USC safety Kamari Ramsey will forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, he announced on social media Monday.
Thank you GOD pic.twitter.com/NvOGYlUaLf
— Kamari_Ramsey (@Ramsey3K) December 15, 2025
Ramsey started his college career at UCLA, where he played two seasons before spending the last two in cardinal and gold. Ramsey played a smart, instinctual and physical brand of football at USC. The versatile defensive back wore the green dot communication helmet for the Trojans in each of the last two seasons.
As a third-year sophomore in 2024, Ramsey made 11 starts and totaled 60 tackles with five pass breakups, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. In 2025, Ramsey predominately played nickel safety in his nine starts due to the Trojans having injuries at the position. He made 27 tackles with two pass breakups.
"It's kind of just been a testament to him and how versatile he is going out there and playing nickel," senior safety Bishop Fitzgerald said early in the season. "He's been doing his job so well, like stuff that doesn't show in the box score. He hasn't really been getting a lot of targets, hasn't been getting a lot of stuff coming his way. He's just sacrificing for the team, and he's been doing such a great job there."
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ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper currently ranks Ramsey as his No. 6 overall safety in the 2026 draft class.
Looking ahead to next season, USC will be down two starting safeties with Ramsey entering the draft and Fitzgerald exhausting his eligibility (Fitzgerald could be drafted as well). Ramsey and Fitzgerald both got hurt in USC's 26-21 win over Iowa in November and didn't play in the Trojans' final two regular-season games. That thrust Christian Pierce and Kennedy Urlacher into bigger roles, and the duo largely performed well in a loss to Oregon and win over UCLA. Pierce and Urlacher are both expected to return next season. Pierce took over as USC's green dot player with Ramsey out and will likely continue to have that role a year from now. Returners Alex Graham, Marquis Gallegos and Kendarius Reddick will also compete for playing time at safety in 2026.
Kamari Ramsey. (Photo: Shotgun Spratling | USCfootball.com)
USC will face TCU in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30th in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Ramsey is unlikely to play as he prepares for the NFL Draft.