EAST LANSING, Mich. — Coen Carr scored 18 points and Jaxon Kohler added 16 on perfect shooting to lead No. 12 Michigan State to an 80-51 blowout against USC on Monday night.
Jeremy Fears Jr. had 15 points and seven assists for the Spartans (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten), who took control with a 27-6 run early in the game and led by at least 20 for much of the second half.
Kohler made all six of his field-goal attempts, including a trio of three-pointers, and sank his only free throw. He also grabbed eight rebounds, two short of becoming the first Spartans player since at least 1996-97 to have six straight double-doubles in a season, according to Sportradar.
Ezra Ausar scored 16 points and Jerry Easter added 12 for the Trojans (12-3, 1-3), who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
Michigan State was ahead 33-17 at halftime with Kohler leading the way offensively, scoring eight points while seven teammates contributed at least two.
Carr and Fears picked up their scoring in the second half to build a bigger cushion, combining to score 25 points after halftime.
Michigan State held Chad Baker-Mazara to four points after he entered the game averaging a team-high 20.4 for USC.
The Spartans bounced back from a 58-56 loss to No. 10 Nebraska to win for the fifth time in six games.
The Trojans, coming off a 30-point loss to No. 2 Michigan, are probably ready to go home after getting routed twice in the state of Michigan, but they’ll be in the Midwest for four more days because they play at Minnesota before flying back to California.
Michigan State made half its shots and held USC to 33% shooting.
The Spartans enjoyed a 25-5 advantage in fast-break points and a 21-9 edge in points off the bench.
Happy New Year, and welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter. So much has happened since we last hit your inbox. The USC-Notre Dame rivalry officially was scrapped (until 2030, at least). D’Anton Lynn took the defensive coordinator job at Penn State, his alma mater. And USC finished its season with a brutal last stand at the Alamo Bowl.
Now the most critical offseason of Lincoln Riley’s tenure with the Trojans lies ahead. The next few weeks especially could make or break the coach’s future at USC. And it all starts with hiring a new defensive coordinator.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
Whoever is hired steps into a pressure cooker from the very start. The heat already has cranked up on USC’s coach. If the Trojans don’t make the College Football Playoff, Riley and his coordinator-to-be-named-later could be looking for new jobs at this time next year. And just making the playoff is going to require serious progress on a defense that must replace key players at every level and faces Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon next season.
It might be tempting, with that in mind, to try to maintain continuity, to circle the wagons and promote from within, hoping it’s enough to push USC into the playoff. This idea started taking hold as days dragged on after Lynn’s exit and fans’ panic started to pique: Maybe it was most prudent, the logic went, to promote defensive line coach Eric Henderson to coordinator.
After all, he called defensive plays in the bowl game. He’s a beloved assistant and top-notch recruiter. Not to mention that Georgia Tech, his alma mater, is interested in him for its staff.
Hiring someone else might mean not only losing Henderson in the staff shuffle, but also potentially losing key players or recruits along his defensive line. Several of those players, including five-star freshman Jahkeem Stewart, have publicly endorsed Henderson for the job.
Look, Henderson is a really good coach. And it’s great that his players think so highly of him. But now is not the time to make him — or anyone else on USC’s staff — the defensive coordinator.
That’s not a reflection on Henderson or secondary coach Doug Belk so much as it’s a reflection on the moment. Riley can’t afford for this coordinator hire, his third in five years, to fail. Not after all the resources that USC has poured into this next season being the culmination of its overhaul of the football program. To hand the defense to anyone other than a proven coach with a track record of immediate success is a risk that Riley just can’t take. Not now.
The question is whether any proven coaches are willing to take a risk with USC.
That’s not to say the right coach can’t step in next season and immediately make the Trojans a top-25 defense. Pete Kwiatkowski seemed to fit that profile. He has deep college experience, a close connection to athletic director Jennifer Cohen and a defense that just two years ago was among the top in college football. That he was let go by Texas just before USC lost its coordinator seemed like kismet.
But as of Sunday night, according to the Athletic, Kwiatkowski was trending toward becoming Stanford’s defensive coordinator.
Stanford.
Now I don’t know where Kwiatkowski stood in the pecking order of candidates for USC. Nor is USC doomed if it doesn’t hire him.
