Bryan Jackson injury update: Lincoln Riley reveals if USC RB is out for remainder of season

USC coach Lincoln Riley is still without a timetable for running back Bryan Jackson to make his return from injury. That said, the team is still optimistic that Jackson will be back this year.

The sophomore hasn’t played since Week 1 due to an undisclosed injury. Although Riley wasn’t able to provide much of an update on his status, he did confirm that he is not yet considered out for the season.

“Not yet,” the coach said. “We certainly don’t feel like we’ve lost him for the season, but I couldn’t sit here and say that he’s for sure gonna be available in the next couple of weeks.”

Jackson is coming off of a true freshman campaign in which he played in all 13 games, rushing for 188 yards and one touchdown on 36 carries. He also scored a touchdown in this year’s season opener against Missouri State.

Jackson committed to USC out of McKinney (TX) High School, where he was a three-star recruit in the 2024 class. He ranked as the No. 636 overall player and No. 51 running back in the cycle according to the On3 | Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.

Since Bryan Jackson has been out with injury, Waymond Jordan has completely taken over the USC backfield. He currently leads the Big Ten with 537 yards rushing in addition to five touchdowns already this season.

USC is off to a 4-1 start this season and, as is typical for a Lincoln Riley-coached team, appears to be one of the top offenses in the country. The Trojans are averaging 48.4 points per game to rank fifth in the country, and also rank top 20 in both rushing and passing yards per game.

They can truly get it done either on the ground or through the air, which should allow them to remain a contender in the conference even after suffering their first loss of the season to Illinois in Week 5. The Trojans have a bye this week, which will give Jackson even more time to get healthy.

Even with the extra week off though, it could be a while before we actually see the running back get back on the field. USC may still have to be without him for its next two games against Michigan on Oct. 11 and then Notre Dame on Oct. 18.