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USC defensive end Sam Greene to enter NCAA transfer portal

Erik-McKinneyby: Erik McKinney12/07/24ErikTMcKinney
USC defensive ends Kameryn Fountain and Sam Greene combine on a tackle for the Trojans during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
USC defensive ends Kameryn Fountain and Sam Greene combine on a tackle for the Trojans during a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (acscottphotography/WeAreSC)

Defensive end Sam Greene plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told Hayes Fawcett of On3.

The 6-foot-1, 255-pound defensive end became a big part of the USC defense toward the latter part of the season. He saw snaps in every game except the one at Michigan and took over as a starter for the final three games of the year.

This would be a real blow to USC’s 2025 defense, which needed everything it could get on the edge after USC defensive ends combined for just six sacks this year. Greene had one of those in a breakout game against Rutgers when he logged what was then a career-high 30 snaps.

USC pulled Greene all the way from the East Coast in the 2023 recruiting class as a three-star prospect and the nation’s No. 50 defensive lineman. He saw very limited time as a true freshman in 2023, logging four total snaps on defense in the season-opener against Nevada and special teams snaps in three others games as he maintained his redshirt year.

Greene was one of the young bright spots on the edge for USC late this season, joining with true freshman Kameryn Fountain to provide a bit of a spark there after the Trojans generated next to nothing all season in terms of a pass rush. Greene figured to factor in at defensive end or hybrid edge role next year. Instead, he’ll look elsewhere and the Trojans put late-season starts and more than 200 snaps into a player who won’t return for them despite having three years of eligibility remaining.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz