3 USC Trojans Turning Heads During Summer Workouts: Makai Lemon, Devan Thompkins, Jide Abasiri

Lemon is one of the more popular players on USC's roster, thanks to his athletic talents at wide receiver and kick returner. In 2024, Lemon caught 52 passes for 764 yards and three touchdowns, playing with quarterbacks Miller Moss and Jayden Maiava.

In 2025, the Trojans' passing attack is expected to be led by Lemon and Maiava as well as receiver Ja'Kobi Lane and tight end Lake McRee.

As for Devan Thompkins, the defensive lineman recently earned some praise from USC defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Eric Henderson on social media. The Trojans coach made it clear that he expects a breakout season from Thompkins.

Thompkins already took a step forward in 2024, and he talked to the media about working with coach Henderson and the rest of USC's defensive coaching staff.

“I’ll say, Coach Henny coming in, new defensive staff, they really helped me like my game, my knowledge for the game you know. I just want to continue growing on that,” Thompkins said.

Finally, the Trojans are looking for sophomore defensive lineman Jide Abasiri to take another step in his development after appearing in 10 games as a freshman in 2024. USC's defensive line is expected to be one of the more deeper and talented units in the Big Ten, led by Thompkins, Kameryn Fountain, Anthony Lucas, Braylan Shelby, Jamaal Jarrett, and Keeshawn Silver.

USC will still rely on Abasiri and others in the defensive line rotation throughout the Trojans' second season in the Big Ten.

Earlier in June, Trojans defensive lineman Anthony Lucas, long snapper Hank Pepper, and wide receiver Asante Das were highlighted by the coaching staff. As the 2025 season draws closer, these awards give a small glimpse inside of USC's program.

While the true defensive rotation won't be revealed until the new year starts, the mentions of Abasiri, Lucas, and Thompkins are definitely cause for optimism regarding USC's defensive line.