USC football’s true freshman receivers already coming of age

Call them the Prefab Four.

They arrived at USC ready-made for big-time football.

Fearless. Willing to put in the work. Prepared to dominate.

True freshman tight end Mark Bowman and wide receivers Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Tron Baker announced their presence when they stepped onto the Coliseum field as starters for the first snap of the season opener.

They’ve gone on to star through the first two games, providing an infusion of talent for veteran quarterback Jayden Maiava and an offense that’s rolled up 81 points.

“Their first day, if you watched practice, it didn’t look like it was their first day,” Maiava said, “and that’s just who they are. They came in with such a mature mindset.”

Mosley piled up 118 receiving yards in his college debut and nearly matched that total a week later, making him the first USC freshman with 100-plus receiving yards in back-to-back games since Drake London in 2019.

Dixon-Wyatt made six catches for 102 yards last week against Fresno State, giving the Trojans two freshman receivers in triple-digit yardage in the same game for the first time since record keeping started in 1973.

“Me and him,” Dixon-Wyatt said, referring to Mosley, who leads the Big Ten with 222 receiving yards, “we both compete and just push each other to try to be the best.”

Not to be left out, Bowman made three catches for a career-high 30 yards against Fresno State and Baker hauled in a 27-yard catch. The foursome has combined for 477 of the No. 14 Trojans’ 753 receiving yards heading into their final nonconference game against Louisiana on Saturday night at the Coliseum.

Along the way, they’ve shown that USC’s top-ranked freshman class was worth the hype, especially after a large chunk of the newcomers enrolled before spring practice for early development.

“Everyone that is getting playing time,” Bowman said, “really earned their role.”

Their quick emergence led to another breakthrough this week — all four freshmen spoke with the media for the first time since their arrival on campus. They thrived in that role as well, Bowman confidently striding up to a lectern, breaking out a wide smile and asking reporters how they were doing.

The freshmen are fitting in just fine, their adjustment to college undoubtedly eased by their familiarity with one another. Playing for Santa Margarita High meant that Mosley was a rival of Bowman and Dixon-Wyatt, who were standouts for Mater Dei in the Trinity League.

“We lost to them a few times,” Mosley said, “[but] luckily we pulled it off that last senior year.”

Baker recalled playing against Mosley as early as middle school, with Mosley once returning a punt in a championship game to set up a touchdown.

Not much has changed at the college level, Mosley making a 41-yard punt return in his big debut. Last week, he cut across the field and found himself wide open on the way to making a 68-yard touchdown catch that involved juking a few defenders.

It was a play that coach Lincoln Riley had installed in practice after identifying a weakness in Fresno State’s defense.

“When we were watching the film, that’s exactly what we saw,” Mosley said, “so in the moment I was like, it worked.”

Dixon-Wyatt made his own highlight play on the Trojans’ first drive when he converted a fourth-and-5 situation by securing a 31-yard completion while tightly covered.

“Kayden’s that guy, he can just go up and go get it,” Maiava said. “He’s that kind of player, and we built that trust over the work that we’ve put in.”

Thriving in Riley’s offense has reminded the pass catchers a big part of the reason they decided to become Trojans. Film sessions are a masterclass in designing a successful scheme.

“I’ve learned the creative side of plays,” Mosley said, “and [Riley] really shows what he sees when he installs it, which helps us learn a defense and learn what we’re looking for when we’re running a route.”

Even with his impressive early body of work, Mosley said he doesn’t have a favorite highlight.

“Still working for it,” he said.

Time is on his side, just like it is for the rest of the new receiving corps. It’s two games down, the rest of their careers to go.