While the No. 18 USC Trojans and No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers are set to square off on Saturday, Nov. 14, a few former Trojans in the NFL are dealing with injuries that leave questions for the status on Sunday.

Detroit Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable with a rib injury that has limited his participation in practice during the week. He joins the list of Trojans currently on injury reports around the NFL.

St. Brown started his career at USC, logging 77 receptions and 1,042 yards as a true sophomore with the Trojans. COVID-19 shortened his final season in Southern California before becoming one of the key pieces of Detroit's offense.

Woody Marks, Jaylin Smith Injuries

USC's presence in the NFL can be felt throughout the league thanks to stars like St. Brown and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, but the Houston Texans have drafted more former Trojans than any other team in the last few years.

Houston's secondary features former USC stars in Calen Bullock, Jaylin Smith, and Kamari Ramsey, although Smith has been on the injured reserve (IR) after suffering a hamstring injury in week 4, and his return heading into week 10 is currently unknown. According to Houston's injury report, Smith was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice before fully participating on Thursday.

Smith played four seasons with USC, logging 40 solo tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and two interceptions before being drafted in 2025. In a deep Houston secondary that features cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, Smith serves as valuable depth in the rotation.

Meanwhile, Bullock continues to be produtive member of the Texans defense. Through seven games, Bullock has 36 total tackles and one interception.

As for Texans running back Woody Marks, a fellow member of USC's 2025 NFL Draft class selected by Houston, the former Trojans rusher leads Houston with 95 carries and 341 rushing yards with starting running back David Montgomery dealing with a groin injury since week 5.

However, Marks did not participate in Thursday's practice, and as a result, Marks' status for Sunday's tilt against the Cleveland Browns is also up in the air.

Sam Darnold Injury

After winning the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks, the 2026 season has told a different story for former Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold and the Seahawks. The former first-round pick out of USC became the program's first former player to ever win a Super Bowl as a starting quarterback, doing it with his fourth team in the NFL.

Now, Darnold is dealing with a cracked rib and a quad injury and is expected to miss a second straight game. With Darnold already sidelined once earlier in the season with a glute injury, Seattle backup quarterback Drew Lock has experience starting this year.

Any timeline for Darnold's return is not yet known, though he was considered week-to-week before missing Seattle's win over Arizona in week 9.