But that’s the profile of a coordinator that should get the job. A proven coach capable of getting the best out of USC’s talent and turning the Trojans into a playoff-caliber defense in the way his predecessors couldn’t.
Because if this doesn’t work, Riley won’t get the chance to hire a fourth.
Transfer portal notes, Week 1
Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman, the most coveted player who’s not a quarterback in the portal, is scheduled to meet with USC.
(Michael Woods / Associated Press)
—Iowa State cornerback Jontez Williams became the first big-name commitment out of the portal for USC, and he’s a big get indeed. Williams started just five games last year before suffering a season-ending injury but was a standout and All-Big 12 second-team selection in 2024. Securing a No. 1 cornerback was always a top priority for USC in the portal, and the Trojans managed to find one within two days. A good start. Presumably Williams was paid to start next to Chasen Johnson or Marcelles Williams next season.
—USC is in the market for a top receiver and has a visit set up for Thursday with Cam Coleman, the most coveted portal player who’s not a quarterback. Landing Coleman, a top-five prospect in the 2024 class who played at Auburn, would be a huge coup — and Riley has shown a propensity for pulling in top transfer receivers in the past. Coleman, though, is an Alabama native and is considering Alabama, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M too. His previous recruiting cycle revolved around SEC country. He’s also going to command a massive payday, maybe the largest for any player outside of a quarterback. USC may find it more prudent to use that money elsewhere.
—If USC can’t land Coleman, there still are plenty of viable options available. Expect USC to be aggressive in finding at least one transfer receiver to join the fray. North Carolina State wideout Terrell Anderson, who led the Wolfpack in receiving, visited USC on Sunday. Texas wideout DeAndre Moore Jr. spent time at St. John Bosco and Los Alamitos High, where he was teammates with outgoing Trojans wideout Makai Lemon.
—Linebacker remains a position of significant need, and USC managed to snag the first one that came to visit. Washington’s Deven Bryant was third on the Huskies in tackles. But while he doesn’t strike me as a difference-maker at that position, he was graded higher against the run than any of USC’s linebackers.
—Others to watch on the defensive line: Penn State end Zuriah Fisher, who visited this past weekend, and Clemson tackle Stephiylan Green.
Jaden Brownell, right, may have been the only Trojan to have a good game against Michigan.
(Ryan Sun / Associated Press)
—Of the football players who have yet to be signed, three stand out: Quarterback Husan Longstreet, defensive tackle Jide Abasiri and defensive back Alex Graham. Longstreet is obvious. As a five-star passer prospect, he’d be the heir apparent after Jayden Maiava if he decides to stick around. But it’s a surprise these days if anyone does. Abasiri is an athletic marvel with a ton of unrealized potential as a pass rusher, and Graham earned a ton of praise before having his freshman season derailed by injuries. Keeping two of the three would be a coup.
—The USC men were dominated by Michigan in a 30-point loss. Now Michigan State awaits in East Lansing. That’s a brutal one-two punch coming out of the holiday break, and the Trojans didn’t look ready for the fight Friday. Michigan jumped out to an 11-0 lead, forcing six turnovers in the process, and USC never fully bounced back. No one, outside of maybe reserve forward Jaden Brownell, had anything approaching a good game. The Trojans don’t have long to bounce back, with Michigan State on tap at Breslin Center on Monday. The Spartans are coming off a tough loss at Nebraska and will have something to prove. USC will have its work cut out for it.
—The USC women don’t have the frontcourt to hang with teams like UCLA. Lindsay Gottlieb wasn’t able to lure any top-tier transfer bigs in the offseason, and while that lack of a frontcourt doesn’t always show up against lesser or smaller teams, it was an obvious issue against UCLA and Lauren Betts. I’m not sure where Gottlieb goes from here with the frontcourt if she hopes to be competitive against UCLA the next time around. Maybe Gerda Raulusaityte takes a step forward in the coming weeks before their next meeting. Maybe Kennedy Smith, at 6 feet 1, could just start at the five? (Only half-kidding.) Whatever she does, Gottlieb will be working around this problem the rest of this season.
—Everyone agrees that the college football calendar has to change. So let’s do something about it. There are still two weeks until the College Football Playoff title game. The regular season ended the last weekend of November. That’s way too long to wait even before you consider that three of the four teams that had byes — and the long layoff that comes with them — lost in this playoff. Teams with a bye are now 1-7. But the problems with the calendar go deeper than that. Eventually, when the playoff moves to 16 teams — or more — we’ll do away with conference championship week and move everything up. If you played the first round during championship week, you could be done by the latest on Jan. 8. That’s much more reasonable.
Claire Danes as Aggie Wiggs and Matthew Rhys as Nile Jarvis in “The Beast in Me.”
(Courtesy of Netflix)
Netflix has had a good year in the slow-burn, psychological thriller department, and “The Beast in Me” is another worthy entrant into that group. Claire Danes stars as an author still paralyzed by the sudden loss of her son to a car accident. When she decides to write about her new neighbor — the mysterious real estate scion Nile Jarvis, who is played by Matthew Rhys — she becomes obsessed with determining if the rumors that Jarvis killed his wife are true.
I could do without Danes’ signature lip quiver, but the always-tremendous Rhys is a creepy revelation. Certainly worth your time for a quick, eight-episode binge.
Until next time …
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Morez Johnson Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including 17 in the first half, and No. 2 Michigan beat No. 24 USC 96-66 on Friday night.
Roddy Gayle Jr. added 12 points for the Wolverines (13-0, 3-0 Big Ten), and Will Tschetter, Trey McKenney and L.J. Cason each scored 10.
Michigan is off to its best start since it won 17 straight games to start the 2018-19 season.
Jaden Brownell scored 16 points and Ezra Ausar added 15 for the Trojans (12-2, 1-2), whose only previous loss was by eight points against Washington on Dec. 6. Chad Baker-Mazara, who came into the game averaging 21 points, was hampered by early foul trouble and finished with 12 points on three-of-11 shooting.
Michigan starting guard Nimari Burnett was helped from the court with 16:25 left after falling during a battle under the basket. He went down to the floor and appeared to be bleeding above his eyebrow and holding his ankle. He sat on the bench the rest of the night.
The Wolverines bolted out to an 11-0 lead thanks to a defense that forced six early turnovers. USC got within five points twice in the first half and Michigan responded with a 32-19 run to build a 49-31 halftime advantage.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — To tax tips or not? That is a question that will confront lawmakers in states across the U.S. as they convene for work next year.
The Trump administration is urging states to follow its lead by enacting a slew of new tax breaks for individuals and businesses, including deductions for tips and overtime wages, automobile loans and business equipment.
In some states, the new federal tax breaks will automatically apply to state income taxes unless legislatures opt out. But in many other states, where tax laws are written differently, the new tax breaks won’t appear on state tax forms unless legislatures opt in.
In states that don’t conform to the federal tax changes, workers who receive tips or overtime, for example, will pay no federal tax on those earnings but could still owe state taxes on them.
States that adopt all of Trump’s tax cuts could provide hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings to certain residents and businesses. But that could financially strain states, which are being hit with higher costs because of new Medicaid and SNAP food aid requirements that also are included in the GOP’s big bill that Trump signed this summer.
Most states begin their annual legislative sessions in January. To retroactively change tax breaks for 2025, lawmakers would need to act quickly so tax forms could be updated before people begin filing. States also could apply the changes to their 2026 taxes, a decision requiring less haste.
So far, only a few states have taken votes on whether to adopt the tax breaks.
“States in general are approaching this skeptically,” said Carl Davis, research director at the nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Treasury presses states to act
The bill Trump signed July 4 contains about $4.5 trillion of federal tax cuts over 10 years.
It creates temporary tax deductions for tips, overtime and loan interest on new vehicles assembled in the U.S. It boosts a tax deduction for older adults. And it temporarily raises the cap on state and local tax deductions from $10,000 to $40,000, among other things. The law also provides numerous tax breaks to businesses, including the ability to immediately write off 100% of the cost of equipment and research.
Forty-one states levy individual income taxes on wages and salaries. Forty-four states charge corporate income taxes.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this month called on those states “to immediately conform” to the federal tax cuts and accused some Democratic-led states that haven’t done so of engaging in “political obstructionism.” Though Bessent didn’t mention it, many Republican-led states also have not decided whether to implement the tax deductions.
“By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households,” Bessent said.
