LOS ANGELES — DJ Harvey found out like everybody else, even though he was closer than most anyone with Kamari Ramsey.
For days, even after Harvey had announced his decision to transfer from San Jose State to USC, the cornerback had been giving Ramsey his space to figure out his own future. The two had been tight “ever since the sandbox,” as Harvey put it in a conversation with the Southern California News Group: Ramsey’s parents were Harvey’s godparents, and the two played three years of football together at Sierra Canyon High.
Playing with Ramsey, Harvey said, was like playing with family.
Any dreams of reuniting, though, seemed far-fetched. Ramsey appeared all but likely to head for the NFL draft after a standout sophomore season at USC, widely projected to get picked around the third round.
And then on Thursday, Ramsey posted a bombshell announcement for his and USC’s future, cementing a surprise return for one of the leaders of the Trojans’ defense.
“USC is a special place,” Ramsey wrote on Twitter, “and I’ve loved being a part of the Trojan Family. After much prayer and discussion, I’ve decided that there’s more I want to accomplish with my teammates.”
“I’m excited to run out of the Coliseum tunnel again next season,” Ramsey wrote, “wearing the Cardinal and Gold.”
He’ll run out of the tunnel next to Harvey, in a special development for the families of two local kids, the former San Jose State cornerback calling Ramsey’s decision a “blessing.” Immediately after he saw Ramsey’s announcement on Twitter, Harvey texted his godbrother a simple message.
“‘Let’s get it started,’” Harvey said, recalling what he’d wrote Ramsey. “Like, get it back to what it was, before.”
They’re cemented, now, as key parts of USC’s coming defensive development under soon-to-be second-year coordinator D’Anton Lynn. After following Lynn and transferring from UCLA, Ramsey was USC’s best defensive player for long stretches in 2024, a born playmaker who finished with 53 tackles in 10 games.
Harvey, meanwhile, authored an elite junior season at San Jose State. The numbers popped off the page against Mountain West competition: 40 tackles, six pass deflections, four interceptions, just a 57% catch percentage allowed to opposing receivers.
He’ll come to USC with an immediate chance to start at defensive back, the Trojans needing to replace a wide variety of graduating seniors in their secondary. And a year after importing contributor Greedy Vance Jr. from Florida State, USC will get a defensive back that himself plays greedy, as Harvey described.
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“See-ball, hit-ball type of defense,” Harvey said, talking on his fit in Lynn’s scheme. “Tight, man-to-man coverage … that’s kind of like, what the energy I bring, and I think it meshes really well with this defense.”
They’d played off each other in the secondary since they were little, as Harvey said. Ramsey, the safety. Harvey, the cornerback. And they’ll have a chance to collaborate again, come 2025, in a burst of local pride for USC’s program.
“It’s just a blessing, as his brother, it’s a blessing to see him chase his dream and achieve his goals,” Harvey said of Ramsey. “And I’m just glad I’m going to be a part of it.”