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USC DE Zuriah Fisher ‘brought up to be tough’

April 1, 2026

LOS ANGELES — All who walked into the Aliquippa High School football stadium, just outside of Pittsburgh, received a friendly greeting.

“Welcome to the Pit” was hand-painted on the black shingles of the entryway, looming above a grass field where NFL greats Darrelle Revis, Mike Ditka and Ty Law had all played.

Zuriah Fisher, USC’s transfer defensive end from Penn State, also dug his cleats into that dirt. And he wants to bring that same grittiness to the Coliseum.

“We’re just always brought up to be tough,” Fisher told reporters. “Don’t let nobody play with you, you gotta be physical. When you play (in the Pit), you gotta win. You gotta be on your A-plus performance. It’s just natural for us out there.”

The redshirt senior came to USC knowing only Ta’Mere Robinson, a linebacker he played with at Penn State, and defensive end coach Shaun Nua.

He finished with a season-best 19 total tackles (11 solo), 3.5 sacks and two sacks in 2025. A strong relationship with Nua could be the key to refining his technique and unlocking even more.

“I ain’t have enough sacks last year, but I feel like I just ain’t finished enough last year,” Fisher said. “I like how (Nua) coached. I came in and went over my film at my previous school, and I liked how he coached me up, things I need to get better at.”

Fisher is one of two veteran Big Ten transfers to join the Trojans on the defensive line this season. Defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, another redshirt senior, comes from Michigan State and had 52 total tackles (18 solo) and two tackles for a loss of 10 yards last season.

The pair have all the same classes and go to the same study hall. Head coach Lincoln Riley has noticed similarities in what they bring to the team, too.

“(Zuriah) does bring some of that blue-collar toughness, some real attitude, which was something that we targeted,” Riley told reporters.

“We talked about it a lot in the portal and specifically on the D-line with him and VanSumeren was, like, we need a couple guys that have been in the wars. We need a couple guys that are older, that have some experience to pair with what this group has.”

Fisher missed the 2024 season due to injury but came back in 2025 to start 11 games. VanSumeren was also at the top of the depth chart and started in 24 of his 28 career games with the Spartans.

The Michigan native has modeled his work ethic after his older brother, Ben, who won a Super Bowl championship as a fullback with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025.

“Seeing him be where he’s at, win the Super Bowl, have a ring – it’s at my house, with my pops right now,” VanSumeren told reporters. “Seeing that is the greatest motivation you could have. And I was actually on the field with him after the game, so that’s just inspiring seeing him, and it makes me want to go do that and more.”

USC’s defense has been getting an overhaul under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson.

The Hall of Fame college coach has implemented changes like adding a white vertical stripe to defensive players’ helmets and introducing new ways of communicating.

The Trojans ranked 13th out of 18 Big Ten teams in terms of total defense in 2025. They were ninth in passing defense, allowing 207.5 yards a game through the air, and gave up 143.2 yards per game on the ground to rank 12th in run defense.

Orange County Register

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USC DE Zuriah Fisher ‘brought up to be tough’

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