Trojans' O-line takes another hit with transfer White bowing out
It appears that one of USC's offensive line reinforcements will not be joining the Trojans.
Ethan White, a Florida transfer who committed to USC over the winter, won't be enrolling at USC, head coach Lincoln Riley said during a Zoom press conference Thursday wrapping up spring football.
“There's an injury situation that looks like it's going to prevent him from playing further,” Riley said. “There's football and there's also long-term health, and we understand guys have got to make those decisions and the best decisions for themselves.”
The 6-foot-4, 331-pound junior was a second-team All-SEC selection last season at left guard, starting all 13 games for the Gators.
With White unable to play and another veteran lineman, Courtland Ford, entering the transfer portal, Riley admitted that USC is looking into its options for adding an offensive lineman or two to the roster.
“We're bringing in some freshmen that we're really excited about, but also those guys are true freshmen,” Riley said. “When you lose essentially two older guys that you're expecting to have on the roster and all of a sudden they're not going to be there, it's certainly something that has to be addressed.”
The Trojans are reportedly one of two finalists for Houston junior lineman Cam'Ron Johnson.
More transfer targets
Another area that Riley said Thursday will be a focus during the transfer window is the defensive line.
But he believes that USC has created enough roster flexibility up front that the Trojans don't have to be picky about whether they add a defensive end, a tackle or a rush edge.
“We've probably got more people that we could shift depending on what happens,” Riley said. “We're still on the market on the defensive front. As that kind of evolves, we'll kind of move the pieces around here. I think we'll certainly take a look at any impact player there.”
One position that seemed undermanned during the spring was the rush edge position. But Riley is optimistic about the long-term depth at the spot beyond Georgia State transfer Jamil Muhammad.
Romello Height, who started the first two games last season, was non-contact through spring as he continued to recover from shoulder surgery and will get back to full contact over the summer. Freshmen Braylan Shelby and D.J. Peevy will add some reinforcements.
And true freshman Sam Greene was one of Riley's surprises of the spring. Greene was recruited to play defensive end, but the staff felt like he was a better fit at rush edge after watching him during offseason workouts.
The move paid off, with Greene being one of the standouts of the spring game with a sack and additional quarterback pressures.
“He's one of those freshmen that to me staked his claim that he's going to be a factor for us on the defensive side of the football and on special teams,” Riley said. “He will no doubt factor in at rush. The track that he's on right now is exciting. We're excited about his potential.”