Latest Intel on Key Fall Camp Position Battles in USC Trojans Secondary

Prophet Brown was expected to start at nickel last season before a significant lower body injury early in fall camp ended his season.

Brown is back for his sixth season as one of the most experienced players on USC’s roster, having appeared in 39 career games. He moved to safety in the spring and is trending towards starting opposite of senior Christian Pierce in the fall. Pierce started nine games last season.

Depth at Safety in Fall Camp

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Paul Gonzales Trovon Reed Fall Camp Madden Riordan Prophet Brown Position Battle Alez Graham — Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Junior Kennedy Urlacher started opposite of Pierce for the final three games of last season after All-American safety Bishop Fitzgerald suffered an injury in week 12 that ended his season. He has been taking reps at nickel.

Urlacher is a hyper-active player that is more effective playing closer to the line of scrimmage. Brown offers more coverage ability to complement Pierce. Urlacher is competing with Alex Graham, who stepped into the starting lineup at nickel as a true freshman last season because of an injury to Kamari Ramsey in the same game as Urlacher.

Graham is a player that is also taking reps at safety as well. The Detroit native is a versatile player with a high football IQ. There's a lot of excitement around Graham because of his play at the end of last season.

The safety competition behind Pierce and Brown in camp is heating up with three names heavily involved — sophomore Dee Reddick, redshirt sophomore Marquis Gallegos and freshman Madden Riordan.

Reddick saw action in 11 games last season as primarily a special teams contributor and reserve at nickel. The Georgia native was thrusted into the lineup against Illinois last season and logged a career-high 29 snaps. He is another player that made the move to safety in the spring and has put together a good fall camp.

Gallegos saw action in 13 games last season as primarily a special teams contributor as well. He served as the teams No. 3 safety down the stretch last season after Fitzgerald’s injury.

When Riordan first arrived in January, he was viewed as a player that would most likely contribute in 2027 and beyond. Not because of talent, but cause he was around 155 pounds. When spring rolled around, Riordan did what he did all four years at Sierra Canyon (Calif.), force turnovers. He drew praise from coach Lincoln Riley and safeties coach Paul Gonzales.

Riordan is now up to 180 pounds and has continued to make waves in fall camp. His ability to change games is hard to ignore.

Cornerback Battle in Fall Camp

The cornerback battle heated up this fall with the return of Iowa State transfer Jontez Williams and Chasen Johnson, both of whom saw their seasons end last September because of knee injuries. Williams was rated as the No. 1 corner in the portal and expected to be a plug-and-play guy.

Marcelles Williams started 11 games last season as a redshirt freshman and will go down swinging to hold onto his position in camp. Redshirt freshman RJ Sermons and freshman Elbert "Rock" Hill are two highly touted young players that can't be counted out in the battle. Cornerback Trovon Reed has said its an open competition. It could certainly be one that isn't decided until early in the season.

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