The spring transfer portal window officially opens on April 16 and the USC Trojans are expected to be fairly active. As of now, there is not much fear of losing any key current players, but that does not mean that it won’t happen.
It may come as no surprise, but former 4-star cornerback Maliki Crawford officially announced that he intends to enter the portal.
NEW: USC CB Maliki Crawford plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) March 24, 2025
Crawford was a 4-star in the 2023 class.https://t.co/H8caPQflPD pic.twitter.com/kXXCzh5V7U
USC Trojans CB Maliki Crawford To Enter Transfer Portal
While it is always tough to see a player leave the program, Crawford never saw any game action during his two years with the USC Trojans. He red-shirted his freshman season, and last year suffered an injury in fall camp that kept him out the entire year.
Crawford was a 4-star CB out of Pacifica High School in Oxnard, CA. He was originally recruited by Donte Williams and Alex Grinch, so a lot has changed in the program since he arrived.
Also Read: USC Trojans Priority Recruit Sets Commitment Date
He was recruited heavily by UCLA and Cal, so there is potential that he will transfer to one of those programs.
Crawford was the 33rd-ranked CB in the 2023 class, according to On3 Industry Rankings.
The Trojans have a lot of depth at CB on the roster, which would have made it tough for Crawford to find playing time, especially after suffering a season-ending injury. Currently, the CB room looks like this:
- DJ Harvey – RSR
- DeCarlos Nicholson – RSR
- Prophet Brown – RSR
- Marcelles Williams – RFR
- Trestin Castro – FR
- Braylon Conley – RFR
- Alex Graham – FR
- James Johnson – FR
- Isaiah Rubin – RFR
- Kevin Longstreet – RSO
- Shawn Sehra – RSO
The three projected starters are all redshirt seniors, but after that, the room is extremely young with virtually no experience. Spring practices kick off this week, and we should start to get an indication of how the room could shake out.