Believe it or not, we are now nearly at the halfway point of USC’s 2025 football season. The Trojans have played five of their seven regular season games, and enjoyed a week off this Saturday before welcoming Michigan to the Coliseum next week.
With no game this week and the midpoint of the regular season rapidly approaching, it seemed like a good opportunity to do a midseason report card. So without further ado, here are my midseason grades for the 2025 USC football team.
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Offense: A-
The Trojans’ offense has been very impressive through five games. Quarterback Jayden Maiava has looked significantly better than he did last season. Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane (when he is healthy) might very well be the best wide receiver room in the country, and you could make the same argument about running backs Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders. The tight end room looks like the best that it has been under head coach Lincoln Riley, and the offensive line has been solid.
The biggest issue with the offense so far has been some untimely penalties and turnovers. But USC has scored at least 32 points in all five games so far, so you cannot really complain all that much about the unit.
Defense: C-
It feels as though D’Anton Lynn’s unit has regressed from last season. USC’s defensive line has actually been pretty good at getting to the quarterback, and Bishop Fitzgerald looks like a stud at safety. But the cornerbacks have been a massive liability, and one that opposing offenses continue to exploit.
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When the Trojans needed a stop to win the game against Illinois, they couldn’t get one. That is not a good sign for the rest of the season.
Special Teams: A
No real complaints about this group. Preseason All-American kicker Caden Chittenden has missed the first five games, but redshirt freshman Ryon Sayeri has filled in extremely well, going eight-of-nine on field goal attempts and 28-of-28 on extra points. Meanwhile, Valparaiso transfer punter Sam Johnson has had to punt just five times, and is averaging 45.2 yards per punt.
Coaching: C+
Head coach Lincoln Riley came under fire for his clock management following the Illinois game. Perhaps even more glaringly, however, the Trojans have flat-out struggled with discipline, having committed far too many penalties and had ball security issues. Fair or not, that is an indictment of the coaching staff, and it starts at the top with Riley.
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Overall Grade: B-
Yes, USC is 4-1. But the Trojans beat four extremely overmatched opponents, and against the lone good team that they faced in Illinois, USC flat-out looked like the worse team. That is a major cause for concern as the Trojans get set to take on tougher opponents in October and November.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football report card five games into the 2025 season
