Last December, on the doorstep of its bowl game, USC appeared to finally have its defense headed in the right direction. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn had engineered an impressive turnaround in just one year on the job. Young defenders emerged down the stretch and standouts, like safety Kamari Ramsey and linebacker Eric Gentry, opted to return.
A year later, as USC prepares to face off with Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl Tuesday, things feel different on that side of the ball. A defense that struggled through growing pains in 2025 will have to overcome the absence of both starting safeties, two starting defensive lineman and its top linebacker in order to finish this season on the right foot.