USC Linebacker Desman Stephens II Locks His Instagram After Dante Moore Hit

Some have started sending USC LB Desman Stephens II hate messages on his social media account after the hit he laid on Dante Moore.

by Tzvi Machlin

Sep 26, 2026

Desman Stephens II

Credit&colon; Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

While some college football fans and even a few analysts have defended USC linebacker Desman Stephens II over the big hit he laid on Oregon QB Dante Moore in today’s game, many more are furious with him. And some have started sending him hate messages on his social media account.

Following the hit, college football fans angrily went to his Instagram page and started flooding his most recent posts with messages. There were over 1,800 left in the span of about 20 minutes before he reportedly turned the account private.

According to at least one user on X, some fans were even posting pictures and the address of his family’s home to scare him.

His X account, meanwhile, remains open as of writing and is similarly being flooded with messages. That said, he’s only posted there once in the past two years and hasn’t been on X at all since July 2025, so he probably hasn’t noticed.

No Sympathy from the Fans

But as much as many people hate doxxing, it’s hard to find anyone offering the young man any sympathy.

“Don’t be a fake demon now. He thought (expletive) was funny laughing on the sidelines,” wrote another.

“Coward,” wrote another.

“Can’t wait for that chat gpt apology next,” a third mocked.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is hit after sliding by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.

The hit occurred in the middle of the second quarter. Moore had escaped the pocket on a play and ran up the middle of the field for a first down. But as he leaned back to slide, USC linebacker Desman Stephens II went low and made direct contact with the middle of Moore’s face.

The impact left Moore completely motionless and he had to be carted off the field and loaded into an ambulance. Moore has since been transported to the LA General County Hospital and has movement in his legs and fingers.

Stephens was not ejected from the game though, much to the deeper disgust of many fans.

There’s a good chance that Stephens winds up being suspended by the NCAA or Big Ten Conference. Whether he’s punished or not, he’s probably going to be getting crushed on social media for weeks if not months to come.