As we have stated here in the past, USC’s best player in 2024 played on neither offense or defense, but special teams. Eddie Czaplicki, who won the Ray Guy Award as the top punter in the nation, was the Trojans’ top player in 2024, alongside Woody Marks. However, with both Czaplicki and starting kicker Michael Lantz out of eligibility after the Las Vegas Bowl, the Trojans will need to find replacements at both positions.
In recent days, they took a major step towards doing such with the addition of UNLV transfer kicker Caden Chittenden. With the Rebels this past season, Chittenden was named the Mountain West Freshman of the Year on special teams, making 24 of his 30 field goal attempts.
This comes a week after the Trojans earned a commitment from one of the nation’s top high school punter recruits in Will Weisberg. Wesiberg comes to USC from nearby Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California.
Replacing Lantz and Czaplicki’s production will be an incredibly tough challenge. But with the additions of Chittenden and Weisberg, the Trojans hope they will at least be able to maintain a high level of play at both positions.