USC football breakdown: How the Trojans look on the offensive line
Part 3 of 6 on USC’s roster after the transfer portal, evaluating a young but sturdy offensive front
Jonah Monheim has shown versatility by taking significant snaps at LT, RG and RT over the past two years. He could be back at LT again in ’24 to protect QB Miller Moss’ blind side. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Luca Evans (OC Register) — LOS ANGELES — The midseason fix was temporary, because there were plenty of options, sure, for Josh Henson to try to patchwork a sinking USC offensive line. But no real solutions.
After allowing 13 pressures that had Caleb Williams looking visibly rattled in a mid-October matchup with Notre Dame – such a horrific showing that Henson joked the next week that he expected reporters’ questions would be tougher – some sort of shakeup on USC’s front was clearly needed. So Henson benched struggling Florida transfer Michael Tarquin at right tackle, swapping Washington State transfer Jarrett Kingston there and inserting backup Mason Murphy into Kingston’s place at right guard. And for one not-so-glorious eventual loss against Utah, it paid visible dividends, as USC allowed just four pressures against a solid Utes front.
“I thought it worked well – you look at the results, and it kinda showed,” Henson said after the Utah game.
But this was just a temporary fix, yes, because USC’s preseason approach to the offensive line was in itself a temporary fix. They brought in a couple of promising recruits in the ’23 class, but they turned largely to the transfer portal to sew up holes: Tarquin, Kingston, Emmanuel Pregnon from Wyoming. Pregnon was solid but unspectacular, while Kingston and Tarquin struggled throughout stretches in 2023, and within weeks Williams was sent running for his life again as Murphy’s development slumped slightly.
“You still feel the hole here in this program of really, almost two straight years with really very little in terms of kind of the young ability, young depth in this program that you’re developing behind the scenes,” Riley said in early December.
“All of a sudden,” he continued, “you look up, and these guys are starting to become pretty good players.”
Sure, perhaps a slightly veiled shot at the Clay Helton administration’s recruiting approach. But Riley’s trust in that youth was evident in the Holiday Bowl, where he turned to freshman Elijah Paige as a starter at left tackle – pivoting stalwart Jonah Monheim to right guard – and the line as a whole gave up just six pressures, letting Miller Moss operate in rhythm for four quarters.
Now with the early transfer window closed, USC hasn’t brought in anyone from the portal on the offensive line, another sign of Riley’s trust in that youth group moving forward. If Paige and Alani Noa – who started in Week 0 – are ready for consistent snaps, it gives the Trojans the makings of a solid group as they head to the Big Ten, with Monheim and Pregnon as steady starters and Gino Quinones fighting for time after a season-ending injury.
Here’s a full breakdown of USC’s offensive line entering spring practice, the third in a six-part series examining the post-early portal outlook for every part of the roster.
Departing: Sr. Jarrett Kingston (eligibility), Jr. Andres Dewerk (transfer, unknown), Sr. Justin Dedich (eligibility), Sr. Michael Tarquin (transfer, Oklahoma), Jr. Andrew Milek (transfer, unknown)
Top questions
Who fills the void at center? For years, USC has had a steady program leader snapping the ball at center; Brett Neilon endured the torment of 2021 to block for Caleb Williams during Lincoln Riley’s first year, and beloved veteran understudy Justin Dedich took over this past fall. Dedich is graduating after a lengthy Trojans career, though, and USC has no shortage of options to replace him but no clear-cut successor, either. Returning senior Gino Quinones is capable of filling in at a variety of spots, but he is coming off a season-ending injury.
Former walk-on Killian O’Connor turned himself into USC’s backup center in 2023 and a player who “absolutely has a future here,” as Riley said in October, but he has a limited number of game reps under his belt. The dark horse here is Zandamela, who played center in high school at Clearwater Academy in Florida – and Riley showed this fall he’s not afraid to give true freshmen some run, with Noa starting in USC’s first game of 2023 against San Jose State.
Where does Monheim fit best? He’s easily the best returning member of this group, and maximizing his value will be key in 2024. He’s shown versatility by taking a wealth of snaps at left tackle, right guard and right tackle across the past two years; perhaps he’ll be back at left tackle again in 2024 to protect Moss’ blind side.
Group X-factor
Ta’aga could be this group’s X-factor for three years running. He has played exactly one season of organized football, transitioning from basketball before his senior year of high school in a rather unique story, but he has the speed and dominant frame (6-foot-7, 265 pounds) to become a major part of USC’s future.
