Where the USC Trojans Rank in On3's List of Top 100 Players in College Football

With 100 days until the college football season kicks off, On3 released its list of the top 100 college football players heading into the 2023 season. Five USC Trojans made the list, headlined by some quarterback you might have heard of.

Quarterback Caleb Williams

Caleb Williams is the No. 1 player in college football going into the 2023 season, according to On3’s Charles Power and Clark Brooks.

“To me, Williams is the easy choice at No. 1 due to his consistency of performance and rare playmaking ability,” Powers wrote. “I thought he was steadier than Maye over the course of last season. Williams also has the edge in physical tools based on what I’ve seen.”

It’ll be interesting to watch the battle at the top here between Williams and Drake Maye of North Carolina. There could be some Williams fatigue nationally considering how much attention he got last season. And Maye is an extremely talented quarterback. If Williams can dominate headlines and award season again, he’ll have more than earned it.

Safety Calen Bullock

Calen Bullock comes in at No. 50 overall and the nation’s No. 3 safety. The tackling has to improve this season as he was victimized for extra yards a few times last year. But no safety in the country covers as much ground as Bullock. He led the Trojans with five interceptions last season and should be capable of posting similar numbers this season.

Malaki Starks of Georgia and Kamren Kinchens of Miami are the two safeties ranked ahead of Bullock.

Center Justin Dedich

Justin Dedich is on the list as the No. 3 USC player and the No. 60 overall player. He’s also the No. 1 center and the No. 3 interior offensive lineman. Only guards Cooper Beebe of Kansas State and Zak Zinter of Michigan ranked ahead of Dedich.

Dedich was tremendous as a guard last season and will now move to center full-time for his final season at USC. As a team captain last season, it’s clear how much respect he has in the USC locker room. It’s good to see him earn that same respect nationally for how well he’s played during his USC career and especially last season while battling injuries.

Offensive tackle Jonah Monheim

Jonah Monheim is on the list at No. 92, giving the USC offensive two players in the top 100 overall. PFF ranked Monheim as the No. 5 returning offensive tackle, but Brooks is more skeptical.

“Jonah Monheim is a somewhat divisive tackle prospect,” he wrote. “While I don’t think arm length is as big a deal as Charles when it comes to evaluating tackles, he did allow north of 20 pressures last year. And that cannot fly for a top-tier tackle prospect. Despite that, he was fortunate enough not to log a single sack (thank you, Mr. Heisman).”

There’s been discussion since he arrived at USC about his best position likely being somewhere inside, either at guard or even center. But he stayed out at tackle this spring because the USC coaches are going to play their five best linemen. And at whatever position, Monheim is one of the Trojans’ five best.

Wide receiver Dorian Singer

Dorian Singer is the fifth and final Trojan to make the list. He comes in at No. 97, which makes him the No. 14 wide receiver overall.

Singer is an interesting case at this point for the Trojans. The obvious thought is that with Jordan Addison off to the NFL and Singer coming in as the proven transfer, he would step right in to Addison’s place. But Addison felt like much more of a sure thing to become USC’s leading receiver when he announced his commitment to the Trojans. That could have to do with the fact that Addison was coming off a Biletnikoff-winning season. But it also might be that USC’s wide receiver room seems pretty loaded right now.

If USC gets Cotton Bowl-typer performances from Brenden Rice on a consistent basis. If Tahj Washington and Mario Williams show consistent hands. If Zachariah Branch is the type of instant-impact player many think he can be. And there are other options as well. It’s tough to say there’s a clearcut favorite to become USC’s leading receiver this fall.

Now, with that being said, only one of those players is coming off a 1,000-yard season. And Singer shows last season he’s entirely capable of becoming the Trojans’ No. 1 receiver and perhaps the best receiver out of a really talented group of them in the Pac-12.