowns. It's now time for Lemon to build on that foundation. He's the only Trojan to make this list, so it's clear their offense will go as he does. For the third consecutive year, USC has a new starting quarterback opening the season — this time it's junior Jayden Maiava — and Lemon will certainly be his go-to target on the perimeter. D'Angelo Ponds #5 during a game in Bloomington, Indiana on November 30, 2024 (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) ADVERTISEMENT Ponds, a junior defensive back, enters his second season with Indiana. In 2024, he was second on the team in interceptions with three. After losing offensive coordinator Tony Sunsieri to UCLA, Ponds and Indiana's defense will have to step up if the Hoosiers want to return to the CFP. Gabe Jacas #17 during a game between Illinois and Kansas in Champaign, IL on September 7, 2024. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Jacas showcased his ability to be a game-wrecker last season, racking up 74 total tackles, including 13 tackles for loss. He posted a career-high 8.0 sacks and was tied for the conference lead in forced fumbles (three). At 6-foot-3, 275 pounds and agile as can be, Jacas is the type of edge rusher that NFL teams clamor over. He's likely to be a first-round draft pick in 2026, and his stock could rise into the top 10 depending on how he builds off last season. Matayo Uiagalelei #10 of the Oregon Ducks during the first half of the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2025. (Photo by) Uiagaleilei is another one of these highly coveted pass-rushing prospects. In 2024, he had 10.5 sacks and matched Jacas' total of 13 tackles for loss as a sophomore. With potential question marks on Oregon's offense at wide receiver and quarterback, Uiagaleilei and the pass rush might have to be the leading unit on the team if the Ducks want to achieve another undefeated regular season. Dillon Thieneman #31 during a game between Purdue and Indiana in Bloomington on November 30, 2024. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Transferring from one Big Ten school (Purdue) to another (Oregon), Thieneman has already proved he can be an impact player, but now he can show how that impact translates to winning. Purdue went 5-19 over the past two seasons, but Thieneman surpassed 100 total tackles in each of those. Despite the Ducks going undefeated last regular season, their defense ranked 11th in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed (130 per game). Thieneman's ability to win at the second-level and prevent big plays on the ground will be crucial for Oregon to improve on that mark. Drew Allar #15 during the first quarter of the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami. (Photo by) Allar is the top quarterback on this list. Between his sophomore and junior seasons at Penn State, he increased his completion percentage from 59.9% to 66.5%. That improvement in accuracy helped the Nittany Lions make a run to the CFP semifinals. The stakes, though, have never been higher for Allar. He enters his senior season tied for the fifth-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy (+1600) and he's leading Joel Klatt's preseason top-25 No. 1 ranked team. If everything goes right, he could be the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Dani Dennis-Sutton #33 after forcing a fumble during the second quarter of the Orange Bowl on January 09, 2025. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Similar to Allar, Dennis-Sutton is an anomaly in college football. He's entering his final year of college football with the program he started with. The edge rusher had his best season in 2024, recording 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Nicholas Singleton #10 celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the Orange Bowl on January 09, 2025 in Miami. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Singleton rounds out the trio of tried-and-true Nittany Lions. Their continuity is part of why Klatt is so high on them this season. Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2024 and added 375 yards and five touchdowns through the air. His rushing ability keeps opposing defenses honest, while his consistent improvement as a route-runner has given Allar a safety blanket in the passing game. Caleb Downs #2 celebrates an interception in the Cotton Bowl on January 10, 2025. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Downs was pivotal in Ohio State's championship run last season. He had eight tackles for loss, an impressive number for a free safety. He came up big in the CFP semifinals when he had a tackle for loss and picked off Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers to seal the game. Jeremiah Smith #4 after making a reception in the 2025 CFP National Championship Game in Atlanta. (Photo) Smith has the talent to be the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy award since Devonta Smith. He dominated every opponent in the Big Ten conference during his true freshman season, leading the conference with 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. His magnum opus came in the Rose Bowl during the CFP quarterfinals when he torched Oregon for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Honorable mentions: Check out all of our Daily Rankers . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Micah Banuelos works to make up for lost time as USC aims to build its strongest o-line
