ESPN analyst says USC football doesn't have a top-20 portal class

USC football is banking on the return of Jayden Maiava, several seasoned offensive linemen, other proven returning starters, and an elite freshman class in 2026. The transfer portal did not represent the backbone of this upcoming season's roster. ESPN analyst Bill Connelly did not include the Trojans among his top 20 (plus honorable mention) transfer portal classes.

An excerpt from Connelly's article:

"As always, Deion Sanders needed a lot from the portal. Too much, perhaps: Last year's top 18 defenders are gone. But this is the first time in his four seasons where it seemed like there was a genuine plan in place -- at least, as much as you can hope for from a 43-man class. Colorado really leaned into known production this time around and added players who produced more than 3,600 receiving yards, more than 1,100 rushing yards, almost 1,000 tackles and more than 110 tackles for loss. The Buffs also brought in five offensive linemen who started games at the power-conference level (plus two big FCS starters). They landed three 300-pound (or more) defensive linemen, and Lampron is exactly the type of sideline-to-sideline force Colorado's defense has lacked."

Connelly rated Colorado's transfer portal class No. 3 in the nation. It's true that Colorado's roster was hollowed out and not very good, whereas USC had a lot of quality players already in place for 2026. That point does put transfer portal class rankings in some perspective, but the question will -- and should -- still be asked at USC: Did Lincoln Riley and Chad Bowden do enough in the portal to lift the Trojans to a championship -- or playoff -- level in 2026?

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Analyst: USC football did not make a big impact in transfer portal