USC has added another member to its transfer recruiting class. Jaden Richardson, a former Division III wide receiver at Tufts University in Massachusetts, announced his commitment to the Trojans Tuesday afternoon.
Richardson is a Bay Area native. He played high school football at Atherton (Calif.) Menlo prior to enrolling at Tufts in 2020. As a junior and senior, the 6-foot-2, 210 pound wideout caught 87 passes for 1,496 yards and 20 touchdowns. Richardson did not play his a freshman year because Tufts canceled its season due to COVID-19. In 2021, he saw action in four games. Richardsons’s 20 career touchdown receptions are a Tufts school record.
Even with the emergence of USC’s true freshmen receivers in the Holiday Bowl, the Trojans had a need at wideout ahead of the 2024 season with Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice entering the NFL Draft and Mario Williams and Michael Jackson III transferring out. USC’s scholarship receivers for 2024 are now, Zachariah Branch, Kyron Hudson, Ja’Kobi Lane, Duce Robinson, Makai Lemon, Dorian Singer and incoming freshman Xavier Jordan.
Richardson has two years of eligibility remaining. He led Tufts and was second in the New England Small College Athletic Conference this past season in touchdowns with 13. He led the team and was third in the NESCAC with 830 receiving yards. Richardson averaged 5.1 catches per game with 18 yards per catch and 92.2 yards per game. He recorded five multi-touchdown games, which led all NESCAC receivers. He was named a D3Football.com fourth-team All-American along with Tufts teammate Travis Cepalia.
Richardson is the ninth transfer portal addition for USC this cycle. He joins former Michigan State long snapper Hank Pepper, Vanderbilt defensive lineman Nate Clifton, Oregon State linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, Oregon State defensive back Akili Arnold, Mississippi State cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson, Mississippis State running back Jo’Quavious Marks, UCLA safety Kamari Ramsey and UCLA cornerback John Humphrey in USC’s 2024 transfer class. Out of the nine, Pepper, Clifton, Ramsey and Mascarenas-Arnold have been announced as officially signed by USC.