EXCLUSIVE: Star cornerback Trent McDuffie discussed how it felt to play for the Los Angeles Rams as a Southern California native, playing in front of a packed crowd at SoFi Stadium
Trent McDuffie shared what it was like to return to Southern California after starting his career with the Kansas City Chiefs
Trent McDuffie shared what it was like to return to Southern California after starting his career with the Kansas City Chiefs(Image: GETTY)
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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Home is where the heart is, and for Los Angeles Rams star Trent McDuffie, he is relishing the opportunity to play in Southern California once again.
McDuffie, the Rams' star cornerback, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chiefs, with Kansas City selecting him No. 21 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023 before being traded to Los Angeles prior to the 2026 season in exchange for a plethora of draft picks.
With the 26-year-old suiting up for Los Angeles this season, McDuffie spoke exclusively to Mirror U.S. Sports after the Rams' 28-6 win over the New York Giants, which saw him play alongside Aaron Donald, about how he felt being back in Southern California once again.
Notably, McDuffie grew up in Westminster, Orange County, about 30 miles from SoFi Stadium, which he now calls home. He also lauded the Rams fans who welcomed him with open arms as in the win, the 26-year-old recorded his first pick with the team and had two tackles, along with getting the fans energized with his play.
"Oh, you've felt the energy," McDuffie began Monday after the win. "You know what I mean?
"And I think the crowd came out and supported, which is great. Me and the team had a lot of fun and the energy was there. And I think this week, honestly, the defense came and wanted to prove a point. And we brought our own energy, which is great. But gosh, shout out to the Rams family.
"They definitely brought it. They was yelling. They was [turnt up]. That definitely fed into it a lot."
As he and his teammates celebrated the win, it was made more special by how close he was to home. Before he reached the pinnacle of the sport, however, the star honed his craft roughly half an hour away from SoFi Stadium.
Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie runs through drills during first day of training camp at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, July 26, 2026
Rams star cornerback Trent McDuffie is playing his first season in Los Angeles(Image: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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During his teenage years, McDuffie attended Servite High School in Anaheim and St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, roughly 45 and 30 minutes from SoFi Stadium, respectively. After transferring to Bosco, McDuffie truly shone, earning All-Trinity League and All-CIF-Southern Section Division 1 honors his senior year.
It must be noted that Bosco, which plays in the Trinity League, arguably the hardest high school football league in the United States, has a long history of producing college and NFL-ready players. A number of stars who have graduated from Bosco have made their names in the NFL in some way, including Josh Rosen, Terrell Bynum, Wyatt Davis, Ralen Goforth, George Holani, Bryce Treggs, Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, DJ Uiaglelei, and now McDuffie.
Considering he is just 30 minutes away from his alma mater, McDuffie said, "it's all love," knowing how close he was to Bosco and the fans who supported him throughout the journey.
"When I first got traded here, the community, LA. - especially the people back home - everybody's excited," McDuffie added. "Everybody welcomed me in and that's all you could ask for. You know what I mean?
"Especially when you get traded, there's a lot of unknowns that you don't know about. But knowing that I was coming home, it felt good. And coming out of that tunnel, it even felt better. So I'm excited."
After graduating from Bosco, McDuffie played college football at the University of Washington and was named to the Second-Team All-Pac-12 in 2020. In 2021, he was named to the First-team All-Pac-12 and was a Third-team All-American, showing his progression throughout his career.
Spending four seasons with the Chiefs was fruitful, as he played an integral part in a consistently strong defense that culminated in two titles. Now that he's back in Southern California, McDuffie is doing what he can to ensure he makes his region proud and the fans proud, given his connection to the area.
"First game with the L.A. Rams, we had a dominant win and, like I said, I'm just excited to be here. We've got great guys on this team that want to work hard and prove who we are and want to make a lot of things happen," McDuffie concluded.