Latest news with #TrojansLive
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Shaun Cody in in focus
USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Shaun Cody in in focus The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 84 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 legendary USC defensive lineman Shaun Cody. Position: Defensive line Years played at USC: 2001-2004 Career highlights: Cody was one of the first massive recruits of the Pete Carroll era at USC. Famously, Cody and his father were set on him going to Notre Dame, but Carroll and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron were able to change their mind and convince Cody to come to USC. The move paid off for both sides, as Cody became a standout on Carroll's early USC teams. Cody won two national championships with the Trojans, serving as a captain of USC's 2004 title team as a senior. That year, he was named a first-team All-American after recording 44 tackles and nine sacks. After USC: Cody was selected in the second round of the 2005 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions. He would go on to play eight seasons in the league, four with Detroit and four with the Houston Texas. He recorded double-digit tackles in all eight of his NFL seasons, including a career-high 38 with Houston in 2010. Cody currently serves as an analyst on the radio broadcast of USC football games. He is also a co-host of USC's official "Trojans Live" show, which airs weekly during football season (with some episodes during the spring as well).
USA Today
01-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
USC GM Chad Bowden suggests more great recruiting news is on the way
USC GM Chad Bowden suggests more great recruiting news is on the way The USC football recruiting steamroller shows no signs of slowing down On Monday, USC general manager Chad Bowden spoke on the Trojans Live show. He hinted at more positive news for the program's outstanding 2026 recruiting class. USC continues to be a top choice for numerous candidates in the 2026 class. Now the issue is, who is next in line to become a top commitment to the Trojans? Priority USC defensive line target Tomuhini Topui, an outstanding four-star defensive-lineman from Mater Dei High School, decommitted from Oregon last week after being committed to the Ducks since October. Following Topui's decommitment, numerous recruiting sites predicted that USC would land him. On3's Scott Schrader, Steve Wiltfong, and Chad Simmons have all predicted that the Trojans will land Topui. 247 Sports also included a crystal ball prediction for USC. Topui is ranked 13th in the 247Sports defensive line rankings and 15th overall. If he commits to USC, he will be the fifth DL/EDGE in the 2026 class, following DL Jaimeon Winfield (8th-ranked), EDGE Simote Kataonga (11th-ranked), DL Braeden Jones (18th-ranked), and EDGE Andrew Williams. Topui, who stands at 6'2" and weighs 330 pounds, would be a huge land for the Trojans. He is an elite defender who would be a huge piece for USC's defense under defensive line coach Eric Henderson and defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, who continue to prioritize big bodies in the trenches. USC general manager Chad Bowden has changed the way recruits think about USC football. If he is optimistic about more gains for the Trojans, fans should be inclined to share that sunny outlook.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jayden Maiava shows improvement as he fights to retain USC starting quarterback job
When he was first announced as USC's starting quarterback last November, Jayden Maiava stepped into a pretty thorny situation. The team already had rallied behind Miller Moss, who spent the previous three seasons earning teammates' trust. Plus, he'd have only a few games to prove himself, and USC desperately needed immediate results. 'That's a hard thing for anyone to do,' said wideout Ja'Kobi Lane, a close friend of Moss. Those four starts, as uneven as they sometimes were, proved enough for Maiava to retain the title as the Trojans' presumptive quarterback this spring, even as USC added five-star freshman Husan Longstreet and experienced transfer Sam Huard to the fold. But what's happened in the three months since ultimately may say more about where Maiava is headed as a quarterback — and whether he'll keep the job for good this season. Maiava's second act started in January with speculation that he was entertaining the idea of entering the transfer portal. But he brushed off that notion Tuesday. Read more: USC makes season-ending statement in thrilling Las Vegas Bowl comeback over Texas A&M 'Shoot, the transfer portal is crazy nowadays,' Maiava said. 'I usually just don't pay any mind or attention to it. I just kind of go about my business and stay out the way.' For Maiava, that meant spending as much time in the film room as possible. 'Countless hours,' the quarterback said. It was on film that he could see how often he got 'happy feet' in the pocket during his first season at USC. He worked to pinpoint the reasons for head-scratching mistakes that seemed to follow him every week. Namely the back-breaking interceptions, three of which he threw in the bowl game. He was, as Lincoln Riley said Monday, 'his own toughest critic.' Though the coach was quick to point out that self-criticism was useful only to a point with Maiava. 'He's a guy who sometimes he can almost overdo it,' Riley said. 'He naturally has that ability to really be critical of himself, to really put everything he can into the areas he doesn't. You're never going to see him like, 'Oh, I'm so good at this, I'm going to take it for granted and not put work into it.' Like he's the complete opposite of that. Which is great. He's a driven worker and he wants to play a lot better for us than he did last year. And he played pretty darn good. So that's a pretty good sign.' Maiava still will have to compete through preseason camp, Riley clarified, if only because 'there always has to be a competition.' 'Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that of the other guys in the room? Of course he does,' Riley said Monday during the "Trojans Live" radio show. 