Oklahoma State DB transfer Carrington Pierce commits to USC

USC has struck early in the transfer portal, landing former Oklahoma State defensive back Carrington Pierce.

The Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) native entered the portal in October after the firing of Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy. He didn’t register any stats in his lone year in Stillwater, instead preserving his redshirt and developing for a season.

Pierce, a high school basketball standout, didn’t play football until he attended Chaffey College in 2024, where he started playing defensive back. In his first season of organized football, he recorded 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions and six pass breakups. A host of schools offered him as a junior college addition, but he ultimately committed to the Cowboys.

A year later, he is returning back to the Golden State to play for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder ranks as the No. 467 overall prospect and No. 57 cornerback in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings. He is the first first portal addition of the cycle for the Trojans, who just locked up the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for 2026.

USC is set to lose starting cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson to graduation, and redshirt freshman Braylon Conley has already announced his intentions to enter the portal once it opens January 2.