Last week, USC head coach Lincoln Riley revealed that six USC players will be limited this spring. On Monday, we got an update on three of them, and it wasn’t the one USC fans were hoping for.
While appearing on USC’s “Trojans Live,” defensive coordinator Gary Patterson revealed that “three likely starters on the defensive side of the ball will miss all spring. Presumably, those three players are the three guys on the defensive side of the ball that Riley mentioned as limited last week: defensive backs Chasen Johnson, Christian Pierce and Jontez Williams.
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Johnson’s status is no surprise, as he missed the final 10 games of the 2025 season with a knee injury. Williams, meanwhile, transferred to USC from Iowa State this offseasonwhile Pierce returns after playing a key role for the Trojans last season. Overall, though, losing three projected starters in the secondary is certainly a notable setback for USC this spring.
The Trojans hope to have all three players back fully healthy in time for fall camp. In the meantime, young players will have the opportunity to take over this spring, including members of the program top ranked recruiting class of 2026.
This article was originally published on Trojans Wire: Three USC football defensive players out for spring practice
