Rodney Rice spurns Kevin Willard, stays in the Big Ten after USC transfer

The Rodney Rice sweepstakes is officially over.

Former starting Maryland guard Rodney Rice put an end to the transfer portal process after announcing his transfer to USC on Tuesday morning, committing to the Trojans over Tennessee, Villanova, Auburn and Gonzaga with a near-$3 million price tag.

Rice, of course, included Maryland in his final six schools despite the Terps not being a serious contender after contact between the new Maryland staff and Rice’s camp failed to materialize in the days after Buzz Williams was announced as the next head coach.

But more importantly, Rice becomes the second marquee player to choose not to follow his former head coach to his new landing spot with Kevin Willard and the Wildcats a top contender in the pursuit from start to finish, leaning on their expanded NIL resources to lure the former DeMatha star into the Big East. Former teammates Malachi Palmer and Braden Pierce have already transferred to Villanova, while former 2025 commit Chris Jeffrey flipped his pledge to the Wildcats after Buzz Williams passed. Tafara Gapare is also a strong candidate to transfer to Villanova.

Rice took visits to Villanova and Tennessee, the initial frontrunner as the Vols worked to reunite the Terps backcourt in Knoxville with Ja’Kobi Gillespie set to close out his career in the SEC.

Instead, Rice will close out his career under head coach Eric Musselman with the Trojans as he becomes the second Terp set to play against Maryland in 2025-26. DeShawn Harris-Smith, who transferred to Georgetown earlier this month, will be first up for Maryland with the two DMV teams set to begin their four-year series at Xfinity Center next fall.

Jahari Long, meanwhile, is set to play his final season of eligibility under Tony Skinn at George Mason where the 6-foot-5 guard looks to be the veteran presence to stabilize the backcourt. Chance Stephens, who became the last scholarship player to enter the transfer portal, remains in search of a new home in 2025-26.

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