USC Trojans Transfer Portal Mass Exodus: Former Players Top Transfer Rankings

Ahead of the Las Vegas Bowl, the USC Trojans have seen a mass exodus of 18 players entering the transfer portal. Where do players like Miller Moss, Zachariah Branch, and Quinten Joyner rank among this class of transfers and how does USC coach Lincoln Riley replace them?

Oct 19, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley stands on the field before the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans have had a brutal last couple of weeks when it comes to losing players to the transfer portal. On Tuesday afternoon, former five-star recruit, USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch announced he would be entering the transfer portal with his brother Zion. He joined a long list of 18 Trojans who have entered the portal.

USC coach Lincoln Riley continues to see his top players opt to play elsewhere. What is going on in Los Angeles?

Trojans Lose A Flurry of Talent to Transfer Portal

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Zachariah Branch (1) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans 2024 season did not live up to expectations. The Trojans went 6-6 and had an abundance of missed opportunities. In 11 of their 12 games in the regular season, they had a fourth quarter lead. Somehow, they only managed to win six of those games. 

There wasn’t much of a silver lining to losing those games, but Trojans fans could at least be optimistic that those highly recruited young players could improve in 2025. That is no longer the case.

USC has seen 10 of Lincoln Riley’s 15 top rated recruits enter the transfer portal since taking over prior to the 2022 season. In total 18 USC Trojans have entered the portal.

Who are the top departures that USC will have to replace for next season?

Just to name a few, USC has lost wide receiver Duce Robinson, wide receiver Zachariah Branch running back Quinten Joyner, offensive tackle Mason Murphy, defensive tackle Bear Alexander, and quarterback Miller Moss. 

These were some of the biggest contributors to the team in 2024. All six of these players rank very highly in the 247sports transfer portal at their respective positions. 

It's been a rough portal season for USC. Here's how their outgoing players rank in the @247SportsPortal:

Miller Moss-No. 6 QB
Zachariah Branch-No. 2 WR
Duce Robinson-No. 3 WR
Quinten Joyner-No. 5 RB
Mason Murphy-No. 5 OT
Bear Alexander-No. 3 DT https://t.co/dGJU6iaGPy

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) December 17, 2024

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Lincoln Riley's USC Football Program Falling Apart?

Nov 30, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

There’s no doubt this is a terrible look for Lincoln Riley and the USC football program. Usually teams only see this type of talent departure when a coach leaves, not when the coach is entering their fourth year at a prestigious program.

Lincoln Riley took over at the helm in 2022. In his first year, he showed his brilliance and immediately turned a 4-8 team in 2021 to a team knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff. The Trojans went 11-3 in 2022 and the future looked bright. 

They took a step back in 2023 and finished with a record of 8-5.

2024 started off on a great note with wins over LSU and Utah State to get USC ranked as high as No. 11 in the country. From there, it was downhill and they barely hung onto a bowl game berth with a record of 6-6. 

2023 was all about the defense seemingly allowing any team they played to score 40 points. 2024 was all about the inability to finish off teams in the fourth quarter. 

What can Riley do to right the ship moving forward?

The quick answer revolves around his ability to get immediate impact players in the building to buy into the program. While they only won 6 games in the 2024 regular season, there were easily another handful of wins on the table they weren't able to finish.

USC was close to being a really good team in 2024, but if this trend of consistently getting out-recruited and losing elite talent to the portal continues, they will keep declining.

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