USC RB Brandon Campbell Enters NCAA Transfer Portal

USC’s running back depth took a hit on Monday as second-year player Brandon Campbell entered his name into the transfer portal. It means more change for a running back position that has seen more than its share of ins and outs over the past two offseasons.

Campbell saw a bit of time late in the year as a true freshman in 2021. He recorded nine carries for 36 yards in USC’s final game at Cal. Campbell also caught a pass for 15 yards as he was called upon more when Keaontay Ingram was lost for the season following an injury against UCLA.

Campbell’s 2021 season totals for the Trojans were 12 carries for 53 yards, plus the one reception.

His future at USC looked promising based on those small returns as well as his production in practice. With Ingram declaring early for the NFL and Vavae Malepeai out of eligibility, it looked like Campbell and Darwin Barlow would step up as the top two backs for the Trojans this season.

But USC went into the transfer portal to land veteran backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones, from Oregon and Stanford, respectively. Dye is expected to be a team leader and a likely No. 1 back for the Trojans this season. Jones brings 346 offensive touches with him from Stanford. And Barlow carried the ball 62 times in nine games with USC last season. The expectation for this season was that Campbell would compete for playing time, but it would be a tough task to unseat the veterans.

USC’s Revolving Door at Running Back

Losing Campbell is a tough blow as far as depth goes, especially this spring. This leaves the Trojans with just three scholarship running backs in what should be an offense that wants to run the ball a lot. It’s also a spring ball where a physical tone will need to be set and a relative lack of running backs could affect that. To be sure, Campbell was not going to be counted on to be a starter this season. But a transfer upsets the idea of talented depth being built behind or alongside the incoming veterans.

USC landed two running back transfers each of the past two offseasons. Ingram was at USC in time for spring ball last year. Barlow joined the Trojans over the summer. This year, both Dye and Jones will be able to participate in spring ball.

The players going out are now just as numerous.

USC wasn’t able to see the full careers of Stephen Carr, Markese Stepp or Kenan Christon. The Trojans signed those running backs in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 classes, respectively. Carr and Stepp both transferred this past offseason. Carr went to Indiana, while Stepp landed at Nebraska. Christon was given more than a year-long suspension following a physical altercation with another student. He has since had that suspension reduced, but entered the transfer portal in December.

USC’s 2022 Running Back Situation

USC will head into spring ball with the three scholarship backs unless Campbell decides to and is allowed to remain with the program. This fall, the Trojans will add dynamic athlete Raleek Brown. He’s an explosive offensive weapon who will line up in the slot at times. But his home position could well be running back.

Barlow showed flashes at times last year, but Dye is likely the one to watch this season. The former Duck rushed for 1,271 yards, caught 46 passes and scored 18 offensive touchdowns in 2021.

It would not be entirely surprising to see USC go after another veteran back in the transfer portal. But it might be a tough sell when there are clearly some solid options who would then have some experience in the system.

It won’t help this fall, but USC is after some of the top running backs in the 2023 recruiting class. There should be playing time to pitch and Trojans fans hope a high-octane offense to showcase.