USC's Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane are somehow the nation's most underrated WRs

When looking at wide receiver rooms, USC should be in conversations about playmakers to look out for in 2025. Instead, Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane are consistently being overlooked. Consequently, as silly as it may sound, particularly for Trojan fans, the wideouts are primed for something of a breakout year.

If CFB fans want to have Ohio State with Jeremiah Smith at one and Alabama at two with Ryan Williams, then so be it. There are also several individual wide receivers throughout the country who are good at what they do and should be having solid years for their respective programs.

In terms of a one-two punch, however, it's unclear how Lemon and Lane aren't minimally a consensus top ten in the NCAAF. Between their skill set and proven ability at the Power Four level, the Trojan receivers are being severely overlooked by fans and media alike.

At the end of the day, when lining up out wide, a receiver is simply asked to win their one-on-one battles and come down with the ball. Last year, on a team with Zachariah Branch and a USC QB situation that caused a mid-season change, they still produced. 

Lane finished with 525 yards, and Lemon had 764 receiving yards. Now compile the fact that they will be the top options with a quarterback that they are familiar with from the tail end of last season, and both should comfortably be over 800 yards in 2025, with someone potentially flirting with a 1,000-yard season.

People are seemingly forgetting that this is coach Lincoln Riley. Offensive production and putting the ball in the air go hand in hand. While the results have not been where they need to be, expect the Trojans HC to go with what has brought him to this point in his career.

Big year ahead for USC wideouts

Certainly there could be someone else stepping up to outdo either Lemon or Lane in production. More likely than not, it will be these two names finishing with the most and second-most output in terms of production when it's all said and done.

As of right now, Lemon and Lane aren't being taken seriously in the national spotlight. Not that the narratives excluding them will be too much of a concern for either. They know, when kickoff happens, what will be expected, and that's when things begin to matter anyway.