As the 2025-26 men’s basketball season closes, two key role players in USC’s 18-14 team reportedly plan to enter the transfer portal, while the Trojans announced two new hires to their staff. The lineup for the upcoming season is already beginning to shift, and these changes will hopefully generate positive momentum for the Trojans. 

CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported Tuesday that junior guard Jordan Marsh plans to enter the portal, while a source told the Los Angeles Times’ Ryan Kartje on Wednesday that freshman guard Jerry Easter II plans to leave USC as well.

Marsh, who has now transferred after each of his three collegiate seasons, played in 28 out of 32 games this season, averaging 7.3 points, 2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. A toe injury had Marsh missing three games of the year. 

Marsh was a notable 3-point shooter, knocking down about 36% of shots from deep, second best among USC’s consistent players.

Though Marsh’s role grew as the season went along, peaking during a 20-point game against Maryland in mid-January, he didn’t start a game for the Trojans. His 18.4 average minutes per game was the highest of USC’s bench players, outside of Amarion Dickerson, who missed most of the season due to injury.

Easter, a well-noted top defender who would often come off the bench to cover the opposing team’s top scorers, saw action in 29 games, with seven starts in the season. He averaged 4.4 points and 3 rebounds per game, scoring a career-high 13 points against Washington.

Out of high school, Easter was a recruit with many high-level accolade nominations. He was a 2024-25 McDonald’s All-American nominee, and was named to the Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year watch list in November 2024. When he joined the team, Musselman had nothing but praise for the freshman. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to add a dynamic guard like Jerry to our USC program,” USC Head Coach Eric Musselman said in a news release announcing Easter’s commitment. “He is a proven winner who has shown great traits that we look for in our Trojan players.” 

With graduate starting point guard Kam Woods, senior starting forward Ezra Ausar and senior sixth-man Amarion Dickerson out of eligibility, and star freshman guard Alijah Arenas widely speculated to leave, either via the transfer portal or to the NBA Draft, Musselman and company will need to build on their top recruiting class in the portal to bring the Trojans back to their winning ways.

While USC saw some departures, the Trojans also announced two hirings on March 30: Brad Davidson as an assistant coach and Jake Alburtus as director of men’s basketball operations. 

Davidson, most recently associate head coach at Hawai’i, has 18 years of international and collegiate coaching experience. He helped lead Hawai’i to three straight seasons with over 20 wins; in his most recent season, Hawai’i made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.

“The opportunity to join [Musselman’s] staff at a storied program like USC and compete in the Big Ten is incredibly exciting for me and my family,” Davidson said in a news release. “We’re eager to get to Los Angeles and get to work.”

Albertus previously worked for Musselman as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arkansas for two seasons and was most recently the director of basketball operations at Western Michigan University. 

“I’m extremely excited and grateful to join USC basketball,” Alburtus said. “I’m especially thankful for the opportunity to work again with Coach Musselman and to play a role in moving the program forward.”

After missing the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, Musselman and company will look to use their two new hires to chase a tournament bid.