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.
Today, we take a look at former USC offensive lineman Zach Banner.
Position: Offensive line
Years played at USC: 2012-2016
Career highlights: Banner redshirted his first year at USC in 2012 and missed the majority of the 2013 season with a hip injury. As a redshirt sophomore in 2014, he won USC’s starting right tackle job, a role that he would hold down for the next three years. In both 2015 and 2016, Banner was named first-team All-Pac-12. During his 2016 redshirt senior season, Banner served as a team captain and helped lead the Trojans to a Rose Bowl victory over Penn State.
After USC: The Indianapolis Colts selected Banner in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. However, he was waived prior to the team’s first game of the season. The following day, Banner was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, with whom he would spend his rookie year.
After being released by the Browns, and a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers, Banner signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, for whom he would play from 2018-2021. He was released by Pittsburgh in 2022. After nearly three years out of football, Banner signed with the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2025. He officially announced his retirement this past February.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans OL Zach Banner
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
