Transfer portal success driving defensive turnaround for No. 11 USC

LOS ANGELES — When Southern California relied on the transfer portal to overhaul its offense in 2022, those newcomers starred in head coach Lincoln Riley’s first season.

The No. 11 Trojans again went heavy on portal additions this year to help their defense, and they are all delivering under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn to the point USC fans are thinking about the College Football Playoff berth they barely missed out on two seasons ago.

Former Oregon State linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, ex-UCLA safety Kamari Ramsey and former Beavers safety Akili Arnold rank second, third and fourth on the team in tackles. Ex-Florida State defensive back Greedy Vance Jr., former Bruins corner John Humphrey and ex-Wyoming defensive tackle Gavin Meyer are all starters who have played at a high level for USC (2-0), which faces No. 18 Michigan on Saturday.

“Those guys could have gone anywhere and they would have had the impact that they’ve had here,” Lynn said. “Those are just high character guys. They do everything the right way on and off the field, and before we even talked about scheme, like that had an immediate impact just in our locker room.”

That mindset component is one parallel between the 2024 defenders and the 2022 offensive crop. While that latter group included the star power of quarterback Caleb Williams, there were also tone setters such as running back Travis Dye who were instrumental in reshaping a winning culture after years of institutional rot.

There weren’t any established names on the level of a Williams or wide receiver Jordan Addison among the arrivals on defense, but they have helped accelerate the trust, leadership and communication that former coordinator Alex Grinch was never able to fully implement.

Mascarenas-Arnold was brought in to start after making 107 tackles, 6 1/2 tackles for loss and two interceptions in 12 games for Oregon State last season, but the fourth-year senior still arrived with a determination to prove himself to his new teammates.

“That was really my goal, was to come in and be as hard working as possible to get the trust of the guys,” Mascarenas-Arnold said. “And they respected that. That’s really what we all did."

Ramsey might have been the most important addition given his prior experience under Lynn at UCLA last season, making him a key conduit from coach to players. That forced Ramsey to become a more vocal leader during the offseason, Lynn said.

Teammates say Ramsey has taken to the role exceedingly well, with Vance going as far as describing him as “a general.”

“That’s really all I can say,” Vance continued.

Ramsey’s growth set the tone for a defense which has been significantly more sound in wins over No. 16 LSU and shutting out Utah State because of improved communication. It will have to continue against the Wolverines (2-1), who are turning to dual-threat quarterback Alex Orji in an effort to jumpstart their offense.

Mascarenas-Arnold said nothing in USC’s scheme has to change this week because of the switch in personnel for Michigan.

“Maybe mindset, just understanding that if he doesn’t like something, he’s got the ability to take off and run it and maybe make an explosive play,” Mascarenas-Arnold said. “So we’re more aware of the situations that we’re in and how we got to handle that, but schematically no.”

Previous USC defenses struggled to handle the challenges of a running quarterback, whether it was maintaining disciplined rush lanes or passing off receivers when plays broke down.

Ramsey expects the group, fresh faces and holdovers alike, will be up to the task.

“It’s been a long road, I would say, especially from spring to now,” he said. “The communication has gotten a lot better, and we for sure came together as a unit.”