It’s no secret that the transfer portal is its own version of Free Agency in the NFL. In the new college football landscape, recruiting and developing high school athletes are no longer as crucial to what makes a program successful. There’s now a transfer portal player who’s already been in a lifting program with live game reps at the collegiate level.
I won’t dive into the other part of this equation which is the NIL, because that’s as wild wild west as it gets, in terms of its murky rules on tampering, etc.
However, what I will say is that it will soon be considered normal to have a five-star player enter the transfer portal the very next year after they’ve committed if they do not get the playing time they think they deserve.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at the current situation of the USC Trojans receiving corps going into next season.
The 2025 USC Trojans WR Room
With new additions, there come departures and the USC Trojans had quite a few, especially on offense. With former starting QB Miller Moss hitting the Portal before eventually committing to Louisville, many others followed suit.
Players such as Zachariah Branch and Duce Robinson who were both former five-star recruits; as well as Kyron Hudson who’s been with the team since 2021.
Nothing in life is ever 100%, but, Jakobi Lane and Makai Lemon on their own will make this WR room miles better than a majority of other programs.
Nevertheless, let’s take a look at some players who aren’t necessarily household names just yet.
One player to keep an eye on is a local four-star commit in the 24′ class in Xavier Jordan. Jordan didn’t get on the field last season, considering all the names I listed above. The Sierra Canyon product is a former track star who’s an advanced route runner, look for him to play more snaps this season.
Speaking of 2025, the USC Trojans logged a trio of four-star receivers in Romero Ison, Corey Simms, and Tanook Hines.
Hines out of Dekaney High School in Texas, was one of four Trojans invited and played in the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii along with fellow five-star QB Husan Longstreet. Hines, who’s also another track guy, had over 700 yards and six touchdowns his senior year.
Ison coming out of Gwynn Oak Maryland, playing for Millford Academy originally committed to Lincoln Riley and his staff back in April. Romero Ison had a similar stat line to Hines, however, Ison took sixth place in the 200-meter sprint in a national event held by Adidas. A testament to that speed is two Kickoff return TDs in addition to a 500-yard five-touchdown senior season.
Corey Simms is a bit of a bigger receiver standing at 6’3 and weighing 205 pounds out of Saint Louis, Missouri. He is a natural number one receiver and led his high school to a Class 6 State Championship in 2023 logging 79 receptions, 1,049 yards, and 12 touchdowns.
Currently, the USC Trojans are more than comfortable with their receiving corps going into the season. There are still more chances to round out this room with the spring transfer window and grad transfers like Prince Strachan, a 6’5 210 pound WR who transferred to USC from Boise State last week.
Nonetheless, the way college football is today, there will forever be a revolving door for all universities to grab talent who seek a fresh start somewhere else.