The NCAA transfer portal isn’t treating a single team kindly amidst the huge NIL allurement and the growing volatility in the rosters. The latest victim of the situation is Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans. The transfer portal timing made it difficult for the players to strike a balance between both their current season priority, and the looming future hope through the portal. Be it Bryce Underwood or Beau Pribula, the unforeseen decision left a lasting wound in their departing schools. But it is much worse for the Trojans’ who have already lost over 19 players in the spree.

Add an extra count to the numbers. Because their best-selling stepped onto the trade as well. Guess who is the honeybee among the last few men to join the party?

Key Offensive lineman makes it worse for the Trojans’ off-season progress 

One program that received the most out of the transfer portal uncertainty is the USC Trojans, led by Lincoln Riley. They had to head to their final game on Dec. 27 against the Texas A&M Aggies in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium without a hoard of key seniors in the room. However, coach Riley capped off the woeful 2024 with a massive Bowl win regardless, but the offensive woes keep getting worse. Offensive lineman Emmanuel Pregnon just finished his paperwork to follow suit with the former Trojans. He is all set to hit the portal.

”This is one that’s just a complete shock to me. Did not even hear this as a rumor. This was our best offensive lineman this last year and no doubt our best offensive lineman for next year, who now is just gone. This one is terrible,” the host of the Trojan Blade podcast put his dismay out there in the world. Pregnon, a 6-5, 320-pound offensive guard, was the ultimate head turner in the starting role for 25 games over the past two seasons for the USC Trojans. After his standout 2024 stat, the kid emerged as a Second Team All-Big-Ten member. ”No way to sugarcoat it, this is not a Zack Branch Zion bran situation, this one sucks no way around it,” the insider added.

Time has its own way of dishing surprises no matter whether it is good or bad. Just a few weeks back, new offensive line coach Zach Hanson didn’t take much to state that the Trojans’ two-year starting left guard, Pregnon, would come back to lead an amateur USC offensive line as he did when the program transitioned from Big 10 to Pack 12. Not sure what exactly went against the odds, but after the Trojans’ bowl win over Texas A&M, Pregnon decided to move on from Los Angeles.

Pregnon left the program as the fifth offensive lineman since the end of the season, making it up to 21st Trojan departures overall. It won’t be easy to replace him. Can Jayden Maiava, the celebrated QB 1, add more woes to Riley’s plate next?

Will Jayden Maiava follow in the footsteps of Emmanuel Pregnon?

Top Comment by MitchS

There needs to be some form of structure other than all players becoming free agents every year. Maybe create a two...more

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USC’s NIL situation is terrible. They have added a handful of talents for the new year roster but they are facing a slump in retaining the talents. Many of them just say that they want to play for the Trojans, only to change their minds not much later.

If you are a social media freak, you must have noticed the talking spree of USC fans, bloggers, and podcasters over OQ1 Jayden Maiava’s rumored transfer. Don’t just freak out, it’s still a rumor. But with USC not having enough backup in their swallow QB room, it tastes like another source of pain in the neck before the offseason.

A college insider, reportedly Randy Knight, disclosed another shocker on Jayden Maiava’s transfer in a recent video of the USCJ Lost In THA SAUCE podcast:  ”Within the next 48 hours, Jayden Maiava is going to announce that he’s in the portal and that he is Miami now,” it reads.

However, it doesn’t omit the fact that Maiava committed one of his worst games in the season in the Las Vegas Bowl. the veteran signal-caller managed to finish 56.4% of his passes and made a lot of unforgivable blunders, including three costly interceptions. But he is still a contributor. One game or one season isn’t enough to judge his role in the team. And losing two key offensive weapons in a row will leave the Trojans depth chart in a serious jeopardy.