Transfer Cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace Commits to USC
USC continues to address needs on the defensive side of the ball this offseason by adding former Arizona cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace to its haul out of the transfer portal.
The 6-foot, 205-pound cornerback earned immediate playing time upon arriving in Tucson. He played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2019. Then he started each of the next 29 games over the following three seasons.
This fall, Roland-Wallace recorded career-highs with 58 tackles, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles. In his four-year career with the Wildcats, Roland-Wallace totaled 169 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 18 pass breakups and two interceptions.
He had a season-high eight tackles against USC this year.
The Trojans made a hard run at Roland-Wallace late in the recruiting process as he was coming out of Palmdale (Calif.) William Knight as part of the 2019 recruiting class. He took an official visit to USC before signing day but ultimately stuck with his Arizona commitment. Roland-Wallace was a high school teammate of USC edge rusher Solomon Byrd, who committed to Wyoming out of high school before transferring to USC this past offseason.
USC’s Need at Cornerback
Adding Roland-Wallace this offseason feels very similar to USC bringing in Mekhi Blackmon from Colorado last offseason. Both are veteran cornerbacks with plenty of playing time and experience in the Pac-12 under their belts.
Blackmon came over from Colorado and immediately earned a starting spot as one of the defense’s most efficient playmakers during spring ball. He served as the leader in the secondary and one of the leaders for the entire defense. Blackmon was named to the All-Pac-12 First-Team in his one year with the Trojans.
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Roland-Wallace will bring that same type of ability, both on and off the field.
USC will be more experienced at cornerback next season. But there is still an opportunity for Roland-Wallace to step into a starting spot.
Former Five-Star Plus+ recruit Domani Jackson struggled with injuries during his true freshman season. But his ceiling remains sky-high and a starting spot appears well within his grasp once he is regularly on the field. Ceyair Wright started the majority of the season opposite Blackmon and will return with significant experience. USC landed Washington transfer cornerback Jacobe Covington out of the portal last offseason. It took a bit to get going but he did ultimately grab a starting spot for the final few games.
Prophet Brown and Josh Jackson Jr. could factor into the plan at cornerback as well. Brown saw a significant majority of his snaps on special teams this fall. Jackson Jr. missed the entire season due to injury.
USC holds a commitment from 2023 four-star cornerback Maliki Crawford. The Trojans remain in the mix for four-star Rodrick Pleasant, three-star Tyler Scott and four-star LSU commit Daylen Austin.
