When we talk about the greatest college football programs of all time, you can’t leave out the USC Trojans. The Trojans have produced eight Heisman Trophy winners, 81 first-team All-Americans (27 unanimous), 34 members of the College Football Hall of Fame, and have 11 national championship titles to their name.
With that being said, narrowing it down to the very best Trojans of all time was hard. It would have been easy to just put all Heisman winners on this list but there were some players on this list who also made a huge contribution to the program but didn’t take home the hardware.
Here is our list of the top 10 USC Trojans of all time.
10. Morley Drury, quarterback
USC is known for producing some of the best quarterbacks in the country and their first was Morley Drury. “The Noblest Trojan of Them All,” as he was known, was the first All-American that the school produced, earning that in 1927. That season, Drury led the team in scoring (76 points) and rushing (1,163 yards). Those 1,163 yards stood as a school record until 1965 when Mike Garrett surpassed it. Drury was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.
9. Mike Garrett, running back
Mike Garrett broke the USC mark for rushing in 1965, the year he won the Heisman Trophy. That year, he rushed for over 1,400 yards and ended his college career with over 3,200 rushing and 30 touchdowns. He ushered in the era of “Tailback U” for USC. Several running backs during that period won Heismans after Garrett, but he set the tone for what was to come. Garrett was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
8. Caleb Williams, quarterback
Winning the Heisman in 2022 as a first-team All-American meant that Caleb Williams has already cemented his place among the USC Trojans greats. Williams threw for an impressive 4,537 yards, 42 passing touchdowns, and 1o rushing scores that season. While the 2023 season isn’t shaping up quite the same for him and the Trojans, his efficiency remains off the charts. In 23 games with USC, he’s thrown 67 touchdowns to just 9 interceptions.
7. Carson Palmer, quarterback
There are so many great USC players, especially at the quarterback position, that it’s almost easy to forget about Carson Palmer. In 2022, he threw for just shy of 4,000 yards and 33 touchdowns en route to the Heisman Trophy. He was also a consensus All-American and Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year that season. He finished his college career with 11,818 passing yards, 72 passing touchdowns, and nine rushing scores. He went on to have a solid NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals and later the Arizona Cardinals and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
6. O.J. Simpson, running back
It may surprise some that O.J. Simpson wasn’t on the top of this list but the guys ahead of him had surprisingly better numbers. Still, at the time of his 1968 Heisman win, not many running backs put up those types of numbers. The Juice ran for 1,880 yards and 23 touchdowns that season, previewing his time in the NFL when he would become the first running back in league history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. Simpson was a two-time unanimous All-American and is part of both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of course, he’s mostly remembered for other things these days, but at the time, he was quite the football player.
5. Charles White, running back
After Garrett and Simpson, USC’s run of amazing running backs continued with Charles White. In 1979, White rushed for 2,050 yards and 19 touchdowns en route to a Heisman Trophy. The year before, he rushed for over 1,859 yards and 13 touchdowns. In his time at USC, he was a two-time unanimous All-American, two-time PAC-10 Player of the Year, and holds the Pac-10 record in rushing attempts and yards rushed. You could easily make the argument that White was the best running back to come out of USC. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
4. Marcus Allen, running back
Marcus Allen kicked off the 1980s as the next great USC Trojans running back, winning the 1981 Heisman Trophy. Allen rushed for 2,342 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns that season. He was a unanimous All-American and Pac-10 Player of the Year. But the success started early for Allen, who was a member of the 1978 national championship team. He ended his college career with 4,682 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Allen would go on to have a stellar NFL career with the Oakland/LA Raiders and later with the Kansas City Chiefs. The school retired his number and he is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3. Ronnie Lott, defensive back
Ronnie Lott is one of the few players on the list who didn’t win a Heisman, but he probably should have. Lott was part of that great 1978 USC team with Charles White and Marcus Allen that won a national championship. In his senior year in 1980, he was an All-American and all-conference player with eight interceptions and a touchdown. He led the nation in interceptions and return yards as a senior. Lott would go on to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and become one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history. Like most of the players on this list, he is part of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
2. Matt Leinart, quarterback
Before Caleb Williams, Matt Leinart was the last USC quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy. We put Leinart at No. 2 for several reasons. First of all, he is a back-to-back national champion, a Heisman Trophy winner, and an All-American. He was also Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year in both 2004 and 2005. In three seasons at USC, he threw for over 3,300 yards every season. In total, he threw for 10,693 yards with 99 passing touchdowns and nine rushing scores. After a few years in the NFL, Leinart is making his mark as a college football analyst with Fox Sports with their pre-game show Big Noon Kickoff and is part of the College Football Hall of Fame.
1. Reggie Bush, running back
Reggie Bush is at the top of the list for several reasons. First of all, he won the Heisman Trophy, even if he doesn’t currently get to have it. He was also awarded the Walter Camp Award and Doak Walker Award that season. In his career, Bush became just the 17th player in NCAA history to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards twice (2,330 yards in 2004 and 2,890 yards in 2005). In his Heisman-winning season, Bush rushed for 1,740 yards, garnered 478 receiving yards, compiled 493 kick return yards, and scored 19 touchdowns. Bush might just be the best all-around player to ever come out of USC and that is saying a lot.
