Having produced historic USC linebackers like Richard Wood, Junior Seau and Rey Maualuga, and the iconic Club 55, the Trojans are in the Linebacker U discussion.
In 2017, they’ll try and add a Butkus Award at Heritage Hall with three players making the award’s annual watch list: Cameron Smith, Porter Gustin and Uchenna Nwosu.
As a unit in 2016, the Trojans’ linebacker corps amassed a 4.3 percent havoc rate, which ranked 56th nationally. But their biggest impact came with their contributions to stopping the run, where USC ranked 16th in S&P+ and allowed five-plus yards on only 33 percent of carries.