On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The USC Trojans lost several wide receivers through the NCAA Transfer Portal but are still in good shape with returning receiver Ja'Kobi Lane leading the group. Lane is entering his third year with the team and is ready to step up as the top target for the Trojans' receiving core.
As Lane is entering his third season, he will be eligible to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. ESPN college football analysts and NFL Draft scouts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid did an early look at the 2026 draft class. The two ranked the top five prospects at every position. Reid ranked Lane as the No. 1 wide receiver prospect.
“I have the 6-4, 195-pound redshirt sophomore ranked higher than everyone and will continue to reside on that island. But he is a polarizing prospect who has many scouts needing to see more,” Reid wrote. “There isn’t a true WR1 in this class yet, so, with a bit more consistency, Lane has the opportunity to rise and be the first receiver off the board.”
Lane joined USC as a four-star prospect. In 2023 he played in just six games, including the Holiday Bowl. He was not a difference-maker, recording just seven receptions as a true freshman. Lane took a big step in 2024, leading the team in receiving touchdowns. He finished the 2024 season with 525 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Lane truly stepped up most during the Las Vegas Bowl. With former USC wide receivers Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson, and Duce Robinson all having entered the portal, Lane, along with receiver Makai Lemon, carried the load. The bowl game for Lane gave a potential sneak peek at what could be a stellar 2025 season.
Lane finished the game with seven receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns. With his performance, Lane was named the Las Vegas Bowl MVP.
With Branch, Hudson, and Robinson having transferred out, Lane is on pace to have a stellar season. Lane knows that despite leading the team in 2024 with touchdown receptions, he has to do more this season to help USC.
“It’s nice to get in the end zone, but at the end of the day, you always want to win for your team and it’s not like every single one of those games that I scored we won, so I just think learning to be better for my teammates and be somebody that they can depend on is always a goal of mine,” Lane said during spring practices.
Lane had a big 2024 season and did so while starting in just eight games. In 2025, his playing time is set to increase and with consistency on the field, he is on pace to stand out among the best receivers in the nation. Not only will the receiver attempt to put his team in College Football Playoff contention, but he will also be building his draft stock.
With Lane’s high potential, not only could he become a first-round draft pick, but he could be the first receiver off the board. The USC Trojans are no strangers to having a wide receiver be a top draft pick.
The last time USC had a wide receiver go in the first round was in 2023 when the Minnesota Vikings selected Jordan Addison with the No. 23 overall pick. Just one year prior, the Atlanta Falcons selected wide receiver Drake London at No. 8 overall.
USC did not have any first-round selections in 2025 and Lane could make sure the Trojans are back to being represented on day one of the NFL Draft.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
More must-reads:
- 15 schools that can throw a wrench in the College Football Playoff
- Troubling update emerges about Joel Embiid’s health
- The 'NFL mascot names' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
TODAY'S BEST
Mike Norvell reveals Gus Malzahn's strength as Florida State's new offensive coordinator
Prized transfer portal pickup for Oklahoma Sooners a major standout in fall camp and might have already locked up a starting job
Browns quarterback race has now dramatically changed
The Cleveland Browns are a step closer to finding their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. The Browns had a four-way race for the QB1 job entering training camp. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were long-shot contenders for the gig. The real competition has been between Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. However, the race has dramatically changed following Pickett's hamstring injury. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Flacco is now the "strong favorite" to win the starting job, as the veteran has taken advantage of his reps while Pickett remains limited at practice. "Pickett said he’s working '24-7' to get back to full speed but acknowledged he’s losing ground," Jackson wrote. "Joe Flacco’s two best throwing days have been the two most recent days, Friday and Saturday. Neither of the rookies ever had much of a realistic chance to win the starting job this August, and over the last week, Flacco has gone from presumed favorite to strong favorite. What always mattered most was finding the No. 1 — even if that status was going to be in flux at some point — and letting the folks in charge evaluate and decide on the rest of the depth chart and the room. There’s a lot of camp left, and there’s obviously a lot still to be settled with Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders. Flacco's resurgence in 2023, when he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year, was the main reason the Browns made the playoffs that season. His familiarity with Cleveland and head coach Kevin Stefanski makes him the natural choice to start Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, even if Pickett wasn't sidelined for team drills.
