It’s been a difficult offseason for Elijah Arenas, a 5-star guard prospect and incoming freshman for the USC Trojans. Over a month ago, he was involved in a serious car accident which forced him to be induced into a coma. Thankfully, he made a full recovery and was practicing with the Trojans during the Summer workouts.
Unfortunately, the Trojans became the latest team to deal with injury issues, as Arenas suffered a knee injury that could sideline him for months.
BREAKING: USC’s prized recruit Alijah Arenas has suffered a tear of the meniscus, putting him in jeopardy of missing the entire 2025-26 college basketball season, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/c4F76sVqtv
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 23, 2025
A variety of recovery timelines have been thrown out there, ranging from 6 to 8 months or potentially even longer. There’s a chance Arenas could recover and be available for the second half of the 2025-26 campaign. Of course, with everything that has occurred, it could make good sense to sit the freshman out for all of next year.
That’s not to say that this wouldn’t be a hit to USC’s depth in the backcourt. The guards of the roster went through a complete overhaul, landing four transfers. The most notable names include Maryland transfer Rodney Rice, Ryan Cornish of Dartmouth, and Jordan Marsh, a combo guard from UNC Asheville who could be the starting point guard on opening night.
There’s also Jerry Easter II, a four-star ball-handler who is the other freshman on the roster. But he’s more of a distributor than an off-guard such as Arenas. Assuming Arenas doesn’t play this season, that puts a lot of pressure on Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara, the only other player who is a natural big guard/small forward on the roster. Look for him to play the majority of his time on the court at that position.
Best wishes to Elijah Arenas as he recovers from this injury for the next few months. We’ll see if USC has enough firepower as a team to overcome this latest setback.