“We felt an intense desire by him to be great,” Riley said on National Signing Day, “and you combine him with one of the best offensive line coaches in the country, that’s a pretty exciting pair.”
TrojanDailyBlog members — We always encourage you to add factual information, insight, divergent opinions, or new topics to the TDBthat don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.
SUBSCRIBE HERE TO RECEIVE NOTICE OF NEW COMMENTS OR REPLIES.
Would PC consider taking the UDUB HC job? He’s already up there and knows the territory. He would get enough of a contract to make it worth while. Just depends if he wants the aggravation of the NIL and Portal. The Big Ten would make it a challenge he might find attractive. He could probably grab some top coaches to help him, including Coach O?
DeBoer is a great coach. But he’s had a lot of luck. In the last 2 years he’s had 17 wins by 10 points or less. He hasn’t been blowing out the field. Lady Luck likes to play the field. She may date you for awhile by sooner or later she wants to move on.
Hah. Good. Cool reference to Lady Luck as a personification of fortune or chance, and how she may split on one and want to move on. Makes me think of smirking Frank Sinatra at the crap tables, cigarette smoke swirling around his dwindling chips as Ava Gardner sips whisky with the volatile crooner. Viewed that way, Lady Luck seemed to move on from USC in 2023 after the Trojans “forced” 28 turnovers in 2022, the sixth-most in the entire FBS. In the first five USC games of 2022, there were nine fumbles, and the Trojans recovered all nine. Before losing its… Read more »
To a certain extent that is true…..you create your own luck through hard work. But there’s a lot of hard working teams and coaches out there. They say that Clay Helton used to see his family on week ends. The rest of the week he slept in his office. Hard work will get you near the championship every year if you have great coaching and talent on the field.But if you’re going to win it all, there’s one thing you need……a girlfriend named “Lady Luck”
Clay Helton was/is stupid. Big problem there. He could have literally lived on the USC campus as HC of a job he never even remotely deserved, and it would have made no difference.
I don’t mean to offend any remaining Helton supporters who may strongly disagree with me. He is a well-meaning, nice man. But since this thread started about Uber coach Kalen DeBoer, referring to the pitiful Helton in the same sentence as DeBoer simply cracks me up! 😂
Remember how we all used to dread The Cat’s pressers? Same BS every time. He was the king of ugly wins and bad losses. We’d have to watch these frustrating debacles while he would say things like “Wait until you see us in November”, and “I need to look at the tape. But we played like warriors.”
When STAN crushed him 42-28 in the Coliseum on 9/11/21, it was a huge favor from the Cardinal, finally leading to his dismissal. Glory hallelujah!
I still think that we can win it all under LR. Whether he is as good as DeBoer is irrelevant. There are a number of coaches out there who are capable of winning a NC with the help of the right assistants(they do all the coaching) and key players at the right positions and it never hurts to be on a kissing relationship with Lady Luck(at least for that one season). I think LR is one of those coaches. That doesn’t mean that he is going to win a NC. A whole lot of people who are capable never win… Read more »
Do you really think the “assistants do all the coaching?” I couldn’t more strongly disagree. There are so many clear examples to the contrary, the most obvious and latest of which is Nick Saban.
Maybe this is why Kalen DeBoer pursued the Tide job, despite the incredibly long shadow of Nick Saban…It just means more there, as they say in the SEC.
It’s always been speculated Caleb wants to finagle his way out of being drafted by the terminally dead-end Bears. With the Draft entry declaration day only three days off, it’s looking like that might be true. Caleb’s always been a big showman too, both on and off the field. He seemingly knows how to play the crowd (sometimes to his detriment) at all times. Not a bad skill for the 2024 #1 pick. Yet he hasn’t hired an agent from what I can glean. btw, CJ Stroud didn’t announce his declaration for the 2023 NFL Draft until January 16, the… Read more »
I got to agree with you Allen, he will play it out to the very end, just like he did committing to USC. I would assume they have been in negotiations already in prep for the draft.
Washington candidates to replace Kalen DeBoer: Ryan Grubb, Lance Leipold, Jedd Fisch and more… Bruce Feldman (The Athletic) — Washington will be on its fourth head coach since 2019, going from Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake to DeBoer to whomever new athletic director Troy Dannen tabs. If Dannen does have an open search, I expect he will give strong consideration to Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, who is the one guy in the Pac-12 who might’ve done as good a job as DeBoer has in revitalizing a dismal situation. Fisch took over a program riding a 12-game losing streak when he… Read more »
Looks like DeBoer is going to Alabama: Alabama has moved quickly to identify Nick Saban’s successor as head football coach. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, 49, has informed his team that he will be accepting the Crimson Tide job to replace the legendary Saban, who announced his retirement on Wednesday after 17 seasons leading the program, according to multiple reports.
