Senior punter for USC. 2025: 42 yards per punt, 23 punts.
6′3″ · 225 lb · Birmingham, AL
The numbers
yards per punt · 2025
23 punts · long of 59 · 9 inside the 20
Swing playSwung Oregon from 57% to 80% to win.USC at Oregon · 42-27
Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson has played for two head coaches across two seasons and two programs.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Clay Helton → Lincoln Riley. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
46.0%
97 pass / 114 run
Plays / game
70.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.0%
102 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 12 · 2025
W 26–21
vs Iowa
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 10 games
| Wk | Opp | PUNT | YDS | AVG | LONG | IN20 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 59-20vs Georgia Southern | 3 | 129 | 43.0 | 48 | 2 | |
| Wk 5 | L 32-34@ Illinois | 1 | 53 | 53.0 | 53 | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 31-13vs Michigan | 2 | 84 | 42.0 | 47 | 1 | |
| Wk 8 | L 24-34@ Notre Dame | 2 | 103 | 51.5 | 59 | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 21-17@ Nebraska | 4 | 157 | 39.3 | 47 | 2 | |
| Wk 11 | W 38-17vs Northwestern | 2 | 64 | 32.0 | 41 | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | W 26-21vs Iowa | 2 | 64 | 32.0 | 45 | 1 | |
| Wk 13 | L 27-42@ Oregon | 3 | 135 | 45.0 | 49 | 1 | |
| Wk 14 | W 29-10vs UCLA | 1 | 39 | 39.0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Bowl | L 27-30@ TCU | 3 | 138 | 46.0 | 47 | 2 | |
| Total | 23 | 966 | 42.3 | 59 | 9 |
2026 Outlook
USC
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Punter · USC
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
USC · Last season: 9-4 (AP #16) · Talent rank #9 · 2026 recruiting class #1