Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 49-30vs Louisiana | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
#25
Marcelles Williams
Sophomore cornerback on USC's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 190 lb · Carson, CA · St. John Bosco HS
CFB Index 22 · #315 of 364 cornersLow confidence
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
Recruiting
4★
CB recruit
No. 148 nationally · Signed with USC
Last played in 2026.
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Sophomore cornerback on USC's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to USC in 2024.
Marcelles Williams
Doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play. He has spent three seasons in the USC secondary. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against Louisiana, Week 2, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- seasons on the roster
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with USC4-star out of St. John Bosco
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
USC
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Played his entire career under Lincoln Riley.
Career stats
Game log
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Lincoln Riley — 20-10 over that span.
2024USC7-6HC: Lincoln Riley · Pass-leaning
2025USC9-4HC: Lincoln Riley · Balanced
2026USC4-0HC: Lincoln Riley · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 2.0 TKL/g, 0.0 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Lincoln Riley
Pass share
47.3%
129 pass / 144 run
Plays / game
68.2
4 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
137 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
22 · #315 of 364 corners
Former four-star. Now #315 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #13 of 18 Big Ten CBs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
22% estimated, 95% confidence interval 19–25%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
How he plays
Play style
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
Cover Corner
Steady in coverage; doesn't get beat deep and rarely gives up the big play.
CB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jacob Finley’s 2023 season.
Matches Jacob on
Height
PD rate
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to William Nettles's sophomore season at SMU (2025).
Matches William on
Class year
PD rate
Tackle volume
Background
2026: Williams will compete for playing time at cornerback as a redshirt sophomore in 2026. 2025: Williams saw action in all 13 games and started in 11 (all except Missouri State and Georgia Southern) at cornerback as a redshirt freshman. He recorded 41 tackles and 5 PBUs. He had 3 tackles…
The secondary · USC
- #6Christian Pierce19 tackles · 2026
- #9Kennedy Urlacher11 tackles · 2026
- #16Prophet Brown8 tackles · 2026
- #7Alex Graham8 tackles · 2026
- #25Marcelles Williams2 tackles · 2026
17 more on the roster · USC team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology