Akili Arnold injury update: USC safety's status revealed by Lincoln Riley

USC is hoping to get veteran safety Akili Arnold back this week against Wisconsin after Arnold got banged up last week in a 27-24 loss at Michigan.

“Akili’s ‘questionable,'” Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley said Thursday. “He’s bounced back really well. So we’ve been pleased with that.

“He’ll be ‘questionable’ going into the game. So I do expect him to be available, but we’ll see, obviously, kind of how that plays out over the next 48 hours.”

Arnold has started each of the Trojans’ first three games this season. In the process, he’s piled up 149 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s currently tied for fourth on the team with 13 total tackles. Six of those are solo tackles, and he’s also got half a sack and a pass break-up to his name.

Arnold was one of USC’s two key transfer additions at the safety position this offseason, the other being Kamari Ramsey, who came over from UCLA. Meanwhile, Arnold transferred in from Oregon State, where he spent five years, appeared in 48 games and started 25 of them.

He’s coming off a strong redshirt senior campaign in 2023, during which he tallied 60 tackles, six pass break-ups, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery for the Beavers.

Lincoln Riley also provides an update on safety Zion Branch

While Arnold has played a lot of football in his college career, USC redshirt sophomore safety Zion Branch has been limited to just 152 defensive snaps in his first two seasons and change, per PFF.

Injuries have been the culprit, the latest being a finger issue that required a minor procedure in August.

“Zion’s done a good job. He’s progressing,” Riley said of Branch, a former four-star prospect who played 12 defensive snaps versus Utah State in Week 2, per PFF.

“I think a lot of it is just battling back from missed time. If you look at the percentage of time that he’s been here versus the percentage of time he’s been available and able to either play or practice, it’s obviously not anybody’s fault. It’s not ideal. And so he’s had to make up for a lot of missed time. He’s an incredibly driven kid, young man. He’s very hungry. He works very hard. The team is very important to him. He’s doing all the right things. He’s just climbing. We’ve been proud of this progress.”

Zion Branch, the older brother of USC wideout and return man Zachariah Branch, was the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 7 safety in the 2022 class. The potential is still there for his ascent.

“If Akili’s not able to go, it would open up some opportunities for guys like [Zion] and [Bryson] Shaw and [Christian] Pierce, and some of those guys that we feel like are very ready to go in there and take meaningful snaps.

“So, no, I don’t know that anything’s held [Zion] back within his control. He’s getting better each day, and if he’s able to string this along and stay healthy, there’s no question he’s gonna become a heck of a player.”