Some tax analysts contend that there’s more for states to consider. The tax break on tips, for example, could apply to nearly 70 occupational fields under a proposed rule from the Internal Revenue Service. But that would still exclude numerous low-wage workers, said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the nonprofit Tax Foundation.
“Lawmakers need to consider whether these are worth the cost,” Walczak said.
Tips and overtime tax breaks
Because of the way state tax laws are written, the federal tax breaks for tips and overtime wages would have carried over to just seven states: Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon and South Carolina. But Colorado opted out of the state tax break for overtime shortly before the federal law was enacted.
Michigan this fall became the first — and so far only — state to opt into the tax breaks for tips and overtime wages, effective in 2026. The overtime tax exemption is projected to cost the state nearly $113 million and the tips tax break about $45 million during its current budget year, according to the state treasury department.
Michigan lawmakers offset that by decoupling from five federal corporate tax changes the state’s treasury estimated would have reduced state tax revenues by $540 million this budget year.
Republican state Rep. Ann Bollin, chair of the Michigan House Appropriations Committee, said the state could not afford to embrace all the tax cuts while still investing in better roads, public safety and education.
“The best path forward is to have more money in people’s pockets and have less regulation — and this kind of moved in that direction,” she said.
Arizona could be among the next states to act. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has called upon lawmakers to adopt the tax breaks for tips, overtime, seniors and vehicle loans, and follow the federal government by also increasing the state’s standard deduction for individual income taxpayers. Republican state House leaders said they stand ready to pass the tax cuts when their session begins Jan. 12.
Corporate tax breaks
In addition to Michigan, lawmakers in Delaware, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island have passed measures to block some or all of the corporate tax cuts from taking effect in their states.
A new Illinois law decoupling from a portion of the corporate tax changes could save the state nearly $250 million, said Democratic state Sen. Elgie Sims, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He said that could help ensure continued funding for schools, healthcare and other vital services.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, an outspoken Democratic opponent of Trump, also cited budget concerns for rejecting the corporate tax cut provision. He said states already stand to lose money because of other provisions in Trump’s big bill, such as a requirement to cover more of the costs of running the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP.
“The decoupling is an effort to try to hold back the onslaught from the federal government to make sure that we can support programs like the one we’re announcing today,” Pritzker told reporters at a December event publicizing a grant to address homelessness in central Illinois.
Lieb writes for the Associated Press. AP writer John O’Connor in Springfield, Ill., contributed to this report.
DETROIT — In the frantic final firefight of the 1992 presidential campaign, this battered industrial city may have been ground zero.
In the last days before today’s vote, President Bush and Bill Clinton crossed paths over and over again through a narrow band of critical Rust Belt and Great Lakes states–from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Ohio and Wisconsin. But no state occupied more of their attention than Michigan.
Into this battlefield, the two major contenders have fired television and radio ads, mailings, surrogate speakers and repeated visits of their own–to the point where even veteran local observers have been overwhelmed. Their efforts–reinforced by Ross Perot’s national television barrage–have put the campaign on everyone’s lips.
“There’s a lot of strong feelings on it this year,” said LeAnn Kirrmann, a Republican activist from Grand Ledge, as she waited for Bush to arrive at a rally near here Sunday.
That appears to be the case across the nation, as voters render their verdict on this stormy, vituperative and often path-breaking campaign. Polls show the percentage of voters paying close attention to the campaign has soared this fall, and most experts expect a large turnout–a dramatic conclusion to a campaign that has regularly produced moments of high drama.
“It’s a mortal lock that turnout is going up,” said GOP pollster Bill McInturff.
After tightening significantly last week, national polls show Clinton again holding a comfortable lead over Bush, with Perot lagging behind. Few observers are entirely certain that a campaign that has been consistently unpredictable doesn’t hold one or two more surprises. But a Bush comeback at this stage would rank as the most dramatic reversal of fortune in the final hours of a presidential race.
In their final maneuvering, both Bush and Clinton targeted this state for contrasting reasons that underscore the length of the odds facing the President.
The widespread economic uneasiness in Michigan–symbolized by the continuing turmoil of General Motors Corp., which led to a management shake-up Monday–has always made the state an uphill climb for Bush despite its Republican leanings in recent presidential campaigns.
It remains a daunting challenge for the President now: The latest statewide tracking poll for a Detroit TV station, released Monday night, showed Clinton leading with 46%, Bush with 30% and Ross Perot at 16%.
Facing such numbers, Bush might have written off Michigan in a different year to spend his last campaign hours elsewhere. But the President has been forced to pound relentlessly at the state because there appears to be no way he can win the necessary 270 electoral votes without Michigan’s 18.
That reality defines Clinton’s stake in the state. Although Clinton–with his strong base on both coasts–can probably win today without carrying Michigan, he has invested so heavily here precisely because he knows Bush cannot.
“That’s Clinton’s great advantage,” said Democratic strategist Tad Devine. “He can focus on trying to take just one link out of Bush’s chain.”
Clinton’s intense focus on Michigan represents the reversal of a traditional Republican tactic. Because the GOP base in the South and West left Democrats so little room to maneuver in past presidential campaigns, Republicans have typically been able to dictate the battlefield in the election’s final hours.
In past years, the Republicans devoted enormous resources to a single conservative-leaning state–usually Ohio–confident that if they won there, the Democrats could not reach an Electoral College majority.
This year, though, it is Clinton who has the lead and the flexibility to choose where to fight. He has selected Michigan as his version of Ohio.
“That is a pretty fair analogy,” said David Wilhelm, Clinton’s campaign manager. “Michigan is a linchpin to our Electoral College strategy; it is a state that if we win, it destroys almost any chance that Bush will be reelected.”
With the state playing such a central role in the strategies of both candidates, their efforts here have been enormous. “Some of us,” said Don Tucker, the Democratic chairman in populous Oakland County, “have started to think Clinton and Bush are running for President of Michigan.”
When Clinton arrived in Detroit on Monday for a lunchtime airport rally, it marked his third visit to the area in five days and his sixth trip to the state in two weeks.
On Sunday, Bush roused the faithful with a scathing attack on Clinton at a rally in Auburn Hills, just north of here–his third run at the state in eight days.
Last Thursday, voters from around the state were able to ask Bush questions in a televised town meeting from Grand Rapids. The next night Clinton flew to the Detroit suburbs to hold his own televised town meeting.
When Clinton forces made their final buy of television time last week, they estimated they were placing enough commercials on the air so that each Michigan resident would see them 14 times through Election Day.
Bush, both sides figure, is on the air even more heavily–especially with a foreboding spot about Clinton’s record as governor that might be titled “Apocalypse Arkansas.” From both sides, acerbic radio advertisements blare incessantly.
As for Perot, local observers say his ad assault has been less visible than in some other states. But his promises to shake up Washington have won him a strong following.
At one point early last week, Republican polls showed Perot surging over 20% in this state. With most of Perot’s gains coming from Clinton, that tightened the Michigan race considerably.
But, as has happened throughout the country, Perot’s support has slipped here since he accused the White House last week of engineering dirty tricks that forced his withdrawal from the race in July. Initially, the voters deserting Perot disproportionately moved to Bush, but now Clinton is winning his share of those voters and consolidating his lead.
“The President is unlikely to close the gap in Michigan on Election Day,” said GOP pollster Steve Lombardo.
Even with Clinton’s lead in the polls, Democrats here remain edgy. Almost without exception, they are haunted by the memory of 1990, when then-Gov. James J. Blanchard led Republican John Engler by 10 percentage points in the final polls–and then was swept from office by a strong Republican effort to get out their vote, coupled with a poor turnout in Detroit.
Democrats are insistent that won’t happen again. Registration is up in Detroit, and Mayor Coleman A. Young has put his shoulder into the Clinton effort. One local official estimated this weekend that 65% of registered Detroit voters could come to the polls today, compared to just 54% four years ago.
Unions are pushing hard too: The UAW has been distributing to members copies of a Flint newspaper article reporting that Ross Perot owns a Mercedes-Benz and other foreign cars. In Michigan, that’s not much different than burning a flag.
Republican efforts to turn out the vote are just as intense. In Oakland County alone, GOP volunteers made more than 150,000 calls last weekend, said Jim Alexander, the county GOP chairman.
Local observers say religious conservatives and anti-abortion activists are mounting powerful drives; thousands of copies of the Christian Coalition’s voter guide on the presidential candidates were distributed at Bush’s rally in Auburn Hills on Sunday.
