USC football loses more players to transfer portal

Defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes celebrates after making a tackle for a loss while playing for Texas A&M before he transferred to USC. Raikes is entering the transfer portal again. (Sam Craft / Associated Press)

Isaiah Raikes’ nameplate over his locker barely had settled in, but USC’s latest great hope at defensive line already is looking for a new home.

Raikes and defensive back Tre’Quon Fegans were removed from USC’s online roster this weekend amid their plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens Monday. As players flirted with, backed out of and entered the portal, discussion around the spring transfer window lingered over the final two weeks of USC’s spring practices, but coach Lincoln Riley emphasized that if the Trojans “lose a couple of guys, then we’ll replace them.”

USC also lost freshman offensive lineman Jason Zandamela to the portal this week, but Raikes’ departure leaves a more urgent 6-foot-2, 320-pound hole in the interior of the defensive line. The nose tackle from Texas A&M was expected to anchor the front along with Bear Alexander.

Read more: Amid portal uncertainty, Lincoln Riley keeps one top lineman and loses another

The Trojans could turn to another transfer as former Vanderbilt captain Nate Clifton has emerged as a steady force, Riley said. The 6-4, 289-pound defensive lineman led the Commodores in tackles for loss (7½) and sacks (5½) with 30 tackles while starting 12 games last season.

“Once we got a chance to lay out our situation to him and him to us, it was an immediate fit, like no-brainer for both sides and that one just feels great,” Riley said. “He’s been a good presence in our locker room, a really good presence on the field.”

Behind Clifton, sophomore Elijah Hughes is continuing to build on a promising freshman campaign that included six tackles in…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/usc-football-loses-more-players-220919530.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2024-04-13 22:09:19

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