Tag: Akili Arnold

USC Trojans without several key offensive starters for game vs. Wisconsin Badgers

USC Trojans without several key offensive starters vs. Wisconsin

The USC Trojans will be without offensive starters TE Lake McRee and WR Makai Lemon for Saturday’s game against the Wisconsin Badgers.

McRee and Lemon are among those ruled out on the Trojans’ pregame status report, along with backup offensive linemen Micah Banuelos and Kilian O’Connor and defensive lineman Bear Alexander.

Both McRee and Lemon were injured during USC’s loss to No. 12 Michigan last weekend. Neither were expected to be ready for Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin. McRee is the most impactful absence of the group. He is USC’s second-leading receiver through three games with 12 catches and 134 yards.

The Trojans are also listing starting safety Akili Arnold as ‘questionable,’ though recent reports indicate he is doubtful to play. His status will be worth monitoring as kickoff approaches.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, will continue to be without players known to be out indefinitely, including QB Tyler Van Dyke, DL James Thompson Jr., WR Joseph Griffin Jr. and OL Leyton Nelson.

Wisconsin and USC will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS and Paramount+. Luke Fickell and his team will look to capitalize on an opportunity against a less-than-fully healthy USC group. A win would reverse the season-long outlook surrounding the team and program.

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Report: USC key defensive starter Akili Arnold ‘doubtful’ to play against Wisconsin

Some news to monitor as Wisconsin vs USC kickoff time nears

USC starting safety Akili Arnold will reportedly be a game-time decision today against the Wisconsin Badgers, according to 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

Zenitz writes that Arnold ‘is currently viewed as doubtful but a final determination is expected to be made pre-game.”

Related: 10 reasons Wisconsin can beat USC on Saturday

The redshirt senior is a key member of a USC defense that has performed well to begin the 2024 season. He transferred to the Trojans after five years at Oregon State, three as a starter.

Arnold has recorded 14 total tackles, one tackle for loss, 1/2 sacks and one pass deflection so far through three weeks. He, alongside other offseason transfer additions DT Gavin Meyer, DT Nate Clifton, LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, S Kamari Ramsey and CB Greedy Vance Jr., has helped the USC defense improve dramatically from its previous FBS-worst ranking.

It will be worth monitoring Arnold’s status as Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff time nears.

USC will also be without defensive tackle Bear Alexander on Saturday, who earlier this week elected to use a redshirt and sit out the remainder of the season.

Wisconsin is looking for a statement victory to kickstart the second year of the Luke Fickell era. Its quest for that victory will come against a less-than-fully-healthy USC defensive unit.

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Lincoln Riley 2 for 1 special might unlock USC success in Big Ten

Lincoln Riley has a special fondness for the Arnold brothers at USC. Let’s see what they do on the field.

USC football head coach Lincoln Riley recently talked in a Zoom call about the recruitment of the Arnold brothers, Akili and Easton Mascarenas, and what that might mean for the Trojans in the Big Ten:

We had a couple of conversations and it was one of those that we knew was going to happen pretty fast. I actually flew to Corvallis in a driving rainstorm and I went and met both of them at their apartment. I ended up staying at their apartment for two hours, just the three of us, and we just we had a great talk. It’s not hard to get in pretty deep with them. You could tell right away they were passionate about football, they were passionate about going to a place where they felt like they had a chance to really go win big. They were passionate about hearing my vision for our program and where we were headed, where they could obviously be of service, and where I thought the roles could align.

I got to be honest: of all the recruiting visits and all the home visits and all the ones over the years that sometimes admittedly run together a little bit when you look back on them, I don’t know if I’ve ever had a more high-energy, fun meeting — literally just the three of us in some college kids’ apartment in Corvallis — we had a great time. We ended up leaving much later than anticipated because it was hard to end it, but you could just just feel their vibe and energy towards each other competitively, their passion for it. You could feel it from the minute I walked in the door. It was a lot of fun. They’re glad they’re on our team.

 

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Lincoln Riley sees USC’s two transfers from Oregon State as team leaders

Lincoln Riley praised the new players on USC’s defense who transferred in after Jonathan Smith left Oregon State.

Lincoln Riley said on Monday evening that two new USC football players who transferred in from Oregon State in the offseason are showing great leadership qualities.

“We’ve brought in some guys from a couple of other schools that I think have shown the capability to be outstanding leaders because they have been at their old places,” Riley said. “You think about Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and Akili Arnold, guys that were leaders at their old programs.”

It is notable that Riley talked about the leadership qualities of outsiders, not players who were on the 2023 roster. This could be seen as a simple compliment of the Arnolds. The stepbrothers came from Corvallis for a chance to play at USC after Beaver coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State. However, it might also be a subtle hint that players on the 2023 USC defense who are still in the program did not display or earn elevated leadership status. At any rate, USC hopes the Arnolds live up to the billing and lead a defensive revolution for the Trojans in 2024.

