USC has yet to lean on a homegrown running back in its three seasons under Lincoln Riley, each year turning to a new veteran transfer to take control of the backfield, from Travis Dye to MarShawn Lloyd to Woody Marks (with a bunch of fellow transfer Austin Jones sprinkled in the first two years).

And it seems likely that trend continues with New Mexico transfer Eli Sanders coming in off a 1,000-yard season along with Waymond Jordan, who was recognized as the top offensive player at the junior college level last season after rushing for 1,612 yards and 20 touchdowns in 12 games at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College.

Which raises the question -- where does that leave the returning RBs, sophomore Bryan Jackson and redshirt sophomore A'Marion Peterson?

Peterson would seem to be in a tougher spot as he was clearly behind Jackson last season, doesn't yet have a clear role entering his third year in the program and now has four newcomers to contend with as well in Sanders, Jordan, early enrollee freshman Riley Wormley and summer enrollee Harry Dalton.

But then again, there isn't a running back in that mix without a lot to prove in 2025.

Sanders never rushed for more than 477 yards in any of his three seasons at Iowa State before finding his opportunity last fall with the Lobos and demolishing Mountain West defenses. Can he replicate that success in the Big Ten?

Jordan is making the jump from JUCO to the highest level of college football. Jackson had some nice moments last season but not enough to confidently say where he fits in this year. Etc.

We'll get deeper into all of that as we break down the most intriguing spring storylines for USC's running backs ...

More from our Countdown to Spring series: Quarterbacks | Tight ends

Whoever takes over at running back for USC will be replacing an absolute fan favorite in Marks -- the first Trojan to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2017.

But it's likely that no one player fills Marks' void as a true every-down back who could break the big runs, deliver in short yardage, operate as a high-volume receiver (47 receptions) and have the coaches' trust in pass protection.

That last one is especially important. A lack of confidence in former Trojan Quinten Joyner's abilities as a blocker played a large role in keeping his other elite talents mostly on the sideline (leading to his transfer to Texas Tech in the offseason).

So we'll be paying attention this spring to what the coaches are saying about the newcomers' work in pass protection, and that's just one reason Sanders looks like the favorite to lead the backfield in carries.

First, he had plenty of interest in the transfer portal after averaging 7.2 yards per carry last season at New Mexico and closing the fall on an absolute tear on the way to 1,063 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. He averaged 118.9 yards per game over the final seven contests, rushing for at least 70 yards in each and stringing together consecutive games of 205 rushing yards and 2 TDs vs. Wyoming, 173 yards and 2 TDs vs. San Diego State, 108 yards and a TD vs. Washington State and 121 yards vs. Hawaii.

The former four-star prospect looking to raise his NFL draft stock on a bigger stage wouldn't have chosen to spend his final year of eligibility at the Trojans if he didn't have a lot of confidence a major role was awaiting him.

But another stat worth noting is that he was used on 56 pass-blocking snaps last season while being at fault for just one QB pressure, per PFF, and generally grading out well in pass protection.

Add it all up and we fully expect Sanders to lead the backfield, but the 5-foot-10, 192-pound fifth-year senior never got more than 17 carries in any game last season and also has never been heavily utilized in the passing game in his college career (just 15 catches last season).

So there is room here for multiple running backs to make their mark this year for the Trojans, and while we've spent a great many words talking up the Sanders there might be just as much intrigue for the potential of the 5-foot-9, 209-pound Jordan, who was named the 2024 NJCAA DI Football Offensive Player of the Year while leading Hutchinson CC to a JUCO national title.

We'll know a lot more about both RBs and how they fit into this offense after this next month of practice.