USC Trojans Freshmen Tracker: Who will Burn Redshirt?

Five-star freshman quarterback Husan Longstreet played the entire second of the Trojans blowout win over Missouri State in the season opener, where he accounted for three touchdowns. 

He then played a majority of the fourth quarter the following week against Georgia Southern. Longstreet did not appear in the next two games, before Lincoln Riley decided to play him for a couple of snaps in week 5, one of which included a 16-yard run. 

“He's busted his tail and we got a lot of confidence that when he goes in he's gonna be able to operate our offense and make plays and do what he does out there on the practice field,” Riley said. 

Longstreet is the backup quarterback, and whether Riley decides to use him in specific packages will be something to monitor moving forward because the Corona Centennial (Calif.) product is at three games right now. 

Wide Receiver Room

Tanook Hines was a summer enrollee, but earned the team’s No. 3 receiver spot coming out of fall camp. And with Ja’Kobi Lane battling injuries the last couple of weeks, Hines has earned the start alongside Makai Lemon against Michigan State and Illinois. 

Hines has been coming along well and become another solid target for Jayden Maiava and carved out a significant role on offense in freshman season. 

Corey Simms was on campus in the spring and someone Riley believed could contribute right away. While Simms hasn’t played more than a few snaps on offense in any game, he has appeared in all five games on special teams. 

So, two of the three receivers the Trojans signed in the 2025 recruiting class have officially burned their redshirt. 

Defensive Line Depth 

The Trojans didn’t approach five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart with a lucrative NIL offer for him to sit his first season on campus. That and the New Orleans native reclassified from the 2026 to the 2025 class because he had a college ready frame and ability. 

After missing the season opener, Stewart has certainly flashed the ability that made him a highly coveted prospect. Stewart has played in four games and it’s safe to say that redshirt will be burned against Michigan on Oct. 11. 

Floyd Boucard was a name that Riley consistently brought up in the spring and that has led to the former three-star recruit earning playing time in the defensive line rotation. Boucard has appeared in all five games, burning his redshirt. 

Secondary 

Dee Reddick played on special teams in each of the previous three games, before being thrusted into the lineup at the nickel position in week 5. 

With Kamari Ramsey out because of food poisoning and Kevin Longstreet struggling, defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn turned to Reddick, who played a career-high 29 snaps. 

Reddick missed the first game of the season, so he’s at four games right now. If guys are healthy in front of him, it’s unlikely Reddick earns meaningful playing time at nickel, but if he goes back to his normal role on special teams, that redshirt will be burned next week. 

Alex Graham has yet to make his USC debut while he continues to work his way back from injury, but the Detroit native has dressed in full pads for practice the last two weeks. He was projected to start at nickel heading into the season. 

Graham is going to play when he’s fully healthy, the question becomes does he reach the four-game limit, or will Southern Cal play him and still try to hold onto his redshirt if they can.