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Eli Sanders injury update: USC RB out for season with knee injury

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko10/13/25nickkosko59
USATSI_27304118 (1)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC running back Eli Sanders was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Walk-on King Miller is the current lead RB.

Sanders was hurt during the 31-13 win over Michigan Saturday. He reeled in one catch for 11 yards in the game.

The New Mexico transfer played in all six games so far this year and has 47 carries for 264 yards, two touchdowns, eight catches, 126 receiving yards and one touchdown reception. Unfortunately, he’ll be lost for the rest of the 2025 campaign.

Sanders played three seasons at Iowa State before going to New Mexico. After the 2024 season, he decided to finish his collegiate career with the Trojans.

Overall, Sanders was productive in the latter stages of his career. In total, he has 2,030 yards, 15 touchdowns, 5.8 yards per carry, 38 catches, 395 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

As a member of the Class of 2021, Sanders was a three-star recruit out of Chandler (Ari.) High, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 11 overall prospect in the state, the No. 34 athlete in the class and the No. 664 overall prospect in the class.

Eli Sanders injury: USC RB depth will be tested

Now that Sanders is out for the season, Miller is elevated to the starting spot for now. But the other big news from Saturday was RB Bryan Jackson suiting up for the second half against the Wolverines.

Jackson was originally ruled out for the game, but ended up playing. The Big Ten actually ended up fining USC $5,000 for the move.

Head coach Lincoln Riley was asked postgame about the situation, prior to the fine. He said Jackson was cleared and they were in communication with the league office. But it turns out, the Big Ten decided to implement the fine.

“Yeah, it’s a unique situation,” Riley said postgame. “It was a wellness issue in the game. He’s been practicing in a very limited capacity and building up for the last several weeks. He’s had a turf toe. There was an expectation coming into this game that outside of a near catastrophe, we weren’t going to play him. And so the game plays out. We have a couple injuries that you never expect to happen. Two of them, just like that. We were able to get in communication with the league office and explain the situation. 

“Our doctors medically cleared him, and again, it just became a wellness issue for us here. We made sure to clear him. The kid was ready to go and stepped up. That’s what you gotta have, man. You gotta have tough guys to play through stuff if you want to win at this level. You have guys that sacrifice like that for the team.”