The countdown to USC’s 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 51 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at former USC defensive lineman Solomon Byrd.

Position: Defensive line

Years played at USC: 2022-2023

Career highlights: After spending the first four years of his college career at Wyoming, Byrd transferred to USC prior to the 2022 season. He spent the next two years with the Trojans, emerging as a key playmaker for USC at defensive end. During his two seasons in Cardinal and Gold, Byrd recorded 76 total tackles, 10.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumbles recovered, and two passes defended.

After USC: The Houston Texans selected Byrd in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After spending the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad, the team activated Byrd for their regular season finale and he impressed, recording two tackles, one pass defended, and one stuff. Byrd will look to play a bigger role with the team in 2025.

Byrd is one of four Trojans that Houston has selected in the past two NFL Drafts. In addition to him, they have also taken safety Calen Bullock, cornerback Jaylin Smith, and running back Woody Marks. Perhaps some USC fans who did not previously have an NFL team to root for will be cheering for the Texans this fall.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football countdown to kickoff recalls Trojans DL Solomon Byrd