Former USC Safety Xavion Alford Announces Commitment to Arizona State
Former USC safety Xavion Alford is staying in the Pac-12 as he announced his commitment to Arizona State out of the transfer portal on Sunday. Alford was at USC for the 2021 season and previously at Texas for the 2020 season.
There is an Arizona State connection between Alford and new Sun Devils’ cornerbacks coach Bryan Carrington, who was with the Longhorns in 2020 and Trojans in 2021.
The 6-foot, 190-pound safety entered the portal on December 5.
Coming into the 2022 season, he was expected to be a big part of the USC defense. In his first year at USC after transferring in from Texas, Alford recorded two late-season starts and finished the season with 31 tackles and a team-high three interceptions.
But he missed the final game against Cal due to a leg injury. He then missed most of spring ball due to injury and did not see game action for the Trojans in 2022. Head coach Lincoln Riley addressed his absence toward the end of the season. He said Alford had undergone a “small medical procedure” and was not close to seeing the field due to rehab from that.
His impact was definitely missed this season. Safeties Bryson Shaw and Max Williams battled injuries during the season. And true freshman Zion Branch missed the year due to a knee injury sustained during the off-season.
Arizona State Adds to Transfer Portal Haul
New Arizona State head coach Kenny Dillingham has been incredibly active with the transfer portal since taking over.
The Sun Devils lost starting quarterback Emory Jones to Cincinnati but rebounded by landing former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne.
Former Oregon offensive lineman Bram Waldren and former Cal offensive lineman Ben Coleman are both headed to Arizona State. Former Washington State linebacker Travion Brown is a Sun Devil. Edge rusher Prince Dorbah made the move from Texas to Arizona State. And the Sun Devils are bringing a bunch of former Arizona prep standouts back home, like USC wide receiver Jake Smith, BYU linebacker Tate Romney, Kansas State linebacker Krew Jackson and Wisconsin defensive lineman Tristan Monday.
USC’s Transfer Portal Entrants
Alford is the third former USC player to announce a commitment. He’ll join Smith at Arizona State (though Smith never played at USC and wasn’t on the roster in 2021). Former linebacker Ralen Goforth also made the decision to remain in the Pac-12 as he announced a commitment to Washington.