Beyond its impact on the Electoral College, voting in Michigan should help answer some of the key questions on which the results will pivot around the nation. Among them:
* Can Clinton reclaim the so-called Reagan Democrats–the blue-collar ethnics who deserted the party during the 1970s and 1980s over taxes, the economy and the perception that Democrats favored minorities?
Stressing such issues as welfare reform and his support for the death penalty, Clinton has aggressively courted voters in Macomb County, a Detroit suburb renowned as the breeding ground of Reagan Democrats.
Republicans have fired back with targeted mailers hitting Clinton on trust and taxes. And Perot could be a formidable competitor in Macomb County and similar neighborhoods for the votes of working-class residents disgusted with Bush and the gridlock in Washington.
* Can Bush hold suburban Republicans and independents who favor abortion rights? Four years ago, he carried the generally affluent Detroit suburb of Oakland County by 109,000 votes. But the hard-right line on social issues at the Republican Convention did not play well there, and Democrats are optimistic that Clinton’s centrist message will allow him to make significant inroads, not only in Oakland County but in similar places in New Jersey, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
* Can Clinton get the high turnout he needs from blacks after a campaign so heavily focused on wooing white swing voters in the suburbs? The answer will affect the result not only here but in other industrial states, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Southern battlegrounds like Georgia and Louisiana.
* Will young voters show up today? One reason Clinton’s margin diminished in some national surveys last week is those polls included very few young people among their likely voters–and Clinton, the first baby boomer to top a national ticket, has been running very well with the young.
In 1988, just 36% of eligible voters age 18 to 24 actually turned out. Mike Dolan, field director for Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan national effort to register and turn out young voters, predicts as many as half of them may vote this year.
Such a spike in turnout would be a huge boost for Clinton; in this state, for example, he has courted students at rallies at both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University.
One cloud on the Democratic horizon is the possibility of rain today in Michigan and much of the Midwest. Conventional wisdom holds that rain could dampen turnout in Detroit and other urban centers and pinch Clinton’s vote.
But many on both sides believe that interest in this campaign is so high that even rain won’t cool it off. “With all of the attention to the race this year,” Alexander said, “I don’t know if even rain is going to matter.”
Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter where the final days of the college football season are upon us. I’ve spent the past week trying to catch up on shopping for Christmas, which — checks notes — is only 10 days away??
So what better time to consider what USC might need for the year to come and put together a transfer portal wishlist of sorts, with portal season fast approaching.
Fight on! Are you a true Trojans fan?
5. Offensive line
Returning starters: LT Elijah Paige, LG Tobias Raymond, C Kilian O’Connor, RG Alani Noa, RT Justin Tauanuu
Other expected returners: Elijah Vaikona, Aaron Dunn, Alex Payne, Kaylon Miller
Notable newcomers: OT Keenyi Pepe, OG Esun Tafa
Offensive line coach Zach Hanson did a great job this season with the hand he was dealt. USC had injuries up and down its line, as Paige and O’Connor missed half the season. With most of last year’s line potentially returning, and a lot of young linemen entering Year 2, USC should have more depth to work with up front.
That said, it could stand to upgrade on the interior. USC pursued a transfer center to start over O’Connor last year and struck out on J’Onre Reed. Could they take another swing at that spot? As this season proved, there’s no such thing as having too many capable linemen.
4. Wide receiver
Returning starters: Tanook Hines
Other expected returners: Zacharyus Williams, Corey Simms
Makai Lemon is on his way to the NFL, and my expectation is that Ja’Kobi Lane will follow him. That leaves USC with just one returning starter at receiver, albeit one with a lot of promise.
Hines has the ability to be the Trojans’ No. 1 wideout, but he won’t be able to hold down the passing attack alone. USC will need to add at least one starter to the mix to fill out a receiving corps that is suddenly quite thin. Fortunately, USC has never had trouble finding a transfer for that purpose.
Zacharyus Williams seemed primed to contribute in 2025, but injuries derailed his start to the season. He could step into a bigger role. Several freshmen could see opportunities early, too, the most intriguing to me being Mosley, whose shiftiness reminds me of Lemon.
3. Cornerback
Returning starters: Marcelles Williams
Other expected returners: Chasen Johnson, Alex Graham, RJ Sermons, Kevin Longstreet
Notable newcomers: Elbert Hill, Brandon Lockhart
Injuries decimated this group last season and made it difficult for the secondary to find its stride. Now the room will have to be mostly rebuilt, with several corners out of eligibility or leaving in the portal.
