As much as any other position, USC has found remarkable success with running backs through the transfer portal in Lincoln Riley's short tenure.

Travis Dye became the heartbeat of the offense in Riley's first season in 2022, rushing for 884 yards and 9 touchdowns (plus 202 receiving yards) on a robust 6.1 yards per carry over 10 games before a season-ending injury. Last year, it was MarShawn Lloyd giving the Trojans a jolt while rushing for 820 yards and 9 TDs (plus 232 receiving yards) on 7.1 YPC. And both years, Austin Jones provided a productive complement to both lead backs, totaling 1,552 combined offensive yards and 14 TDs over those two seasons.

With sophomore Quinten Joyner looking like a breakout candidate at running back in 2024 -- as the head of a young crop of talent at the position -- the Trojans weren't desperate this past transfer cycle, but Riley and the staff wanted a veteran back to bolster the backfield and are hoping they struck gold yet again with Mississippi State transfer Woody Marks.

"Woody was interesting. When you looked at the running back crop in the portal, we felt like we needed to add an old guy. We love the young talent, but you kind of wanted one more. We thought when you turned the tape on that he was the best one --we just did," Riley said back in the spring. "We thought he was incredible productive -- he caught the ball well, he was a really physically, tough runner, which we wanted to get a little bit bigger and a little bit more physical in the backfield, and Woody showed that on tape.

"The other thing is his career, you look at his numbers, it doesn’t quite tell the whole story because he’s battled a lot of injuries. He hasn’t really been able to stay healthy, and you kind of look like, man, if this guy can improve and can stay healthy, what can he really be? So we were excited -- we targeted him right away once he got in the portal, he was the top guy from beginning to end."

In four years at Mississippi State, the 5-foot-10, 208-pound Marks rushed for 1,883 yards and 22 TDs on 4.6 YPC while hauling in 214 catches for 1,225 yards and 5 scores with season-highs of 582 rushing yards (2022) and 502 receiving yards (2021).

So what kind of impact should the Trojans expect from Marks in his final collegiate season?

We dove deep into the film in the next edition of our USC Film Room series to analyze those attributes Riley highlighted and how he'll fit into the Trojans' offense.

Meanwhile, check out our past USC Film Room breakdowns on LB Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and S Kamari Ramsey.

Across the USC offense, there’s little in the way of established production and plenty in terms of talented potential. It’s no different at the running back position, where the players returning have only registered a combined total of 20 carries in the Cardinal and Gold.

Though the young talent in the mix is bound to receive plenty of opportunity this year, it’s transfer Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks who brings the most experience and refinement to the table. Marks was a highly-productive rotation back in Mississippi State’s offense over the first four years of his career, amassing 3,108 yards from scrimmage and 27 touchdowns.

Though the pass-heavy Bulldogs consistently kept Marks limited through their use of a committee and their lack of rushing attempts, he remained one of the integral cogs of the Mississippi State offense during his time in Starkville.