Program field guide · 2026

Big Ten · California

USC

Trojans

USC’s California-developed core fell from 68 to 59 players.

2026 roster · Roster geography

The USC roster story

In 2016, 68 of 105 roster spots were filled by California players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 59 of 126 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 1 to 19.

In 2016 the median player grew up 52 mi from campus. Now it is 330 mi.

Of the 19 players who came from another college, 5 are from California. Those home-state players make up 26% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.

Then → now

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2565.0%46.7%0.3%21.8%
  • Local-developed core
  • Transfer stock
Measure2016–182021–25
Local-developed core65.0%46.7%
Transfer stock0.3%21.8%

The roster, at a glance

  • 765 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 123 located players.
  • 50.8%In-state50.8% of the roster is from California.
  • 42.3%Backyard42.3% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 15.1%Detected transfers15.1% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.

Across the FBS

Where USC ranks

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

0100200300400FBS median (250 mi)200920122016201920232026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

Local-developedOutsider developedOutsider transfer200920122016201920232026

Where do USC's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateTransfer signalRadius
202612650.8%15.1%330 mi
202511443.0%21.9%365 mi
202410650.0%24.5%332 mi
202311053.2%28.2%316 mi
202211057.4%23.6%306 mi
202113059.4%10.8%148 mi
202013265.4%0.8%101 mi
201911467.3%0.0%75 mi
20189964.3%0.0%66 mi
201711167.3%0.0%54 mi
201610565.7%1.0%52 mi
201512168.6%0.8%52 mi
201412268.9%0.0%47 mi
201311265.2%0.9%101 mi
201211875.2%0.8%47 mi
201111376.8%0.0%50 mi
201010874.5%0.9%52 mi
200910777.6%2.8%48 mi

Where the roster grew up

Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

USC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometownUSC player hometown

Homecoming Radius: 330 mi

(This slider is for exploring — leaderboards use the fixed lenses.)

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