Former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson enters transfer portal again

On Wednesday, Trojans Wire's Ethan Inman published a column about how former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson can serve as a cautionary tale for current Trojans QB Husan Longstreet, who is reportedly considering entering the transfer portal. After leaving USC, Nelson transferred to Boise State, where he failed to win the starting job, before landing at UTEP this past season.

Well, as if on cue, on Wednesday, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that Nelson will be entering the transfer portal once again. After losing the starting job at UTEP midway through this season, Nelson is now in search of his fourth different school in four years.

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Nelson was a five-star recruit when he signed with USC out of Los Alamitos, California in the class of 2023. However, he has yet to live up to the ranking, having thrown ten interceptions to just eight touchdowns over three years of college football at three different schools.

Ironically, current USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava is likely with the Trojans because of Nelson's decision to leave. Entering the 2024 season, Nelson was expected to be USC's backup quarterback behind Miller Moss. Following Nelson's departure, however, the Trojans needed another scholarship QB, so they went into the transfer portal and got Maiava from UNLV.

The move has seemingly worked out for USC, as Maiava threw for over 3,700 yards and scored 30 total touchdowns this past season. As for Nelson, he will now be looking for yet another new home to try and get his college football career on track.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Former USC football QB Malachi Nelson enters transfer portal again