Last updated June 10 at 9:55 p.m. PST

One head coach is out, another is in.

Eric Musselman is now at the helm of the Trojans and has hit the recruiting trail hard. He had to build up a roster that, as of April 25, is down to one returning scholarship player from the 2023-24 roster in senior forward Harrison Hornery. Every other player has either entered the portal themselves, entered the NBA Draft or run out of eligibility.

USC is preparing to enter its first season in the Big Ten Conference, a stiff men’s basketball league. Even with all of the additions, Musselman will have his work cut out for him to get the Trojan roster up to speed.

Here is a quick summary of where USC’s 2023-24 scholarship players will be next year before looking at Musselman’s first squad as the head coach:

Returners:

Senior forward Harrison Hornery

Non-returning players:

Guard Isaiah Collier: Declared for NBA Draft

Guard Boogie Ellis: Declared for NBA Draft

Guard Bronny James: Declared for NBA Draft and simultaneously entered transfer portal

Guard Oziyah Sellers: Entered transfer portal, committed to Stanford

Forward Kobe Johnson: Entered transfer portal, committed to UCLA

Forward Vincent Iwuchukwu: Entered transfer portal, committed to St. John’s

Forward Brandon Gardner: Entered transfer portal, committed to Arizona State

Forward Arrinten Page: Entered transfer portal, committed to Cincinnati

Forward Kijani Wright: Entered transfer portal, committed to Vanderbilt

Forward Joshua Morgan: Ran out of eligibility

Forward DJ Rodman: Ran out of eligibility

Transfer Recruits

Wesley Yates III: Guard

Previous School: University of Washington

Class for 2024: Redshirt Freshman

On3 ranking: Four star (four star out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (four star out of high school)

Committed: June 6

Holton: Yates III will come in with pure, raw potential and nowhere to go but up for Musselman’s revamped roster. Yates III did not play a single game his freshman season as he injured his foot in Washington’s preseason, but as a recruit, Yates was ranked top 60 in the country.

During high school, Yates III showed off his impressive scoring ability, averaging 19.7 points per game while winning the Texas 5A state championship for Beaumont High School in his senior season. Yates III held 26 offers by the end of his high school career, most notably from the likes of Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston.

Yate III’s enormous potential at the guard position provides even more depth for the Trojan’s 2024 campaign.

The most interesting bit about this move from Yates is that USC had already filled all 13 available scholarship spots, but in the age of NIL, schools can provide a player enough money to equal that of a scholarship and then have that player ‘walk on’ to the team. Yates III will be just one of the many weapons Musselman will have to build an NCAA tournament-ready team.

Kevin Patton Jr.: Guard

Previous School: University of San Diego

Class for 2024: Sophomore

On3 ranking: Four star (three star out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (three star out of high school)

Committed: May 20

Kazliner: Patton Jr. stood out as a top young player for the University of San Diego, striking the attention of Torero alum Eric Musselman. Patton Jr. received the 13th and final men’s basketball scholarship, effectively completing USC’s overhauled roster.

The Temecula native made the All-West Coast Conference Freshman Team and earned WCC Freshman of the Week four times in 2023-24. On top of averaging 9.8 points, 2.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, his defense is what piqued nationwide interest in the 6-foot-8 guard. Patton Jr. registered 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, including a defensive masterclass against Navy where he denied five shots.

Patton Jr. has a knack for getting to the rim with ease and scoring inside. This was on display in his best performance of the season against Santa Clara University in the WCC Tournament, where he posted a season-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with four assists. He started in only half of USD’s games last season, so he’ll look for an elevated role on a Trojan team seeking stardom.

Desmond Claude: Guard

Previous school: Xavier

Class for 2024: Junior

On3 Ranking: Four star (four star out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (four star out of high school)

Committed: May 2

Hallinan: After an April full of mid-major commitments, Musselman added another Power Six player to his squad in former Xavier Musketeer Desmond Claude. The No. 32 overall player in 247Sports’ transfer portal rankings, Claude won the Big East’s Most Improved Player award in 2023-24, where he went from scoring 4.7 points per game as a freshman to averaging 16.6 as a sophomore. Standing 6-foot-6 as a guard, Claude cited Musselman’s ability to develop big guards as a key reason why he committed to USC.

