Latest news with #Trojans
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC football countdown to kickoff continues: Butch Lewis in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 68 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. The options for No. 68 are rather limited, but today, we take a look at former USC offensive lineman Butch Lewis. Position: Offensive line Advertisement Years played at USC: 2006-2010 Career highlights: Although his USC career was somewhat limited by injuries, Lewis played a sizable role for the Trojans on the offensive line. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2006, Lewis worked his way into the rotation in 2007 and remained there for the next four years. He made double-digit starts during his time at USC, primarily playing offensive guard but also working in some at tackle. After USC: Lewis was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft. He briefly signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but did not make the team's roster. This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football countdown to kickoff recalls Trojan O-lineman Butch Lewis
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC Legend Loves How Trojans are 'Recruiting Our A-- Off'
USC Legend Loves How Trojans are 'Recruiting Our A-- Off' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The USC Trojans have maintained its grip at the top of the 2026 recruiting rankings through July. One USC legend is loving the fact his team is "recruiting our a-- off." Advertisement Past Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart is raving about who the Trojans have lured in. He shared his excited take with Andrew Hughes of The Sporting News during his appearance at the 2025 American Century Championship. 'We're recruiting our a-- off right now. The No. 1 2026 class right now. We've gotten bigger, stronger," Leinart began. The legendary southpaw passer for USC believes these new additions should erase this flaw from past USC teams, including the 2024 one: Losing leads late. Advertisement USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches pregame Nicholson-Imagn Images "And, you know, if you go back the last year, there are three or four games where you lose in the last 30 seconds. You know what I mean? You switch that, and all of a sudden, you're 10-2, and it's a whole different ball game," Leinart said. USC fans have grown vocal about head coach Lincoln Riley and the direction the Trojans are going in. Riley's USC teams have declined in the win/loss category the past two seasons. Leinart also is aware that the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically, thanks to the transfer portal and NIL. Advertisement But he believes USC fans should exercise more patience with Riley and the Trojans. "They started off strong. We had like 10 or 11 wins. I think this year, we've had a couple of setbacks, but I think what people forget is it does take time, and it takes time, especially with the portal and NIL. It's just a whole different beast now, right?" Leinart said. "You're recruiting against other teams. You're recruiting to keep your roster intact, you, all those things." But he's loving how his alma mater stands alone as the nation's best recruiting class. This '26 class features two five-stars in tackle Keenyi Pope and tight end Mark Bowman. USC also flipped two Oregon pledges in defensive lineman Tomuhini Topui and quarterback Jonas Williams. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Chase McGrath in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 40 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 former USC kicker Chase McGrath. Position: Kicker Years played at USC: 2017-2020 Career highlights: Arriving on campus as a walk-on in 2017, McGrath won the starting kicker job immediately as a true freshman. The first two field goal attempts of McGrath's career were dramatic ones, as he hit the game-tying field goal at the end of regulation and the game-winner in double overtime to take down Texas at the Coliseum. After the season, he was awarded a scholarship. In 2018, McGrath redshirted after suffering a knee injury chasing down a defender after a blocked kick in the third game of the year. He returned from the injury in 2019, hitting a career-high 82.6% of his field goals and earning USC's Special Teams Player of the Year award, in addition to All-Pac-12 honorable mention. Prior to the 2020 season, however, McGrath was beaten out for the starting job by true freshman Parker Lewis. After USC: After losing the starting job at USC, McGrath transferred to Tennessee in 2021. He spent the next two years as the Volunteers starting kicker. In 2022, he hit another iconic game-winning field goal to help Tennessee take down Alabama for the first time in 16 years. In April, McGrath got engaged in the Coliseum to his longtime girlfriend, former USC Song Girl and recruiting staffer Adrianna Robakowski. The two met during McGrath's time playing for the Trojans.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC women's basketball analyst offers film session on star recruit Jazzy Davidson
USC women's basketball won't have JuJu Watkins on the floor for the first several weeks of the coming season, and maybe the whole season. We don't know what the exact recovery timetable is, and we don't know if Watkins will even choose to play this season. What we do know is that an incoming freshman -- one of the very best recruits in the country -- will play for USC this fall. Jazzy Davidson will try to give the Trojans another electric star on the court. USC women's basketball analyst Cece Clay went to the vault to look at game film of Davidson with Team USA in the Under-19 World Cup. We should note this is a different film session from an earlier one we passed along in June. The Under-19 World Cup offered a fresh new environment -- international ball -- in which Jazzy Davidson was able to display her skills and sharpen her game before beginning her college career at USC. What comes across in Cece's latest video presentation on Jazzy Davidson is that USC is getting a smart and hungry player. The film segments on Davidson show a player who is always moving and is hustling when other players on the court are standing around. Davidson is always looking for a better angle, a better line of attack, a better chance to make a winning play. That trait is combined with floor vision and a generally high basketball IQ which enable Jazzy Davidson to make good reads in halfcourt sets but to also make instinctive plays in traffic with improvisational awareness. If Jazzy Davidson puts it all together this season, USC can still be a great team.
USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Thomas Williams in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 41 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 former USC linebacker Thomas Williams. Position: Linebacker Years played at USC: 2003-2007 Career highlights: In most other eras, Williams would have started at linebacker for the Trojans. During the Pete Carroll era, however, USC had a plethora of great linebackers, including Dallas Sartz, Oscar Lua, Keith Rivers, Brian Cushing, and Rey Maualuga. Because of this, Williams was primarily relegated to reserve duty during his career in Cardinal and Gold. Between 2004 and 2007 (he redshirted as a true freshman in 2003), Williams appeared in 49 of USC's 52 games. He made 14 starts at three different positions—including fullback—and played a key role on special teams. As a redshirt senior in 2007, he was named All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention and USC's co-special teams player of the year. After USC: Despite not having started much at USC, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Williams in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He became somewhat of a journeyman in the NFL, spending time with six different teams over the next five years. He finished his NFL career with 14 total tackles and two forced fumbles. Williams was forced to retire from football in 2012 due to a neck injury. Following his career, Williams has become a motivational speaker and author, having published three books.