Before he arrived at USC, Micah Banuelos was already pretty accustomed to playing through pain. As a standout offensive and defensive lineman at Kennedy Catholic High in Washington, his shoulder would pop out of its socket during almost every game. So Banuelos would check out, have his shoulder popped back in and then reenter the game like nothing changed. 'Then,' his father, Roy Banuelos, says, 'he never said anything about it after.' But when that shoulder injury lingered past high school and into his freshman season, there was no ignoring it anymore. Just weeks into his first fall at USC, the staff suggested Banuelos get surgery. It would be a while before Banuelos made his way back — and even longer still before he'd be competing for a real role on USC's offensive line. The shoulder injury robbed him of the following spring, then a knee issue nixed his second season after just a few games. But at the start of his third fall at USC, Banuelos has finally entered the mix at guard, a position at which USC is perilously unproven. Read more: Offensive lineman DJ Wingfield files lawsuit against NCAA in bid to play for USC If a federal judge doesn't grant an injunction Monday to transfer lineman DJ Wingfield in his lawsuit against the NCAA, then Banuelos will be one of many vying for the opening he leaves behind up front. Banuelos has taken considerable snaps through camp with the first-team offensive line, while redshirt freshmen Hayden Treter and Makai Saina and walk-on Kaylon Miller have also factored into the competition. It's the first time that USC coach Lincoln Riley has really gotten an extended look at Banuelos, despite the fact that he's entering his third season in L.A. 'He was probably somebody we knew the least about, just because he was hurt so much,' Riley said. 'He's getting a ton of reps right now, and so far, he's just carrying on from that. He has a lot of power. He can really move people. He can really play behind his hips. There's a lot to like about what he does, and if he stays healthy, he's really going to turn into a good player.' Riley had similar praise for Treter, who has also dealt with injuries since coming to USC. The coach called Treter 'one of the highlights of camp.' Read more: Tobias Raymond is now a key cog — and de facto grillmaster — on uncertain USC offensive line The Trojans entered the offseason in need of more consistency from their offensive line, especially with a relatively new starting quarterback in Jayden Maiava. The competition at USC's open guard spot remains one of the closest battles on the team with just over two weeks remaining until its season opener. Even Alani Noa, who started 12 of USC's 13 games, hasn't been assured of a starting spot. That uncertainty up front might be nerve-wracking to some. Riley and offensive coordinator Luke Huard insist they don't see it that way. Huard said he feels 'really, really good' about the current state of the offensive line, while Riley said he feels 'much better' now about the depth at the position than he did in spring. Read more: USC cornerback Prophet Brown suffers noncontact injury, will miss start of season 'Some of that young depth coming along, we needed that to happen,' Riley said. 'Their ascent is important not just for this year, but for the future.' It's just as critical at offensive tackle, too, where redshirt freshman Justin Tauanuu has made his own case to be a part of USC's starting front. It's possible that he slots in at right tackle, while Tobias Raymond, the projected starter there, kicks into guard to fill the void left by Wingfield. But coaches and teammates like what they've seen out of Banuelos. 'You can tell when a guy just wants to be out there and treats every day like his last,' left tackle Elijah Paige said. 'He's putting it all out here.' Read more: USC's Lincoln Riley feeling 'refreshed' as pressure mounts to win in Year 4 For a while, Banuelos could only wait for his shoulder — and then his knee — to heal. That part was excruciating, his father says, stuck in place as others made moves up the depth chart. 'He was pretty down,' Roy Banuelos said. 'I would call him and just tell him, 'It's OK, man. You'll get your time. It'll come.'' Now, with USC in desperate need of someone stepping up at guard, that time may finally have arrived. 'All he wanted to do was play football,' Roy Banuelos said. 'So his attitude now — it's night and day.' Sign up for more USC news with Times of Troy. In your inbox every Monday morning. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
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Get ready for the Dorsey Dons to do something different: pass the football
At USC, Stafon Johnson was a running back. As the football coach at his alma mater, Dorsey, he has continued to preach running the football — until now. He finally has a promising quarterback, sophomore Elijah McDaniel, so look for the Dons to run and pass. 'I haven't had a quarterback in many moons,' Johnson said. He also has his son, Deuce, playing receiver, so Dorsey will strive to be more balanced. The Dons have a huge opening game on Aug. 28, playing Carson in a game that could have implications for the City Section Open Division playoffs weeks away. 'I really like how we're doing,' Johnson said. 'We're still a young team. The core is 10th and 11th graders, but they played last season.' All-City defensive back Mahki McCluster returns to lead the defense. Perhaps Deuce has been lobbying Dad to throw more. Whatever the reason, look for Dorsey to have the option of passing a lot more this season.