Marcelles Williams should be better. Chasen Johnson was primed to start in 2025 and should be expected to step into that spot in 2026, while other young players, like Alex Graham and RJ Sermons, could take a huge step in Year 2.
But if there’s a lockdown outside corner in the portal, USC needs to do whatever it can to get them to L.A.
2. Interior defensive line
Returning starters: Devan Thompkins, Jide Abasiri
Other expected returners: Jahkeem Stewart, Floyd Boucard, Jah Jarrett
USC was supposed to be much improved on the interior in 2025, and that simply wasn’t the case, especially against the run. Experienced tackles like Keeshawn Silver and Thompkins, who entered the season with a lot of hype, never lived up to expectations. Jarrett was a disappointment before getting hurt, and Abasiri was inconsistent.
Stewart and Boucard both showed glimpses of major potential in spite of injuries, and both need to be on the field more next season. But this group is in need of a game-wrecker against the run, a stopper who can clog up the interior and hold his own in the Big Ten.
Those tackles don’t grow on trees, unfortunately. USC has tried to find them — and failed — on multiple occasions, the latest being Silver. But unless USC wants to rely heavily on its youth at defensive tackle next season, it’s going to need to find reinforcements from the transfer portal, no matter what.
1. Linebacker
Returning starters: Desman Stephens
Other expected returners: Jadyn Walker, Ta’Mere Robinson, AJ Tuitele
Notable newcomers: Talanoa Ili, Shaun Scott
This group was rough in 2025, and it’s set to lose its leader in Eric Gentry. Stephens felt miscast as a middle linebacker this season, and Walker, while dynamic, was still trying to figure things out in his first full season.
Walker and Stephens should be better with another offseason under their belt. But would anyone feel good going into next season with both as the primary starters at linebacker? I doubt it.
USC has already been linked to North Carolina linebacker Khmori House, and I doubt he’ll be the last linebacker that’s talked about as a possible Trojan. USC may bring in multiple linebackers and also have no choice but to count on a few of its young guys making the leap. Ili, in particular, is intriguing as a top-100 recruit.
Where does Makai Lemon’s season rank?
Makai Lemon
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
Makai Lemon’s coronation as college football’s top receiver in 2025 was made complete last week as he became the second Trojan wideout to be awarded the Biletnikoff.
The only other Biletnikoff winner in the award’s 30 years of existence was Marqise Lee, who finished the 2012 season with an NCAA-leading 118 catches, 1,721 yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. Lemon had 39 fewer catches and 565 fewer yards this season.
That’s largely a reflection of how prolific Lee was in 2012. But the fact that Lemon’s Biletnikoff-winning performance doesn’t rank in the top 10 statistically in any category in USC history shows just how many great receivers USC has had in the last quarter century.
Five USC receivers have caught over 100 passes in a season, four of which came in the last 15 years. Drake London would have made it six — and won his own Biletnikoff — if he hadn’t injured his ankle in 2021.
Lemon’s 79 catches rank 13th in USC history, his 11 touchdowns are tied for 11th.
That’s not to take away from what Lemon has done this season. His ability to create yards after the catch is perhaps unlike any other receiver in school history. But in the annals of great seasons for USC receivers, Lemon may never look quite as impressive on paper as it felt in person.
Lindsay Gottlieb
(Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
—Waymond Jordan will return to USC in 2026. And that’s huge news for USC’s rushing attack, which will now be able to deploy one of the Big Ten’s most dynamic 1-2 punches with Jordan and King Miller. Jordan didn’t play the second half of the season after suffering an ankle injury that required surgery. Had he continued his pace from the first half of the season, Jordan probably wouldn’t be coming back to USC in 2026 … because he’d be on his way to the NFL. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Jordan comes into next season as arguably the best returning back in the Big Ten. If USC hopes to hold up during its gauntlet of a conference slate, the run game will have to lead the way.
