USC lands transfer running back Keaontay Ingram from Texas
USC has checked off another need through the transfer portal, as running back Keaontay Ingram announced Tuesday he is transferring from Texas to the Trojans.
The No. 7-ranked RB (No. 218 overall prospect) in the 2018 class out of Carthage, Texas, Ingram made 18 starts and played in 32 games over the last three seasons for the Longhorns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry and scoring 17 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns overall.
He was a full-time starter in 2019, rushing for 853 yards, 7 TDs and averaging 5.9 yards per carry while catching 29 passes for 242 yards and 3 TDs.
The 6-foot, 222-pound back carried it just 53 times for 250 yards and a TD in five games this season, as freshman Bijan Robinson emerged as the leader of the Texas backfield.
Ingram, who has two seasons of eligibility left, was one of three running backs in the transfer portal that USC looked into, along with Michigan’s Zach Charbonnet and Tennessee’s Eric Gray.
USC accelerated its portal pursuit after learning it was out of the mix for 4-star 2021 RB prospect Byron Cardwell, who committed to Oregon on Monday (though it was known earlier that USC was not along his finalists).
The Trojans added 4-star Rivals250 RB Brandon Campbell (Houston, Texas) during the early signing period, but they needed two running backs to replenish the depth chart. With Markese Stepp transferring to Nebraska and Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr entering their final year of eligibility — assuming they choose to return, as expected — Campbell and Kenan Christon (still classified as a sophomore with the 2020 season not counting toward eligibility) would have been the only running backs returning after next season.
Now add Ingram to the mix, along with whoever USC adds in the 2022 recruiting class.
As for Ingram, USC defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and safeties coach Craig Naivar overlapped at Texas with him for a couple years and would have a full scouting report on what USC is getting in the playmaker.
Trojans runnings backs coach Mike Jinks has said he wants to get away from a crowded running back rotation and have a clear No. 1 and No. 2 RB this year. It was presumed Malepeai (1,503 rushing yards, 18 combined TDs, 5.0 yards per carry over his four seasons at USC) would be best positioned for that top role entering the spring, but Ingram will be squarely in that competition now. If Malepeai and Carr are both back — Jinks told the L.A. Times that was his expectation — USC will have five scholarship RBs this season, along with Christon and Campbell.
The Trojans are hoping to spark a rushing attack that ranked 120th out of 127 FBS teams in rushing at 97.33 yards per game this past season.
Ingram is the fourth incoming transfer addition overall for USC this offseason and second from the Longhorns, following defensive tackle Ishmael Sopsher (Alabama), safety Xavion Alford (Texas) and wide receiver K.D. Nixon (Colorado).