Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
The University of Southern California (USC) Trojans will face the upcoming football season without their starting center, Kilian O'Connor, due to a season-ending knee injury. The injury occurred during practice on Wednesday (August 5), just hours after O'Connor was named to the Rimington Trophy watchlist, which honors the top center in college football. USC head coach Lincoln Riley described the incident as a "non-contact kind of freak injury" and confirmed that O'Connor would not play in 2026.
O'Connor, a former walk-on, has been a significant presence on the team, having risen to the starting center position through hard work and determination. Riley noted, "It's a tough one for us, I think more than anything from just an emotional standpoint. Tremendous leader. Obviously well-versed on his track here as a walk-on into becoming a team leader and one of the heartbeats of this program." According to CBS Sports, O'Connor's absence will test the depth of USC's offensive line, which was expected to return all five starters.
With O'Connor sidelined, USC has several options to fill the center position. Tobias Raymond, who played center during spring practice, is a likely candidate to take over. Other potential replacements include redshirt freshman Willi Wascher and true freshman Kannon Smith. The Trojans, ranked No. 14 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, will kick off their season at home against San Diego State on August 29.
Despite the setback, Riley remains optimistic about the team's depth and potential. "We're fortunate to have enough depth on the O-line that we've been working on to continue to push forward," he said. As the Trojans prepare for the season opener, the team will focus on maintaining their strong offensive line performance, which ranked 14th in the country last season for allowing just 1.15 sacks per game.