USC TEs Walter Matthews, Tucker Ashcraft out for rest of spring
Tight ends Walter Matthews and Tucker Ashcraft will miss the remainer of 2026 USC spring camp after undergoing procedures head coach Lincoln Riley announced Tuesday. Both are expected to be ready for summer workouts in a couple months.
“Ashcraft had to have a foot procedure done. We knew he’d probably had to have it. We were able to get him through the first half of spring, which was great. That was kind of the goal. Similar to Jahkeem [Stewart} last year,” said Riley. “Walter Matthews also had to have a procedure done. It’ll knock him out for spring, but all those guys will be back for summer.”
The Georgia native Matthews hasn’t seen much action going into his third season after playing in zero games as a true freshman. He made his debut in 2025 with 11 games, mainly on special teams as a blocker.
Matthews is a former four-star prospect from the 2023 class. He was the No. 233 overall prospect, the No. 14 tight end and the No. 27 recruit in Georgia via the Rivals Industry Rating. He signed with USC over offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan among others.
Ashcraft was a three-star transfer prospect out of the NCAA Transfer Portal via Wisconsin. He brings 22 receptions for 178 yards (8.1 avg.) with two TDs over 29 games in the Big Ten. He was limited to four games last season due to injury.
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TE Outlook
Walter Matthews is the largest tight end on the roster at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds. Matthews arrived at USC around 240 pounds and added a ton of weight last offseason. Tucker Ashcraft is the second largest TE at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. He’s also the most experienced and best blocker.
USC football added three tight ends in the 2026 cycle, headlined by five-star Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei prospect Mark Bowman. The Trojans also added JUCO transfer Josiah Jefferson in addition to Ashcraft.
Tight end is a wide-open position with the loss of both starters from 2025: Lake McRee and Walker Lyons. McRee is expected to be an NFL draft pick in the upcoming draft while Lyons transferred to BYU. The two combined for 50 receptions for 673 yards and six TDs last fall. They also provided plenty of blocking experience as the offense shifted toward more 12 personnel.
Ashcraft and Matthews join running back Waymond Jordan as those that will not finish out spring camp due to procedures.
The Trojans will wrap spring camp on April 4th. The season will open Aug. 29th in Week 0 against San Jose State.
