What Kevin Longstreet's transfer destination means for brother Husan

5 days ago 2

On Thursday, former USC football cornerback Kevin Longstreet committed to the University of New Mexico for the 2026 season after visiting the Lobos for two days.

“Kevin really likes the head coach [Jason Eck] a lot and defensive coordinator [Spence Nowinsky] as well,” Kevin Lonsgreet's father Kevin Sr. said. “He likes the grittiness of the program is looking forward to the opportunity to showcase his talent at multiple positions.”

Kevin Longstreet will have two years of eligibility remaining. Previously, he spent 1 season at Louisville, 1 season at Texas A&M and 1 season at USC. He has recorded 4 total tackles and 5 pass breakups in his career.

Apart from Trojan fans now knowing Kevin Longstreet's future, this move created speculation about what would happen with his brother Husan Longstreet. Let's talk about it.

The brothers seem to be treating this as a separate decision

By this point, Kevin Longstreet has entered the portal (a few days ago on Monday), visited New Mexico and committed there. Husan Longstreet decided on Thursday he will enter the portal.

When Kevin originally entered the portal, many Trojan fans considered it a bad omen that Husan may leave. After all, Husan was originally committed to Texas A&M, where Kevin played in 2024, then both brothers came to USC in 2025.

Remember when Zion and Zachariah Branch transferred? They were clear that that was a joint decision, took their visits together and even committed together.

This doesn't entirely rule out the possibility that Husan follows Kevin to New Mexico, but the timing of it all suggests to me that if he does, it will be because he believes the Lobos fit him as a player and playing with his older brother is just a secondary thing.

New Mexico is a fit for Kevin, but probably not Husan

Which leads into New Mexico's fit for both Kevin and Husan.

I do think that New Mexico is a great fit for Kevin. He's bounced around between three Power 4 programs to start his career and struggled to find playing time. Jason Eck's Lobos figure to be a power player in the new-look Mountain West for years to come after a solid 9-4 season in 2025.

But I think Husan Longstreet could find a more reputable program to develop his skills. If Husan wants to play next season, I think he could find plenty of Power Four opportunities where he would be the favorite to start.

Yesterday I wrote about Malachi Nelson's career. Let that be a cautionary tale that leaving USC to "start" at a Mountain West school is not the best path.

Kevin as a career model for Husan

If you think about it, Kevin Longstreet is actually a perfect example for Husan of how he should view his career going forward.

Kevin tried to make it work at three different P4 schools, and it just hasn't gone his way. So now, he's headed to a smaller school (New Mexico) where he will likely get more playing time.

That's almost exactly what I was talking about when I wrote about Husan's decision a few days ago. He can afford to sit on the bench this season, even if things go wrong for USC, and still have his whole career ahead of him. He would be wise to trust in the development of a reputable staff. If he did that and stayed loyal to the Trojans, he would have two big things going for him heading into 2027.

However, Husan did not follow that path.

It's much less complicated for USC

With all of this considered, it was a straightforward equation for USC. The Trojans simply needed to convince Husan that waiting his turn will be worth it. They obviously didn't manage to persuade him.

There are no family politics at play here. Kevin and Kevin Sr. seem to be leaving this decision up to Husan. This is between USC and him.

USC takes the blame

Also, it's an indictment of the Trojans' program if they do not lock down Husan. Call it what you will, doubt in Lincoln Riley's developmental skills, failure to cast vision, failure to make Husan feel like a valued part of the program, failure to play him enough, failure to pay him enough.

The Trojans failed to do whatever they could to keep their promising young quarterback around for the next few seasons.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Kevin Longstreet announces his commitment to New Mexico Lobos

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