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In losing 38 players -- 20 to the transfer portal and 18 to exhausted eligibility/NFL -- USC had some glaring needs to fill during this transfer window.

Left with just two returning experienced offensive linemen, two scholarship quarterbacks (including a true freshman), almost zero returning production at running back, having to replace four of their top six receivers, most of the starting secondary, two starting linebackers, the interior of the defensive line, both kicker and punter and only so many resources to go around, it was always going to be interesting to see which positions got prioritized with experienced replacements and which got filled with unproven upside potential or ... not at all.

With offseason workouts underway and classes having started back on Jan. 13, it's time to take stock of the offseason work Lincoln Riley and his staff did in assembling this roster and patching those holes.

There's always the post-spring portal window to further address needs, but that usually has a lot less volume and activity.

For the most part, the 2025 Trojans are in place, and here's how we grade the how well the staff addressed its needs ...

The reality in college football nowadays is that it's almost impossible to stack a full quarterback depth chart with top prospects like might have been the case even a few years ago. With NIL offers waiting on the outside for any notable QB each winter, patience is thinner than ever at the position.

Look no further than former USC five-star QB signee Malachi Nelson, who lasted less than a full year here before transferring Boise State for a year before transferring again to UTEP this offseason in search of an opportunity to play immediately.

The Trojans lost former starter Miller Moss and dutiful third-stringer Jake Jensen to the portal, leaving only incumbent starter Jayden Maiava and incoming freshman Husan Longstreet.

This put the Trojans in a tricky spot, absolutely needing to add depth but without a starting spot to dangle. Had they pursued an established starter from elsewhere, they would have surely in turn lost Maiava (who nonetheless was attached to rumors of interest from Miami) and been back at square one.

All along, it seemed certain USC was going to look for an unestablished upside play to fill out the depth chart.

So we're grading on that curve ...

Addition:

Sam Huard (Utah), two years of eligibility (Read more here)

Grade -- B

The Trojans are committed to Maiava and have an elite freshman QB in Longstreet, so the addition of Huard made sense -- especially given that his uncle Luke Huard is the QBs coach.

Huard is a former five-star prospect who for has never gotten a full opportunity at this level. He first went to Washington, spent a year at Cal Poly in 2023 where he passed for 2,247 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and then took a medical redshirt last year at Utah while not seeing any action.

His uncle would know as well as anyone what's held Huard back to this point and what he still has to offer, so USC wouldn't have brought him in if it didn't think he could contribute on the field if needed.

It's a solid addition of a QB who has always had a lot of arm talent. The Trojans needed a capable third quarterback and they got one.