Claude is prone to the occasional explosive scoring night, posting five outings of 25-plus points last season, including a 36-point display at Georgetown in which he earned 13 free throws and only took one 3-pointer. However, Claude has shot below 50% from the field and under 30% from deep in his collegiate career, suggesting his shooting touch has considerable room to improve.

Terrance Williams II: Forward

Previous school: Michigan

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Graduate

On3 ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: N/A (four star out of high school)

Committed: April 30

Johnson: Williams II joins the ranks of forwards to commit to Musselman and USC, but the Michigan transfer is the first to come directly from a Power Six school. The 6-foot-7 veteran improved every year he was with the Wolverines and had his biggest jump during the most recent campaign. Despite only putting up 6.1 points per game in the 2022-23 season, he averaged 12.4 points this past year.

The Maryland native has a strong 3-point shot, knocking home 39.7% of his attempts from range, which was best among Michigan’s regular starters this past season. Williams II also had a penchant for making it to the free-throw line and would have led USC this past season in free-throw percentage for players who put up more than 25 attempts.

The Trojans have had success with transfers who went to Gonzaga College High School, as former USC quarterback Caleb Williams went to the same high school.

Chibuzo Agbo: Guard

Previous school: Boise State

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Graduate

On3 ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (four star out of high school)

Committed: April 22

Holton: The Southern California native is the only current Trojan transfer who has played at the Power Six conference level — though it was in limited minutes — as he started out his career with Texas Tech. Agbo also has NCAA Tournament experience that few of USC’s current roster has.

Agbo broke out when he transferred to Boise State, becoming a crucial piece of their team which made the NCAA Tournament two years in a row.

The 6-foot-7 guard — abnormally tall for his position — averaged a career-high 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds a game, while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from three. His offensive game is primarily catch and shoot from outside the arc, where he is lights out as a spot-up shooter.

Agbo’s long arms not only help his 3-point ability, but it makes him a difficult defender to get around. His defensive stats don’t pop off the charts, but the film shows that of a versatile and athletic defender, something the Trojans desperately need for next season.

Rashaun Agee: Forward

Previous School: Bowling Green

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Graduate

On3 ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

Committed: April 22

Kazliner: USC struggled to court a consistent post scorer last season, so Agee’s high-scoring 2023-24 campaign stood out to Musselman and company, who brought in the journeyman. The 6-foot-8 forward started his career at New Mexico State, went to junior college and then played two seasons at Bowling Green, where he averaged a near double-double with 13.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game during his senior season.

Named the No. 252 transfer prospect by 247Sports, he also shot an efficient 57.0% from the field and will join a Trojans team that lost a hefty amount of size this offseason with the departures of multiple forwards.

Saint Thomas: Forward

Previous school: Northern Colorado

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Senior

On3 ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (three star out of high school)

Committed: April 21

Holton: After two lackluster seasons at Loyola Chicago, Thomas chose to take his talents to the Big Sky Conference where he averaged a near 20-point double-double in this past season with the Bears, earning him Big Sky newcomer of the year, as well as First Team All-Big Sky honors.

Thomas shot a very efficient 47.0% from the field on nearly 15 shots a game. For his size — standing at 6-foot-7 — Thomas rebounded impeccably this past year. His 9.8 rebounds per contest ranked No. 22 in the country.

His offensive game primarily consists of driving to the basket and creating contact to get to the free-throw line. Thomas doesn’t waste his opportunities at the stripe either, as he shot 87.0% from the line last season — a skill USC couldn’t seem to master this past year.

Thomas’ experienced, high-level scoring and rebounding will be key to USC’s success in Musselman’s inaugural year.

Matt Knowling: Forward

Previous school: Yale

Expected class for 2024: Graduate

On3 ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: N/A (three star out of high school)

Committed: April 20

Hallinan: Knowling’s commitment came in the flurry of weekend transfer pledges rounding out USC’s roster alongside three other portal players. The former Yale Bulldog is listed as a power forward but stands at 6-foot-6 and weighs 200 pounds — slightly undersized to be a dominant inside threat.

