Reign of Troy writer's 2025 expectations

As the USC football season quickly approaches, the Reign of Troy (RoT) writing staff has delivered a steady stream of resources, articles, and updates throughout spring practices and fall camp to prepare fans for the Trojans’ second season in the Big Ten. This piece serves as another resource for fans and followers, offering calculated opinions from the RoT staff on what to expect from the 2025 USC Trojans football team.

Below, Editor Gabriel Esparza and Contributor Nicholas Burmood share their detailed outlooks and expectations for the season ahead. While both writers are free to explore any aspect of the team they choose, this discussion will not include predictions for win totals or postseason results, as those will be reserved for coverage closer to kickoff.

Nicholas Burmood, contributor:

As USC enters its second season in the Big Ten, I can’t help but feel the Trojans have an incredible opportunity to put together a very successful 2025 campaign. The opening month’s schedule is favorable, and there appear to be only two road games where USC will be clear underdogs. How the Trojans navigate that path will be fascinating to watch, but one thing seems certain, if the offensive line holds up, this offense has the potential to be among the most explosive not only in the conference but in the entire country.

With wide receivers Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane both of whom are destined for the NFL, USC has the chance to put together a special season through the air, reminiscent of when Drake London and Amon-Ra St. Brown shared the field. Quarterback Jaiden Maiava is poised for success. The real question is just how much success he’ll achieve. The dual-threat signal caller now has a full offseason under his belt with Lincoln Riley after posting a 4–1 record last year despite limited preparation. I expect Maiava to thrive within the structure of Riley’s offense.

The rushing attack should also improve from a pure talent perspective, but, again, its ceiling will depend heavily on the performance of the offensive line, a unit that still faces unanswered questions. Schematic creativity will be a common theme on offense. While USC boasts elite talent, this won’t be a season where the Trojans can simply line up and overpower every opponent. That might work in certain matchups, but as the season progresses and the games become bigger, colder, and more physical, USC will need to win with precision and execution.

One positive sign is this year’s offense should play with more physicality than last year’s, with built-in advantages in the running game that could pay dividends in late-season Big Ten battles.

Defensively, USC showed undeniable signs of improvement last season; even the most pessimistic supporters had to acknowledge the progress. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn has worked magic with this unit, and expectations are high for another leap forward in 2025. The versatility of the defenders, something we’ve highlighted in our Trojans by Position series, suggests we could see more exotic packages and creative blitz schemes from an aggressive Lynn.

The defensive line has grown significantly both in size and impact seemingly overnight, transforming into a strength of this team. Jamal Jarrett, Keshawn Silver, and Jahkeem Stewart are disruptive playmakers up front and could serve as the tip of the Trojan Sword in physical Big Ten battles. Depth and athleticism at all three levels will be critical, as USC looks to consistently force opponents into unfavorable down-and-distance situations.

Overall, I expect USC to play a brand of football built on consistently generating defensive stops while fielding an offense operating at a pace and efficiency that will be difficult for even the most talented teams in the conference to match.

Gabriel Esparza, editor

USC certainly has the potential to have a good year and even make it into the playoffs. As should be evident, however, from last season, playing in the Big Ten is a game of margins. Enough has happened throughout the program to turn some of those close losses into wins during the 2025 season.

Many are simply looking at how the past couple of seasons have gone and are therefore stating that the Trojans will continue to have a sub-par year. This could not be further from the truth.

Although the past seasons have been disappointing, enough good is happening around the program for USC to start accumulating wins this season. Certainly, the future of Troy looks increasingly bright. There is not, though, a need to only look with rosy glasses toward the future.

USC has learned its lessons from the first year in the Big Ten. With the knowledge base and added reinforcements at key positions, this coach Lincoln Riley team is ready to catch some people off guard, and it is ready to resemble some of the past great USC teams.