LOS ANGELES — They had been beaten at the line of scrimmage for years. They were walled off too often by opposing linemen in 2024. So USC’s primary defensive focus in the transfer portal this winter, as defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn made clear, was on the defensive line.
And Lynn didn’t hesitate for a second Wednesday when asked exactly what they were looking for up front.
“I would say size is the number one priority,” Lynn said.
Check that off the list. After a tumultuous early transfer-portal period, USC is suddenly rolling, defensive line coach Eric Henderson and company landing two massive commitments from the SEC in the last several days. First came Kentucky transfer Keeshawn Silver, a highly sought 6-foot-4, 336-pound veteran. Then, Saturday morning, came Georgia transfer Jamaal “Jah” Jarrett – even larger at 6-5 and 350 pounds.
Suddenly, optimism for USC’s defensive line room in 2025 is sky high, the Trojans landing the kind of projectable talent and size at defensive tackle that they’ve never quite had in three years under head coach Lincoln Riley.
Silver was the sixth highest-ranked defensive lineman in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports, a proven nose tackle who started 11 games for Kentucky and finished with 26 tackles in 2024. Jarrett is more of a gamble, once a four-star recruit out of North Carolina who hardly saw the field during two seasons at Georgia.
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