Joyner

It might have seemed then as if Jackson would have a while to wait, what with Marks leading the way and standout sophomore Quinten Joyner waiting in the wings.

But Marks opted out of the bowl game, and Joyner entered the transfer portal, and suddenly, the keys to USC’s backfield for Friday’s Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M were in the hands of one of the youngest players on USC’s roster, a freshman with barely 20 carries to his name.

Already by that point, 11 players had announced their plans to hit the portal, among them the Trojans’ right tackle, Mason Murphy, and running back of the future, Quinten Joyner — two departures that stir red a frustrated fan base into a portal-induced panic.

Joyner was supposed to be the first of Riley’s homegrown backs at USC to stop that cycle, taking the reins of the Trojans’ run game after developing behind both Lloyd and Marks.

But running behind Marks — an Associated Press All-Big Ten second-team selection — Joyner never quite carved out a consistent role.