Roster breakdown

USC built this roster almost entirely through high school recruiting — zero portal additions against Maryland's 32 (29%) — leaning hard on a blue-chip pipeline that produced a 55%-rated room at 3.57★ versus Maryland's 17% at 3.18★, so the raw talent gap is real and measurable. That said, the Trojans are younger and thinner on experience: 1.49 avg years versus Maryland's 1.91, upperclassmen at just 31% against Maryland's 43%, which means a lot of that blue-chip talent is still unproven at the college level. Returning production is mixed — receiving yards at only 22% back is a significant void on offense, though 96% of pass attempts and 77% of rush yards return, and with only 17% of the roster SR/GR eligible, attrition heading into 2026 is manageable. The only DMV thread is WR Romero Ison, one player out of 129, so there's essentially no local recruiting overlap to exploit.