USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans OL Brett Neilon

Countdown to kickoff is back! USC will kick off its 2026 football season on August 29 when the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. In this series, we will be counting down the days until the season opener by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number.

Today, we look at former USC All-American center Brett Neilon.

Career highlights: After redshirting in 2017 and serving as a backup offensive lineman in 2018, Neilon took over as the Trojans‘ starting center in 2019. He would not relinquish that role for the next four seasons. Taking advantage of his extra COVID year of eligibility in 2022, Neilon was named a first-team All-American, and was part of a USC unit that was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, given to the top offensive line in the country.

Perhaps the moment that Neilon is best known for came during that 2022 season on the road at Oregon State. With the Trojans trailing 14-10 late in the game, USC faced a fourth and six from its own 43 yard line. Quarterback Caleb Williams took off in pursuit of the first down, but was stopped short of the line to gain. However, salvation arrived in an unlikely form in Neilon, who came out of nowhere to push Williams past the line to gain for a first down.

The Trojans would go on to score the game-winning touchdown and prevail with a 17-14 victory. The play subsequently earned the nickname, “Neilon Nudge”, a play on the famous “Bush Push” 17 years prior.

After USC: Sadly, a lower leg injury in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game ended Neilon’s USC career prematurely. After not being selected in the 2023 NFL draft, he attended rookie minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024 but did not make the team.

Per his LinkedIn page, Neilon currently works as a senior business analyst at Buena Vista Management.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC countdown to kickoff: Recalling Trojans OL Brett Neilon