Caitlin Clark's Expected Return Date Could Bring Good News for Indiana Fever
The Indiana Fever have found a way to keep winning with star Caitlin Clark on the sidelines with a groin injury, improving their record to 17-12 with a win Sunday over the Seattle Storm. While it remains unclear exactly when Clark could take the floor again, her expected return timeline could match up well with a critical stretch in the Fever's schedule. ESPN's Holly Rowe reported in late July that while Clark remained day-to-day, it would be realistic for her to return sometime around the third week in August. That could put the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year back on the court for what could be the team's most important stretch of the season -- a back-to-back set with the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on August 22 and 24. The Fever are looking to climb up in the crowded playoff standings, and getting at least a split from the home-and-home series with the Lynx could be critical. Fever coach Stephanie White stressed after Sunday's win that the team was not going to rush Clark back onto the court. "I know she wants to be out here on the floor, we want her out here on the floor, but making sure that she's ready is the most important thing," White said. "I still don't know how far we are, we're gonna take it one step at a time, one day at a time, and go from there."
Triple H provides statement on Seth Rollins' SummerSlam appearance
Night one of SummerSlam 2026 ended with a bang. Seth Rollins came back from what now appears to have been a fake injury, cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase against CM Punk. The WWE fanbase had long postulated the idea of Rollins returning at SummerSlam. His return felt like low-hanging fruit. Yet, despite the expectations, both Punk and Rollins played the situation perfectly. Now, as we head into night two of SummerSlam, there is a new World Heavyweight Champion in town. When speaking at the SummerSlam post-show, Paul "Triple H" Levesque admitted, albeit in kayfabe, that he wasn't pleased with Rollins falsifying injury reports to get the upper hand on Punk. "Seth Rollins is playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers," Levesque said. "And he comes out, goes through none of it and takes the World Heavyweight Championship. My hats off to Seth Rollins. That’s a smart way to do business. Not thrilled about bogus medical reports, but we’ll deal with that down the line." Not everyone will be happy with Rollins becoming the new champion. They will feel like Punk was robbed. Or that WWE creative took the easiest route possible. And in truth, they're probably right. However, sometimes the best way to progress a story is to go with the most obvious segue. The fact is, everyone came away from the SummerSlam main event with some form of emotion. The story being told worked; it made people feel. And now, the storyline moves on to how Punk and Rollins — two heated rivals — will move forward. A future title match is all but guaranteed, yet it's the story, week after week, month after month, that will captivate people. WWE used SummerSlam as a jumping-off point, and now, we could see the very best of CM Punk, likely culminating in a main-event title match at WrestleMania 42. So, yes, Rollins' win was a deflating moment for many, but what comes from that moment will keep wrestling fans talking for the next six to 12 months, and that was likely the whole point.
Montreal’s Cap Strategy: Canadiens Face Hutson Contract Dilemma
As the NHL salary cap begins to rise significantly, young restricted free agents are finding themselves at the heart of a shifting contract landscape. For the Montreal Canadiens and defenseman Lane Hutson, that means determining a new contract that reflects his actual value—without disrupting the team’s internal structure. While fans eagerly await an extension for the skilled blueliner, Elliotte Friedman noted on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast episode that the Canadiens initially hoped to keep Hutson’s number under Nick Suzuki’s $7.875 million cap hit. Suzuki, the team’s captain and centerpiece forward, has been the financial benchmark for Montreal’s core. However, the market has moved. A contract like Noah Dobson’s—eight years at $9.5 million per season signed this summer—is now seen as a more realistic comp, which creates potential issues for the Canadiens and their contract negotiations moving forward. As one insider put it, teams and players are “still figuring out” the new sweet spot for long-term RFA deals, especially as they try to project future jumps in the salary cap. The good news is that Hutson is one of the few big deals the Canadiens have to worry about. Most of their key players are locked into what will be viewed as team-friendly deals over the next few seasons. Still, the Canadiens may ultimately have to accept that Hutson’s extension will land well above Suzuki’s figure, especially as the 2025-26 offseason sees another leap in the salary cap. Comparable defensemen will ink richer deals, and Hutson may be the best among them. Should Canadiens Push for Hutson Contract Extension, Or Will Hutson Wait? As is the case with many teams that have big-name UFA and RFA players waiting for the market to sort itself out, this is a fluid situation in Montreal. Hutson’s extension may be about timing. But with each passing day, the pressure grows on the Canadiens to strike a balance between rewarding a future star and preserving the peace on what players are being paid already by the team. Lane Hutson’s next contract won’t just shape his future—it might quietly reshape Montreal’s.
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
