Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 9 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M In recent years, college football's con- ventional wisdom has held that the best way to contend for a national champion- ship is to write as many checks as neces- sary to keep your most talented players from leaving for the NFL or some other big-spending college program. That approach worked for Michigan in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024. It did not work for Penn State in 2025 — didn't come close, really — but no one would deny that player retention is a crucial component of any title run. Now it's USC's turn to show how much those efforts matter. The Trojans are returning 15 starters from last year's 9-4 squad, including nine starting play- ers from an offense that ranked fifth in the FBS with an average of 296.0 pass- ing yards per game. Foremost among the returnees is quarterback Jayden Maiava, a redshirt senior who led the FBS last year with a 91.2 quarterback rating. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Maiava completed 65.8 per- cent of his attempts for 3,711 yards, with 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, a performance that has thrust him into the national spotlight in 2026. As of early June, he had the 11th-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +2500 according to the BetMGM sportsbook. Maiava will surely miss two players USC did lose — wideouts Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane, who combined for 1,901 receiving yards last year. Lemon won the Biletnikoff Award and was picked in the first round of the 2026 draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. How- ever, the Trojans bring back sophomore Tanook Hines, who had 34 catches for 561 yards and 2 touchdowns, and they made a key addition via the portal by nabbing NC State transfer Terrell An- derson. As a sophomore, Anderson av- eraged 16.1 yards on 39 catches and had 5 touchdowns for the Wolfpack. Running backs Waymond Jordan and King Miller both return after combin- ing for 1,548 yards and 13 TDs last year, and they'll have a veteran offensive line opening holes. The defense is under new leader- ship after Penn State lured coordinator D'Anton Lynn to State College. Former TCU head coach Gary Patterson has taken over and will aim to change the perception of Lincoln Riley's teams af- ter years of defensive struggle, both at USC and Oklahoma. This year's starting unit has six returnees headlined by ju- nior defensive end Kameryn Crawford, who had 5.5 sacks a year ago. Former Penn State edge rusher Zuriah Fisher will further strengthen the Trojans' de- fensive front, and five-star freshman Luke Wafle is expected to make an early impact. If there's a reason to doubt USC's playoff potential, it's the schedule. The Trojans will face Oregon, Washington and Penn State in a 15-day span begin- ning Sept. 26. The games against the Ducks and Huskies will take place in Los Angeles, but the clash with PSU will be at Beaver Stadium, where USC has played only twice (in 1993 and '94) and lost both times. Later come consecutive games against Ohio State at home and Indiana on the road. USC will have a bye week ahead of its trip to Bloomington on Nov. 14, but overall, this is a very tough slate. If the Trojans are going to make their first- ever College Football Playoff appearance, they'll have to do it the hard way. — Matt Herb O C T . 1 0 | T I M E T B D | T V T B D | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E , P A . GAME 6 USC Quarterback Jayden Maiava is a Heisman Trophy con- tender after throwing for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns as a redshirt junior. PHOTO BY JOHN MCGILLEN/USC ATHLETICS 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Aug. 29 San Jose State — Sept. 4 Fresno State — Sept. 12 Louisiana — Sept. 19 at Rutgers — Sept. 26 Oregon L, 42-27 Oct. 3 Washington — Oct. 10 at Penn State — Oct. 24 at Wisconsin — Oct. 31 Ohio State — Nov. 14 at Indiana — Nov. 21 Maryland — Nov. 28 at UCLA W, 29-10 RISING STAR ALEX GRAHAM | DB The Trojans have holes to fill in their secondary, and Graham, a 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt freshman, will fig- ure into their plans in some capacity, most likely at one of the safety spots but potentially at cornerback or nickel. He was slowed by a rib injury early last year but totaled 15 tackles in wins over UCLA and TCU to end the season. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: USC leads, 6-5 Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (35-18 in four seasons at USC; career coaching record: 90-28) 2025 Record: 9-4, 7-2 Big Ten Returning Starters: 15 (9 offense, 6 de- fense) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB King Miller (972 yards, 8 TD) Passing: QB Jayden Maiava (3,711 yards, 24 TD) Receiving: WR Tanook Hines (561 yards, 2 TD) Tackles: DE Kameryn Crawford (41) Sacks: DE Kameryn Crawford (5.5) Interceptions: DE Braylan Shelby, DT Jah- keem Stewart (1)