USC Trojans Host Former Tulane Cornerback Rayshawn Pleasant For Weekend Visit

Pleasant will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and would give the Trojans another cornerback with some much-needed game experience. He also has plans to visit Auburn this week. 

USC also hosted a pair of linebackers over the weekend in Penn State transfer Ta’Mere Robinson and South Dakota transfer Gary Bryant III. Linebacker is a big area of need for the Trojans during the spring window because of how thin they are at the position. 

D’Anton Lynn’s defense featured a very senior heavy defensive back room in 2024. All three starting cornerbacks from last season, Jaylin Smith, Greedy Vance and Jacobe Covington have exhausted their eligibility. John Humphrey, who appeared in 12 games, including three starts is also out of eligibility. 

The Trojans landed former San Jose State cornerback DJ Harvey during the winter transfer portal window. Harvey, a Southern California product, is the godbrother of USC safety Kamari Ramsey. The two thrived together at nearby Sierra Canyon (Calif.) high school. Harvey is expected to be a plug-and-play starter in the fall. 

“Harvey brings a lot of energy and juice to the field, he’s a really competitive guy, you kind of feel his energy and presence every day,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley. “He’s really focused on his craft. His energy, his competitiveness, that fire, you feel the impact.”

Redshirt senior DeCarlos Nicholson is taking advantage of an extra season of eligibility granted to former junior college players. Nicholson appeared in all 13 games, including three starts in his first season with the Trojans last season. Redshirt senior Prophet Brown has appeared in 37 games over the past four seasons and is a strong candidate to start at nickel in the fall. 

Outside of those three guys, USC is very young and inexperienced at cornerback, but certainly not lacking talent. Redshirt freshman Marcelles Williams was four-star recruit in 2024 cycle coming out of St. John Bosco (Calif.). 

Williams made a name for himself as an early enrollee last spring, but that did not lead to playing time in the fall because of the senior heavy cornerback room. The Southern California native spent his first season on campus developing physically and is firmly in the mix to compete for a starting spot in 2025. 

“(Williams) is right in the middle of it, without a question,” Riley said. “I mean with all the guys we lost at corner, there’s some real position battles, some real opportunities right now. He had a really good spring last year, he had a solid camp to, some of the other guys kind of stepped and were just a little ahead of him, but it was a great fall for him."

“He was able to develop physically, which was probably the biggest thing for him. He had to put on weight, he had to put on strength and then learn to be able to use that and play a little bit more physical, a little bit more sturdy and that’s happened,” Riley continued. 

Redshirt freshman Braylon Conley and Isaiah Rubin were part of the same recruiting class as Williams. The Trojans have a pair of early enrollees from their 2025 recruiting class on campus this spring in Trestin Castro and James Johnson. 

“The young guys, they’re not scared to talk. They’re super vocal and super personable and very, like, high personalities,” said redshirt senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald. “They’ve been great to be around and, kind of learning from them too, their mistakes.”

The spring transfer portal window opened last Wednesday, April 16, and will close on April 25. Players can still commit after the April 25 deadline, but they have to enter their name in the portal before then.