Countdown to kickoff is back! USC will kick off its 2026 football season on August 29 when the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. In this series, we will be counting down the days until the season opener by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number.
With 45 days to go, today we look at former USC linebacker Porter Gustin.
Position: Linebacker
Years played at USC: 2015-2018
Career highlights: A highly-touted recruit out of high school, Gustin arrived at USC in 2015 and made an immediate impact at linebacker as a true freshman. He would continue to do so for the next four years—although unfortunately, injuries held Gustin back from ever quite living up to his full potential. Despite this, though, he still finished his career in Cardinal and Gold with an impressive 137 total tackles, 21 sacks, and five passes defended.
After USC: Gustin signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft. However, he was released by the team prior to the start of the regular season.
In November of 2019, Gustin signed with the Cleveland Browns practice squad. Later that month, he was promoted to the team’s active roster. Gustin would go on to appear in 26 regular season games and two postseason contests with the team between 2019 and 2021. Perhaps the highlight of his career was an interception of legendary Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a Wild Card playoff win following the 2020 season.
Gustin’s most recent NFL stint came with the Miami Dolphins practice squad in 2022.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans linebacker Porter Gustin
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
