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USC center Kilian O'Connor injured vs. Illinois

IMG_6598by: Nick Kosko09/27/25nickkosko59
USC center Kilian O'Connor
USC center Kilian O'Connor (acscottphotography/WeAreSC)

USC starting center Kilian O’Connor was injured in the second quarter vs. Illinois. He went down with an apparent knee injury and was eventually limping on the sideline.

With a towel over his head, O’Connor was emotional as he had to exit the game. The Trojans trailed the Fighting Illini 14-7 with 10 minutes remaining in the half.

O’Connor was a former walk-on lineman for the Trojans, but recently earned a scholarship earlier this year. He played his high school football at Santa Margarita Catholic in California.

“A couple years ago I got a call from a local high school coach, a guy that I know and have recruited his school for a long time,” head coach Lincoln Riley said to his gathered team, as he made the announcement in February. “[He] told me there was this cat here in town that was getting overlooked, that we needed to take a look at. He was exactly right, and that’s why today, Kilian O’Connor is going on scholarship.”

O’Connor played sparingly throughout last season, appearing in three regular season games. But with USC starting center Jonah Monheim skipping the Trojans’ bowl game as he rehabbed from injury in the winter, O’Connor stepped in both at center and as a team captain for the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M.

“I’m so thankful for this opportunity,” O’Connor said to his teammates. “My dad was a walk-on, my grandpa was a walk-on. This is something that’s really special for me. I just thank you guys every day for making it easy to show up. Love you guys.”

O’Connor didn’t allow a sack in 74 snaps against the Aggies and helped the Trojans pile up 400 yards and 35 points in a comeback win. Losing him to injury at this current stage of the 2025 season is obviously not good news for USC.

O’Connor was a three-year starter at Santa Margarita Catholic High School before walking onto the USC team in 2022, the first year of Lincoln Riley’s tenure with the Trojans. He didn’t play during that 2022 season but got into seven games in 2023. Riley voiced his support of O’Connor as the backup center that year and continued to speak highly of him as the backup there this season.