USC Cornerback a 'Less-Hyped Transfer you Should Know'
The NCAA transfer portal is going to allow programs to overhaul large portions of their football rosters every offseason. There will be headline-making moves. USC was on the positive end of a few of those as the Trojans landed quarterback Caleb Williams from Oklahoma and wide receiver Jordan Addison from Pitt. Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas and USC wound up grabbing 10 of the top 11 players who moved teams via the portal this offseason.
But there were so many moves that it’ll take even the biggest college football fans a few weeks this season to sort out all the roster changes. On3 has been looking through the transfer lists, conference by conference, and sorting through the “lesser-hyped” transfers fans should know.
The Pac-12 got its turn late last week and a former Trojan, new Trojan and a player who was nearly a Trojan all made the list.
USC’s Addition
USC cornerback Mekhi Blackmon was one of the ten transfers into the Pac-12 highlighted. Here is what Blackmon’s entry said:
The particulars: Transfer from Colorado
The buzz: All the transfer attention at USC has been on the offensive additions. But Mekhi Blackmon was a two-year starter for Colorado and will play a key role in a revamped USC secondary; the Trojans need four new starters in the secondary, and Blackmon has the ability to be an all-conference player. He had two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in the past two seasons. Blackmon began his career at a junior college in 2017, then moved on to Colorado in 2018. He started five games in his first two seasons with the Buffs before becoming a fulltime starter the past two seasons.
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A Good Call
There are probably another one or two of USC’s transfers who could have made the list. But if only one was going to be highlighted, Blackmon was absolutely the right call.
He didn’t get a lot of publicity playing at Colorado but he has an opportunity to be one of the five most impactful additions for the Trojans via the portal. He laid claim to a starting cornerback spot early this spring. Head coach Lincoln Riley said he was maybe the defense’s best playmaker around spring ball’s midway point. Blackmon suffered an injury and wasn’t able to participate in the spring game. But it’s easy to see him playing a huge role in a USC defense that needs to replace both starting cornerbacks and was carved up on the outside and in the secondary last season.
Other USC Connections
Former USC defender Hunter Echols made the list as he transferred to Arizona this offseason. He’ll likely find starter’s minutes there, which he couldn’t quite do at USC. The Trojans found their own addition at rush end in Romello Height.
Height looks poised to have a big year for the Trojans and was a big get for USC this offseason.
Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley is another one of the 10 transfers mentioned. USC hosted the former Nevada linebacker on an official visit, but Henley wound up selecting the Cougars. He’s a very talented player and should turn into a starter and heavy contributor at Washington State. USC bounced back from that miss by landing former Arizona State linebacker Eric Gentry. He wasn’t at USC in time to participate in spring ball, but Gentry should have a shot to start at linebacker this fall.