Yet, he had enough size to be effective in the Ivy League, posting 11.6 points per game as a senior, making 56.7% of his field goal attempts. Knowling doesn’t have a reliable 3-point shot and his 62.8% rate from the free-throw line in his college career suggests that his shooting touch is limited, but Musselman probably expects Knowling to offer high-effort minutes off the bench. Knowling also brings notable March Madness experience to Galen Center, having played in Yale’s upset over No. 4 seed Auburn in the 2024 tournament.

Bryce Pope: Guard

Previous School: UC San Diego

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Graduate

On3 ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

Committed: April 19

Kazliner: The Trojans essentially lost their entire backcourt from last season, so bringing in Pope, a tried and true shooting guard makes sense. The 6-foot-3 San Diego native has averaged over 18 points the past two seasons and is a pure scorer, which has cemented him as one of the best Tritons of all time with the fourth most points in school history.

Pope was ranked as the No. 237 transfer by 247Sports and had offers from winning programs like NC State, Texas and others. Pope shot 33.2% from beyond the arc and 41.8% from the floor last season.

Clark Slajchert: Guard

Previous School: University of Pennsylvania

Expected class for 2024-25 season: Graduate

On3 ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Three star (N/A out of high school)

Committed: April 10

Kazliner: Slajchert, a Los Angeles native, returns home following an elite senior campaign at Pennsylvania where he averaged 18 points per game. The 6-foot-1 guard shot 42.2% from deep and 48.7% from the field last season, leading the Quakers in both categories.

Slajchert was placed at No. 152 in 247Sports’ transfer rankings and will join a depleted USC backcourt. He can score at all three levels and will aim to be the Trojans’ reliable 3-point option next year. Guards Boogie Ellis and Oziyah Sellers were the team’s most reliable deep sharpshooters last season, but both have since departed. Slajchert will ultimately go down as a top Penn player, as he was just the 43rd Quaker to eclipse 1,000 points.

Josh Cohen: Forward

Previous school: UMass

Expected class for 2024: Graduate

On3 ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

247Sports ranking: Four star (N/A out of high school)

Committed: April 3

Hallinan: Cohen was the first transfer to commit to USC following Musselman’s move, as he was also committed to Arkansas briefly before Musselman’s departure from Fayetteville. After Joshua Morgan’s eligibility expired and Vincent Iwuchukwu entered the transfer portal, Cohen will add some much-needed size to USC’s roster at 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds.

As a fifth-year senior at UMass, Cohen averaged 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, including 2.5 offensive rebounds per outing. The New Jersey native even started taking threes in the 2023-24 season, attempting one per game and hitting them at a 34.4% rate. Perhaps he’ll advance as a floor-stretching big in the 2024-25 season.

Note: All grades listed in “Expected class for 2024-25″ section are based off the information Annenberg Media had at the time of publishing. Each school has different methods of portraying a player’s eligibility, and USC may list a player’s class slightly different than the ones listed below.

High School Recruits

Jalen Shelley: Forward

High school (Location): Link Academy (Branson, Missouri)

On3 ranking: Four star (No. 59 in national industry rankings)

247Sports ranking: Four star (No. 59 in national composite rankings)

Committed: April 26

Shelley became the second former Razorbacks commit to follow Musselman to L.A. on Friday, giving the Trojans another potential force on the wing and in the front court. Standing at 6-foot-8, 247′s Brandon Jenkins describes Shelley as mostly a transitional threat on offense with his fluid athleticism and desire to attack the rim. If he brings reliable effort on defense, Shelley has the prototypical size to become a force on both ends of the floor.

Isaiah Elohim: Guard

High school (Location): Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California)

On3 ranking: Four star (No. 46 in national industry rankings)

247Sports ranking: Four star (No. 47 in national composite rankings)

Committed: April 22

Hallinan: Ultimately, it made too much sense to not happen. Elohim, a Chatsworth, California native, committed to Musselman when the Trojans’ new head coach was at Arkansas and ultimately decided to follow him to South Central. Elohim played high school ball at Sierra Canyon and averaged 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his senior season. As the No. 47 recruit in the nation, the 6-foot-5 guard/forward has the pedigree to play a major role for USC next season, but will need to establish himself in a rotation full of mid-major veterans.

At Sierra Canyon, Elohim was teammates with Bronny James, who was a freshman guard for the Trojans this past season before entering the transfer portal.