'But the best guy is going to play, and that's, to me, No. 1 and that should always be the case.' Longstreet may be the most likely to push Maiava, given his pedigree coming out of Corona Centennial High. He also spent as much time as he could at USC's bowl practices, soaking it all in. Read more: USC's new GM convinced Trojans are 'sleeping giant' of college football That extra work and time has paid off. "He's way further ahead than most guys would be at this age,' Riley said. 'His ability to communicate and manage the group right now as a young guy is pretty impressive.' Where that may come naturally to Longstreet, it's been an adjustment for Maiava since stepping into the starting role. But teammates and coaches have noticed a major difference since last season. 'You certainly see him just more confident, more assertive as a leader and a player now,' Riley said. 'That's what we need him to be.' Whether that's enough to keep the job as USC's quarterback, only time will tell. As Jahkeem Stewart made his way up the tunnel Tuesday for his first spring practice at USC, it was hard not to marvel at the hulking, 17-year old defensive end. At 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds, Stewart should 'no doubt' have an opportunity to contribute this season, Riley said. The question is how quickly he'll be able to pick up USC's defense. 'He's in the facility darn near all day now,' Riley said. 'He's got the talent to [make an impact], and now it's just going to be putting in the work and building him up to be a consistent enough player to trust to put him out there on Saturday.' Defensive end Anthony Lucas is expected to miss most of spring as he continues to recover from a lower leg injury that cost him the second half of last season. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Jayden Maiava shows improvement as he fights to retain USC starting quarterback job
When he was first announced as USC's starting quarterback last November, Jayden Maiava stepped into a pretty thorny situation. The team already had rallied behind Miller Moss, who spent the previous three seasons earning teammates' trust. Plus, he'd have only a few games to prove himself, and USC desperately needed immediate results. 'That's a hard thing for anyone to do,' said wideout Ja'Kobi Lane, a close friend of Moss. Those four starts, as uneven as they sometimes were, proved enough for Maiava to retain the title as the Trojans' presumptive quarterback this spring, even as USC added five-star freshman Husan Longstreet and experienced transfer Sam Huard to the fold. But what's happened in the three months since ultimately may say more about where Maiava is headed as a quarterback — and whether he'll keep the job for good this season. Maiava's second act started in January with speculation that he was entertaining the idea of entering the transfer portal. But he brushed off that notion Tuesday. 'Shoot, the transfer portal is crazy nowadays,' Maiava said. 'I usually just don't pay any mind or attention to it. I just kind of go about my business and stay out the way.' For Maiava, that meant spending as much time in the film room as possible. 'Countless hours,' the quarterback said. It was on film that he could see how often he got 'happy feet' in the pocket during his first season at USC. He worked to pinpoint the reasons for head-scratching mistakes that seemed to follow him every week. Namely the back-breaking interceptions, three of which he threw in the bowl game. He was, as Lincoln Riley said Monday, 'his own toughest critic.' Though the coach was quick to point out that self-criticism was useful only to a point with Maiava. 'He's a guy who sometimes he can almost overdo it,' Riley said. 'He naturally has that ability to really be critical of himself, to really put everything he can into the areas he doesn't. You're never going to see him like, 'Oh, I'm so good at this, I'm going to take it for granted and not put work into it.' Like he's the complete opposite of that. Which is great. He's a driven worker and he wants to play a lot better for us than he did last year. And he played pretty darn good. So that's a pretty good sign.' Maiava still will have to compete through preseason camp, Riley clarified, if only because 'there always has to be a competition.' 'Now does Jayden come in a step ahead in experience and all that of the other guys in the room? Of course he does,' Riley said Monday during the 'Trojans Live' radio show. 'But the best guy is going to play, and that's, to me, No. 1 and that should always be the case.' Longstreet may be the most likely to push Maiava, given his pedigree coming out of Corona Centennial High. He also spent as much time as he could at USC's bowl practices, soaking it all in. That extra work and time has paid off. 'He's way further ahead than most guys would be at this age,' Riley said. 'His ability to communicate and manage the group right now as a young guy is pretty impressive.' Where that may come naturally to Longstreet, it's been an adjustment for Maiava since stepping into the starting role. But teammates and coaches have noticed a major difference since last season. 'You certainly see him just more confident, more assertive as a leader and a player now,' Riley said. 'That's what we need him to be.' Whether that's enough to keep the job as USC's quarterback, only time will tell. As Jahkeem Stewart made his way up the tunnel Tuesday for his first spring practice at USC, it was hard not to marvel at the hulking, 17-year old defensive end. At 6 feet 6 and 290 pounds, Stewart should 'no doubt' have an opportunity to contribute this season, Riley said. The question is how quickly he'll be able to pick up USC's defense. 'He's in the facility darn near all day now,' Riley said. 'He's got the talent to [make an impact], and now it's just going to be putting in the work and building him up to be a consistent enough player to trust to put him out there on Saturday.' Defensive end Anthony Lucas is expected to miss most of spring as he continues to recover from a lower leg injury that cost him the second half of last season.