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USC grabs yet another elite Oregon State defensive player in the portal

USC continues to pull in quality defensive players from Oregon State.

The diminished position and status of Oregon State football in conference realignment has created an opportunity for other schools. With Oregon State being homeless in 2024 — no longer part of a Power Five conference due to the death of the Pac-12 and OSU’s inability to land a spot in the Big 12, Big Ten, or ACC — the Beavers have a downgraded program with a less attractive schedule. Some high-profile Oregon State players are naturally thinking about jumping ship, especially since former coach Jonathan Smith did precisely that by going to Michigan State.

Oregon State players are searching for new landing spots. USC has now grabbed a second Oregon State defensive star in a 12-hour span. Saturday night, the Trojans claimed linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold. Sunday morning, Akili Arnold — Easton’s brother — committed to USC.

The Trojans are building quality and depth on defense. What’s especially exciting here is that the Arnold brothers are seasoned, proven defensive players, not projects who will need a lot of teaching and development. With a strong defensive coaching staff being assembled at USC, the recipe for a strong season in 2024 is becoming apparent.

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Former Oregon State DB Akili Arnold receives USC offer

This would help USC a lot.

USC has offered former Oregon State defensive back Akili Arnold.

Arnold is coming off a season in which he finished fourth on the team in tackles with 60, while also adding two tackles for loss and half a sack.

He also had 6 pass deflections, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery. The fifth-year senior will have just one season of eligibility remaining.

According to Pro Football Focus, Arnold was Oregon State’s third-highest-graded defensive player for the 2023 regular season at 79.9 as a safety. His best quality was coverage, in which he graded at 85.7. Opposing receivers caught 54% of passes when guarded by Arnold (19-of-35) for 177 yards. He also missed just six tackles in 664 snaps.

USC can really use a player of Arnold’s quality in 2024, when the Trojans move to the Big Ten. Crucially, the fact that Arnold has played at Oregon State will make him aware of what Oregon, Washington and UCLA can do. USC would have a Pac-12 player who would already have ample knowledge of the other Pac-12 schools which will join USC in the Big Ten next year.

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Texas A&M is set to host multiple former Oregon State defenders next weekend

It has been announced that Texas A&M will host several Oregon State transfers next weekend.

Oregon State has become a popular transfer portal destination for new Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko, as three former Beavers, including cornerback Jermod McCoy, safety Akili Arnold, and linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold will all visit College Station next weekend, as Elko is determined to add more depth and experience to the Aggies defense ahead of the 2024 season.

In less than a month on the job, Elko has already landed his first commitment in the form of former Kansas State cornerback Will Lee III. Still, more additions are needed to solidify the secondary, as five starters in the backfield are slated to depart, including senior safety Demani Richardson.

If the Aggies were to secure both McCoy and Arnold, the cornerback room would be set heading into the off-season. At linebacker, star junior LB Edgerrin Cooper will likely enter the 2024 NFL Draft barring a change of heart, meaning that freshman All-American LB Taurean York will take over as one of the proven defensive leaders, but outside of York and incoming junior Martrell Harris, more starting level depth is needed.

On the season, Akili Arnold recorded 62 tackles and two interceptions. In comparison, Mascarenas-Arnold accumulated 106 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions, and both served as team captains for Oregon State during the 2023 season.

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Auburn offers two Oregon State defensive backs

Former Oregon State defensive backs Akili Arnold and Jermond McCoy are the latest members of the transfer portal to earn offers from Auburn.

To this point in the transfer portal window, Auburn’s offers have been headlined by wide receivers. As the week continues, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are working on defensive additions.

[autotag]Akili Arnold[/autotag] and [autotag]Jermond McCoy[/autotag], two former members of Oregon State’s secondary, have received offers from Auburn according to their respective X (formerly Twitter) accounts.

Both players were among Oregon State’s leading tacklers this season. Arnold was the fourth-highest tackler with 60 stops. McCoy made 31 stops, which was the 10th-highest on the team. Both recorded two interceptions for the Beavers’ defense this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Arnold was Oregon State’s third-highest-graded defensive player for the 2023 regular season at 79.9 as a safety. His best quality was coverage, which he graded at 85.7. Opposing receivers caught 54% of passes when guarded by Arnold (19-of-35) for 177 yards. He also missed six tackles in 664 snaps.

McCoy, a cornerback, played 410 snaps in 11 games this season. When being covered by McCoy, opposing receivers caught 27-of-47 passes for 420 yards.

Auburn is looking to replace three key members of its secondary: [autotag]Jaylin Simpson[/autotag], [autotag]Nehemiah Pritchett[/autotag], and [autotag]DJ James[/autotag]. All three have accepted invitations to compete in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile on Saturday, Feb. 3.

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