It appears that your USC Trojans football program will be missing a surprise starting run blocker when they suit up against the UCLA Bruins for today’s rivalry week bout.

Luca Evans of The Orange County Register reports that offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston is sidelined today, and speculates that Kingston’s fellow 2023 transfer Michael Tarquin could supplant him at right tackle. Tarquin had been a healthy Lincoln Riley scratch earlier this season.

Evans adds that Kingston has played among the Cardinal and Gold’s starters at either right tackle or right guard in all 11 of their 2023 regular season games to this point.

Kingston, a 6’4″, 305-pound redshirt senior out of Anderson, California, has been a vaunted part of star quarterback Caleb Williams’ protection this year, helping give the most recent Heisman Trophy winner plenty of time to make decisions in the pocket.

With several All-American offensive linemen having graduated last year, both Kingston and Tarquin were expected to serve as critical pieces on USC’s O-Line heading into the season.

The UCLA-USC matchup tipped off… just now at the Coliseum. Tune in to catch all the action on ABC. Last year, the Trojans (-5.5 point favorites today, according to The Action Network) beat the Bruins 48-45, as a then-sophomore Williams passed for over 500 yards.