With just a few practices left before the season opener, practices seven and eight brought increased competition, injury challenges and early preparation for potential Big Ten weather.
On August 6, the Trojans held their first evening practice of camp, a setting made more memorable by the presence of 2012 USC unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner Marqise Lee. Senior linebacker Eric Gentry made sure the media noticed, walking over to acknowledge Lee and pay respect.
Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn kept rotating personnel, moving players across positions. Freshman cornerback Alex Graham has been consistently working throughout fall camp and has caught the eye of Coach Lynn.
“He’s a very smart football player for being an incoming freshman who missed half a spring,” Lynn said of Graham. “Just been very impressed with how he’s picked everything up… he’s played some corner, a lot in the slot, some safety too… the competition is good but it’s still open.”
The cornerback battle features players like redshirt seniors Prophet Brown and DeCarlos Nicholson, sophomore Chasen Johnson and redshirt senior DJ Harvey competing with younger talent such as redshirt freshmen Braylon Conley and Marcelles Williams.
Lynn called Brown one of the defense’s most trusted players.
“If you’ve seen Prophet Brown’s trajectory from when he got here, he’s taken the big step,” Lynn said. “He can play nickel, corner… in a pinch, safety. Outside of [redshirt junior safety] Kamari [Ramsey] there’s no one on the back end that knows the defense quite like him.”
When evaluating practice film, Lynn starts by assessing the defense’s overall effort and execution, asking himself if players are “playing with obnoxious effort” and “attacking the ball”. Only then does he focus on individual positions, typically reviewing the film three or four times before meeting with the rest of the defensive staff. As for who exemplifies that “obnoxious effort,” Lynn pointed to Gentry, redshirt junior defensive tackle Devan Tompkins, and walk-on redshirt junior linebacker Roman “Cheese” Marchetti.
Nicholson, entering his final collegiate season, said his confidence is at an all-time high. He focuses on zoning in on his job every rep and leading by example for younger teammates. When asked what keeps his love for the game alive, he said, “When you’re having fun and you’re doing your job, that’s the best that it can get.”
Junior defensive end Braylan Shelby echoed this, noting that talent can only take the team so far. “Brotherhood,” though cliché, has truly elevated both his abilities and the team as a whole.
That unity extends to others. Harvey, who spent part of practice with the safeties, highlighted the connection between himself, Brown and other Sierra Canyon alumni.
“We all chose SC to become great individuals on the field but off the field as well,” he said. On Brown, Harvey added, “If it’s a 50-50 ball with Prophet, he’s thinking it’s his. Great competitor.”
One of practice seven’s final remarks came from sophomore linebacker Desman Stephens II, who said all linebackers bring that “dog mentality” no matter who is on the field. He extended this mindset to the entire defense, saying anyone is ready to step up when needed.
Two days later, on August 8, that “dog mentality” was put to the test. Head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed that Brown will miss the first few games of the season with a non-contact injury.
“Hate it for him, because he’d been playing really well,” Riley said. “Obviously he’s had one of the more rapid ascents here in terms of all the years that he’s been here, and just watching him improve as a player and become a big part of this team.”
In an era where players frequently transfer, Brown has been a four-year mainstay with the Trojans, making his absence significant. Riley added he looks forward to having Brown back as soon as possible.
Defensive standout Gentry was also sidelined with an injury, though Riley hopes to have him back by the weekend.
USC went “live” for the first time in camp during a full-pad practice featuring short-yardage and goal-line drills. Riley called it “a good physical day,” praising some really physical plays at the line of scrimmage from Stephens II, sophomore safety Kennedy Urlacher, redshirt freshman wide receiver Xavier “DJ” Jordan and redshirt senior running back Eli Sanders.
The Trojans also prepared creatively for Big Ten weather. Graduate assistants soaked footballs with water from the team water bottles to simulate rain or snow conditions, and while many balls were dropped, Riley called the practice necessary for realistic preparation.
On the offensive side, Riley said, “I like where we’re at”, but he is not ready to name a starting right tackle. Redshirt sophomore Tobias Raymond has emerged as a standout, and redshirt freshman Hayden Treter continues to be one of camp’s practice leaders.
Riley also highlighted the impact of junior running back Waymond Jordan, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Nicknamed the “Junkyard Dog” for his tenacity playing against older kids as a child, Jordan has quickly found a home in L.A. after flying under the radar during high school recruitment and battling injuries.
“I done believed this since I was a little boy, that I would play at a big school,” Jordan said. “I didn’t know which school, but I knew it would be a big school.”
Jordan’s path began in Hutchinson, Kansas, where he learned patience playing football at a junior college level.
“It takes a different type of love to keep playing this sport,” he said. “Because you’re in the middle of nowhere, less resources… you just see a lot of guys fall out. But if you just love the game, you stick with it.”
Last season, Jordan was named the 2024 NJCAA DI Football Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for over 1,600 yards and averaging 7.4 yards per carry. He helped lead the Hutchinson Blue Dragons to the 2024 NJCAA DI Football Championship.
His patient journey to Southern California could provide an electric boost to USC’s offense in 2025, as the team aims to build momentum on both sides of the ball.
Through eight practices, USC’s defense and offense is building a reputation for high effort and positional flexibility, while the offense is still sorting out certain starting spots. The next stretch of camp will show whether the physicality from these past practices and the adaptability being developed can carry over into game day form.