The USC Trojans football program feels as if it has made a 180 turn from just a few days ago. After the Branch Brothers hit the portal, things felt a bit dire, and many were wondering if there was a plan in place for the future.
Then the shift happened.
First, starting guard Emmanual Pregnon announced that he would be returning to anchor the offensive line. Then starting safety Kamari Ramsey also announced that he would return in 2025. And then a pair of transfer portal players, RB Eli Sanders and DT Keeshawn Silver, signed with the Trojans.
Now Lincoln Riley and his staff are closing in on another versatile defensive lineman that would bolster the unit even more.
DT Damarjhe Lewis Visits USC Trojans
We wrote a few days ago about how USC had expressed interest in Damarjhe Lewis, and now he is on an official visit.
Last season for Purdue, Lewis finished with 14 total tackles. His only other season registering a sack was in 2021 where he finished with 8 total tackles. He missed the entire 2022 season due to an injury sustained in fall camp, and in 2023 he appeared in 2 games before a season-ending injury.
Lewis is an extremely versatile defensive lineman who can play all over the line, which would be a tremendous fit for Coach Lynn’s system. Lynn has repeatedly talked about having guys that can play all over and do several different things. This allows them to have multiple looks and fronts without frequently swapping personnel packages.
It is much easier to disguise looks if the personnel package doesn’t give away your front.
Also Read: USC Trojans 2025 Transfer Portal Tracker
While Lewis’ past is not packed with a ton of stats, his ceiling is still very high.
If USC can close and add Lewis to the room, they would have a pretty stacked defensive line group. This is a unit that improved throughout the course of the season, but I would not have called it a strength of the defense. This can absolutely be the case in 2025.
Just taking a quick glance at the rotation:
- DE: Anthony Lucas, Braylon Shelby, Kam Fountain, Gus Cordova, Lorenzo Cowan
- DT: Keeshawn Silver, Jahkeem Stewart, Deven Thompkins, Jide Abasiri, Carlon Jones, Floyd Boucard, Ratumana Bulabalavu, Cash Jacobsen
If they add Damarjhe Lewis to this group, it is actually one of the better position groups in the entire Big Ten.
There will be plenty more movement to the roster, especially with Bowl Games and the College Football Playoffs beginning. Keep it right here at LAFB Network for updates!