—Notre Dame is losing its scheduling leverage. The tides have really started to turn on the Irish ever since they declined a bowl invite following their College Football Playoff snub. That didn’t sit well with the rest of the college football world. Neither did the news that Notre Dame, according to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger, negotiated a deal for preferential playoff access starting next season. In fact, according to Dan Wolken, also of Yahoo, it has led athletic directors in other leagues to threaten to freeze Notre Dame out in the future. We’ll see if anyone actually follows through on that threat — I have my doubts — but it does seemingly give USC an upper hand when it comes to getting a deal done soon … if it wants one. It’s probably no coincidence that athletic director Pete Bevacqua now appears optimistic about getting a deal done quickly, after blaming USC for the hold-up. Bevacqua told The Echoes podcast last week that he thought the two schools would come to an agreement on a short-term extension, potentially with a gap in the series after that. That’s the deal that USC has been trying to sell Notre Dame on since August.
—USC did add a non-conference matchup to its 2026 slate. Louisiana will come to the Coliseum on Sept. 12, 2026, to face USC for the first time in program history. USC will pay the Ragin’ Cajuns $1.3 million for the rights to what should be an easy non-conference victory. The Trojans now have 11 of 12 games scheduled for 2026, with one very glaring opening remaining.
—Chad Baker-Mazara is leading the Big Ten in scoring and exceeding all preseason expectations. The sixth-year senior came to USC in search of a bigger scoring role, and with Rodney Rice out, he’s made the most of his opportunity. Baker-Mazara is averaging 25 points per game over USC’s last four, in the wake of Rice’s injury, and shooting the lights out, hitting 53% of his shots during that stretch. Even beyond his offensive output, Baker-Mazara’s energy has been an important part of USC’s identity early on. If he can keep scoring efficiently when Rice and freshman Alijah Arenas return from injury, USC could be a legitimate threat come March.
—Nike did a cool thing to honor Gigi Bryant during what would’ve been her freshman year at Connecticut. During Saturday’s USC-UConn matchup, every player on the court wore a different pair of Kobe’s. Even players who didn’t play wore different pairs of Kobe’s. Nike says that’s the first time it has ever done that in a college basketball game.
—I’ve always appreciated Lindsay Gottlieb’s willingness to be vulnerable. And she showed that part of herself again Saturday, in response to a mass shooting at her alma mater, Brown. She addressed the shooting before talking about USC’s loss to UConn and was clearly shaken by the situation. She said a former teammate at Brown was waiting to hear from a kid who was hiding in the basement of a library. Gottlieb didn’t pull any punches: “It’s the guns,” she said. “We’re the only country who lives this way.”
Poll results
We asked, “Which of these five options would you put at the top of USC’s transfer portal wish list?”
After 402 votes, the results:
Reinforcements at linebacker, 40.7% A run stopper on the interior, 39.7% A shutdown cornerback, 10.1% A standout edge rusher, 7.9% A No. 1 wide receiver, 1.6%
Top 5 … restaurants in L.A.
In honor of one of my favorite things we do at The Times — our 101 best restaurants list — here’s my take on the five best fine dining establishments in L.A. …
5. Funke. Really, I could choose any of Evan Funke’s restaurants in this position. Mostly because the focaccia bread, so deliciously dripping with olive oil, requires recognition.
4. Bavel/Bestia. Cheating, I know, but I love both of these restaurants equally. The Peruvian scallop crudo at Bestia is one of the best appetizers I’ve ever had. Meanwhile anything involving lamb at Bavel is out of this world.
3. Republique. It’s the most breathtaking setting of any restaurant in L.A., built into an old church, and the pastries and bread are unforgettable. Any trip requires ordering pan drippings on a baguette, as strange as that may sound.
2. Providence. The ultimate special occasion spot. I still think about the 12-course meal I had there 10 years ago.
1. Dunsmoor. This is a new top restaurant for me within the last year, but I was absolutely blown away by Dunsmoor. The cornbread is an all-time dish for me, and there’s just something about eating your entire meal from a hearth that does it for me. It was so good that I had to mention it in a previous newsletter, and here I am, writing about it again.
It’s not often these days that a show delivers a story so unexpected that I have no idea where it’s headed. But “Pluribus” is one of those shows. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised given that Vince Gilligan, the writer and showrunner, is a master of storytelling.
The story follows Carol, played by Rhea Seehorn, whose world is turned upside down suddenly by a humanity-altering event that mysteriously does not affect her. Seehorn is terrific as always, and the story has been genuinely gripping so far.
Until next time …
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
