There are three things you can count on in life: death, taxes and Lincoln Riley bringing in a a tough, veteran running back who can break tackles, catch the ball out of the backfield, and pass block at USC. Jo’Quavious Marks is the latest in this line of succession for the Trojans.
Lincoln Riley’s annual tradition of using the transfer portal to acquire experienced running backs continues for the third year in a row. Following veteran Oregon running back Travis Dye and Stanford’s Austin Jones in 2022, Riley welcomed MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina as the Trojans’ RB1 last year. This season, the Trojans have brought in Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks, a 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back from Mississippi State.
Marks is from Atlanta. He played for Mississippi State the past four seasons, starting eight games as a true freshman. He made history last year when he surpassed Fred Ross on the Bulldogs’ all-time receptions list with 214. This remarkable achievement places him eighth among the SEC’s all-time reception leaders, just 48 catches shy of the record set by Vanderbilt’s Jordan Matthews in 2010.
USC’s running back room took a huge hit in the offseason with Jones leaving for the NFL draft, plus Darwin Barlow and Raleek Brown transferring out.
Marks is an explosive runner who is powerful in the hole and can get upfield quickly. He is a solid pass blocker, something whose value can’t be emphasized enough with a number of new faces and position switches along the offensive line in 2024.
USC’s recruitment efforts in high school have been focused heavily on the state of Texas, especially for running backs. All of USC’s scholarship running backs recruited by Riley are from Texas, including Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson, both of whom joined the team in 2023, as well as Bryan Jackson, who signed in 2024.
Competition will be fierce in the spring, but Marks’ hands out of the backfield and his blocking skills are proven commodities for Riley. The new running back coach, Anthony Jones Jr., will get his first look at the running backs when spring camp opens up on Tuesday, March 19, and the pads start popping.
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