USC’s push to get tougher against the run in 2026 runs straight through its defensive tackle room. The Trojans are counting on that interior group to give the defense more physicality, and Jide Abasiri looks like one of the players who can set the tone after appearing in all 13 games last season and making nine starts.
That is why Abasiri’s production matters now. He finished with 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble, numbers that show he can do more than absorb blocks. He was also one of the players to speak at Media Day for the Big Ten, a sign that USC sees him as a central voice in a unit being asked to carry a bigger load.
The rest of the interior picture gives USC reasons to believe the group can hold up. VanSumeren brought 52 tackles from the Michigan Spartans last season, along with two tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries. Stewart added 18 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery, giving the Trojans another disruptive piece inside. Those are the kinds of numbers that matter when the goal is to make the defense more stout in the middle.
There is also a layer of uncertainty inside the room. Jarrett flashed a much bigger ceiling with the kind of play that gets noticed fast, picking off a pass and returning it 70 yards for a touchdown against Michigan State, but injuries left him with just three tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss last season. At 6-foot-5 and 360 pounds, he has the size to change games, yet the production never matched the upside because he could not stay on the field consistently.
Boucard adds one more variable to the rotation after getting on the field for 10 games as a true freshman. That mix of experience, transfer help and youth is why the interior line feels like the clearest path for USC to address a major offseason need. The broader question is not whether the Trojans need more physicality; it is how quickly this group can turn individual production into a run defense that holds up when the season starts, as Gary Patterson’s defense is expected to do if USC’s rebuild is going to take hold.
