USC DL Isaiah Raikes enters NCAA Transfer Portal
USC defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes officially re-entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Friday evening, On3’s Pete Nakos has learned. He originally began his college football career with the Texas A&M Aggies, before hitting the portal. He had just committed to the USC Trojans in January of 2024.
Raikes just finished up his senior season for the Aggies before entering the portal. This past year, he totaled 17 tackles along with three tackles for loss and a sack in 12 appearances — including a start against South Carolina.
He has appeared in 42 career games, so he’ll offer whatever team he joins plenty of experience.
On the whole, Raikes had 43 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks across his four seasons of action. He also finished with a pass defended and a forced fumble in 2023, and he’s now the latest Texas A&M player to enter the portal after the departure of Jimbo Fisher.
Isaiah Raikes played high school football at St. Augustine Prep (NJ), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 392 overall recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
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Raikes is just one of the latest Trojans’ defensive players to hit the transfer portal. Bear Alexander was rumored to be planning to hit the portal, but he has since come out publicly and said that he does not plan to enter the transfer portal.
USC finished with a disappointing 8-5 overall record in the 2023-2024 season, but they managed to put on quite a show in their bowl game against Louisville, whom they beat 42-28. Backup quarterback Miller Moss managed to throw for a Holiday Bowl record six touchdowns in the win.
USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was under fire all season long from fans, and eventually head coach Lincoln Riley was forced to let him go. The Trojans’ defense was among one of the nation’s worst for the past few seasons. USC allowed 438.8 yards per game on defense, ranking them among one of the worst units in the country.
The USC football spring game is set for Saturday, April 20th.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.
On3’s Thomas Goldkamp also contributed to this article.