USC defensive back Maliki Crawford out for season after camp injury

USC hasn’t been hit hard by injuries in camp, but this is a severe one.

USC head coach Lincoln Riley announced after Friday’s practice that redshirt freshman cornerback Maliki Crawford will be out for the season after an injury he suffered in preseason camp.

Crawford was expected to play a solid role in the cornerback adding depth to the rotation for D’Anton Lynn’s defense. The redshirt-freshman had a great showing in the spring game and fall camp.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Maliki Crawford was a four-star signee in the 2023 class out of Oxnard (Calif.) from Pacifica High School. He was the No. 171 overall prospect and the No. 17 cornerback.

The injury bug has not hit the USC Trojans football team very heavily this offseason. Outside of Crawford no other player has picked up any major injury.

This does mean slightly less competition for playing spots. It also means the players who are healthy and available will all need to elevate their levels of performance, given that Crawford won’t be able to chip in. The players left in the room have to be able to raise the standard for USC on the field.

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