LOS ANGELES — USC wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane was ready for the moment, even if he didn’t know it. On second-and-10 in the second quarter of the Trojans’ 38-21 win over Wisconsin on Saturday, Lane caught a pass over the middle and was met by two Wisconsin defenders who hit him so hard his helmet went flying off.
The image of Lane immediately popping up from the big hit and celebrating was a sign of good things to come for the Trojans in their comeback win. Lane had a career-high in catches (10), yards (105) and touchdowns (two) and was the exact spark USC needed to overcome a 21-10 halftime hole in its first Big Ten conference home game in program history.
“He stepped up and made some big time plays,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “He made some timely plays. He had the one with the big hit over the middle. He had some big time third down plays and in the red zone he was great. I think he’s growing. He’s maturing in the way he plays and prepares. It was great to see a young guy in that environment step up and make the plays that he did.”
The 6-foot-4 Lane not only solidified himself as USC’s top wide receiver for quarterback Miller Moss but made a case as the next rising star in college football capable of taking Riley’s offense to new heights. His big day started on USC’s first play from scrimmage when he caught a pass for a 14-yard gain. Lane capped USC’s opening series with a 32-yard diving touchdown reception for his first touchdown on the afternoon.
His second touchdown was the one that got USC back in the game for good. After Wisconsin muffed a punt in the opening minutes of the second half, Moss went right back to his trusted receiver and targeted him four times on the drive before connecting with him for a 6-yard touchdown on third-and-goal.
When Lane arrived on campus last fall, he was the 12th-highest-ranked player in USC’s 2023 recruiting class by 247Sports. His wideout classmates — Zachariah Branch, Duce Robinson and Makai Lemon — all ranked higher than him and saw more snaps during the 2023 campaign. Lane had to wait his turn for his moment and his first act came in USC’s 42-28 win in the Holiday Bowl over Louisville.
Lane caught three passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns that night but it would mark just the start of his early legacy at USC. He caught seven total passes as a true freshman and came into the weekend with nine catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns in his first three games — marks he exceeded by the time the clock hit zero at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
There was a sentiment this preseason that Lane may be due for a breakout season. As detailed in Week 1’s insider notebook by CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz and John Talty, Lane was super impressive in fall camp and had program sources salivating.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Lane, a four-star recruit, has been so impressive behind the scenes at USC this offseason that Trojans sources have compared him at times skill set-wise to players like former Cincinnati Bengals star AJ Green and ex-USC standout Drake London, who’s posted 141 catches and 1,771 yards the last two years with the Atlanta Falcons after being selected by the Falcons with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
The lasting image of Lane’s standout day was when he held the sword while the Spirit of Troy played “Conquest” — meant for the star of the game. Lane’s career day came with a sentiment that more standout performances are on the horizon.
