USC brought in multiple defensive players from the transfer portal just as it did ahead of the 2024 season. Players like defensive linemen Keeshawn Silver and Jamaal Jarrett and safety Bishop Fitzgerald are expected to play starring roles for the Trojans in 2025. However, Lincoln Riley distinguished between the responsibilities last year’s veteran imports had compared to the group of experienced defenders wearing cardinal and gold for the first time this season.
“The group last year came in and had a lot of impact,” Riley said. “And we needed it, just because we were a pretty young team. Those guys, they had a huge leadership impact, and had to right away.
“Up to this point with these guys, these guys just come in and work. Some of it is the leadership around them, and that what was currently here has continued to get better as time has gone on, but it’s a just down-to-business type of group. They’ve done a good job acclimating themselves with the team, getting to know their teammates, all of that. But we don’t have a lot of guys that necessarily have to be at the front of the room right now, because some of that’s already established.”
The growth of young players like defensive end Kameryn Fountain and safety Christian Pierce has made for such a smooth entry from the veteran transfers. Both players worked their way through the growing pains of acclimating to big-time (and Big Ten) college football. There was unquestionably a learning curve.
“When I first got to the field and started playing, everything was moving fast,” Fountain said. “But coach [Shaun] Nua, he just told me, ‘Just take your time, let the game come to you. Study your plays. Still do the things you need to do.’ I was just trying to catch the flow of the game for me personally.”
The 6-foot-5, 260-pound Fountain saw action in eight games last season. He had four starts against Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame, and the Las Vegas Bowl versus Texas A&M. He recorded 19 total tackles (10 solo, 9 assisted), including two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
“I most definitely got comfortable,” Fountain added. “But not comfortable in a bad way. I feel more comfortable with playing. More confident. It got better, and that takes time, which is why you go and spend extra time in the film room, trying to notice the small things that help put you in a better position.”
Fountain’s usage clearly reflected his increased comfort level. He played at least 30 snaps in the final six USC games, and he peaked with a season-high 53 against Texas A&M. Now he’s part of a room he feels has turned a corner comprehensively just as he has as an individual.
“[The competitiveness in the room] is unlike what we had before,” Fountain said. “I can say that. Everybody knows to go. Everybody’s got the mindset. Everybody knows what the plan is.”
Pierce saw action in 13 games, mostly on special teams as a sophomore in 2024. He recorded eight tackles on the season. He played a season-high 33 snaps on defense against Rutgers and finished with 17 in the bowl game against the Aggies. He’s a third-year junior now, and the key to more run as an upperclassman was hitting the playbook.
“Mainly playbook…I was really just in the book [this offseason], just trying to study and learn as much as I can from coach [Doug] Belk, coach [Trovon] Reed, coach [D’Anton] Lynn, all those very, very smart coaches. I’ve just been trying to learn as much as I can, really get as big as I can.”
LIke Fountain, Pierce has seen the benefits of the off-field work on the field.
“I’ve been able to be more confident in every rep,” Pierce added. “Been able to use my ability more than thinking and second guessing. I was able to just react and just be able to make a play.”
Pierce doesn’t have as clear a path to safety reps as Fountain does at defensive end with veterans Fitzgerald and Kamari Ramsey likely set to headline the two-deep at safety. However, Pierce already earned reps with the ones during at least one of the first two non-padded spring practices and he embraced the chance.
“It’s a very big opportunity, and I’m ready for it,” Pierce said. “I feel like it’s gonna be a pretty good outcome, and I’m ready for it. I’m excited.”
As we’ve said multiple times, USC’s defense will need its homegrowns to level up for the Trojans to take the necessary next steps under D’Anton Lynn. Fountain and Pierce both put in the film and playbook work necessary to take those steps this past offseason. Now they get their spring shot to push some of the veterans and make a real run at the 2025 two-deep.
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