All Trojans

USC Is One Of Two Schools To Produce First Round Picks In Both 2024 NBA and NFL Drafts

Trojans athletes continue to shine.

Eva Geitheim

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

USC athletics celebrated former men's basketball point guard Isaiah Collier getting drafted in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, with the Utah Jazz selecting him No. 29 overall. While Collier fell lower in the draft than expected, he was still taken in the first round after one season with the Trojans.

With Collier getting selected in the first round, USC became one of just two colleges to have both a football player and men's basketball player selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and 2024 NBA Draft. The only other school was Duke, which saw center Graham Barton drafted No. 26 in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and point guard Jared McCain, taken No. 16 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.

On the football side, quarterback Caleb Williams was the No. 1 pick in the entire draft after spending two years at USC. Williams was long the top quarterback prospect in the class, especially after he went 11-3 while throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just five interceptions as a sophomore. He wound up winning the Heisman Trophy while also finishing the year as the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year, AP College Football Player of the Year, and a unanimous All-American.

While his final season at USC fell short of those heights as the offensive line struggled to protect him, Williams was still strong with 3,333 yards, 30 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He is now playing for the Chicago Bears.

Meanwhile, Collier joined the Jazz after averaging 16.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in his lone season with USC. The former five-star recruit saw his college career limited due to a hand injury but is now ready to go after his NBA dreams.

More USC: USC Basketball: Boogie Ellis Goes Undrafted, Signs With Western Conference Squad

Published
Eva Geitheim
EVA GEITHEIM

Eva graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in Communication. She has been covering college and professional sports since 2022.

Home/Trojan News