The USC Trojans did not make big movements in the transfer portal this offseason. 247Sports compared USC to the other 17 schools in the new and expanded Big Ten Conference. Analyst Brandon Marcello placed USC at No. 14 among all Big Ten programs in terms of transfer portal quality for this offseason.
USC is trying to juggle competing needs and tensions as a football program. On one hand, the transfer portal offers teams the ability to instantly upgrade their rosters and bring in developed, established players who aren’t starting from scratch, which is different from an incoming high school recruit. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has watched his formerly dynastic program struggle and decline due in part to his refusal to use the transfer portal for quick infusions of talent. Not using the transfer portal is a problem, highlighting the need for every school to make at least some gains in the portal.
However, USC is also in a position where it needs to develop its rosters primarily through recruiting, precisely so that it can develop players from the ground up and enhance its reputation among high school coaches in both Southern California and across the country. Building out position groups, particularly the offensive line, needs to run through recruiting more than the portal. So, when we see USC not placed highly among 18 Big Ten schools, the news might not be as grim as it might first seem.
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