DeBoer’s buyout to leave the Huskies stands at $12 million.
72-year-old Pete is looking for a time machine. He’ll be one of the most interesting coaches to track.
Who will do best at their next stop? Pete or Belichick. I say whoever lands with the best QB, as they both are defensive experts in an offense-hyped NFL.
I have a buddy that lived in Moscow ID as a judge for 10 years and loved it. Not sure you’re down that way near Pullman. He and his family of 5 kids is in Billings MT now. I’ve also visited the lakes east of Spokane and the city itself….have to say it’s a very beautiful area. Gonzaga!…..and no state income tax! My wife worked for Washington St U at Vancouver for 10 years so we visited HQ in Pullman a few times. As for Portland…..when we got there we loved it……but when we left it was a different city.… Read more »
I’m a Tunnelvision fan myself .(I almost got the impression that Ryan Abraham was gonna close up his USC.COM Shop when USC announced the Clay Helton extension ….. He even hinted about closing up the shop when that happened !)
DeBoer has the talent, confidence, and desire to excel. Alabama is the perfect place for him to be if he can stand the humidity. He could not ask for a better team to break in with, and the ghost of Saban should not bother him, he is his own man and does it his way respectully of the colleges traditions.
Colleges with most overall No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft Caleb Williams will put USC in the lead. Had Reggie Bush not somehow slipped to #2, USC would already have the lead. Georgia (5) — Travon Waker (2022), Matthew Stafford (2009), Harry Babcock (1953), Charley Trippi (1945), Frank Sinkwich (1943) Notre Dame (5) — Walt Patulski (1972), Paul Hornung (1957), Leon Hart (1950), Frank Dancewicz (1946), Angelo Bertelli (1944) Oklahoma (5) — Kyler Murray (2019), Baker Mayfield (2018), Sam Bradford (2010), Billy Sims (1980), Lee Roy Selmon (1976) Southern California (5) — Carson Palmer (2003), Keyshawn Johnson (1996),… Read more »
Sports people here in NY Metro area starting to ask more and more “What’s he waiting for” and referring to this social media item from today (About Caleb Williams ) >>>>> From the Athletics website >>>>> Kalyn Kahler
@kalynkahler
It’s Friday, January 12th and Caleb Williams has not yet declared for the NFL draft. The Deadline is Monday January 15th. On Wed, I called Carl Williams, Caleb’s dad, to ask why the delay? He referred me to their publicist, who declined to comment until everything is “buttoned up.”
Didn’t someone on this blog post a comment From Colin Cowherd where Colin said “In about 2 weeks Caleb is gonna announce a decision that I (Colin) will …..somewhat …..not be pleased with “.
We’ve all moved on. We’re ready for life with Caleb in the NFL. What if the “not pleased” was an announcement that he is staying and transferring to Georgia or Bama or…. Some other crazy NIL bidder? Crazy thought. That would be horrible. Not happening, he’s going to the NFL.
“Might” being the key word IMO. Cowherd’s little blurb is now three weeks old, a lifetime in the sports world, and still not a peep.
Frankly, I’ve been moved on from Caleb for quite a while now. I’ll follow Caleb closely in the NFL and hope he is a fantastic success.
His reverse curve two-year era is over. His slight regression, indecisiveness, and increased wildness in 2023 remain a mystery to me. I guess the QB guru combo of Kliff Kingsbury and Lincoln Riley didn’t work out in this case. Maybe too many cooks in the kitchen?
HOF19 — Does anybody actually believe there’s a snowball’s chance in hell Caleb is skipping over the 2024 Draft? He’s so highly regarded he’s just working on contract details with his fave teams who might draft him so they all know what they are getting into. JMHO.
I love the NFL Draft (April 25-27 in Detroit). Caleb will be USC’s 6th #1 Draft pick.
The others are Carson Palmer, O.J. Simpson, Keyshawn Johnson, Rickey Bell, and Ron Yary.
Mike Norvell staying at FSU for $10 mil per year, not taking ALA job Curt Weiler (TheOsceola) — After a stressful few days for the Florida State fanbase, the Seminoles will get a happy ending this time. FSU head football coach Mike Norvell announced on Twitter on Friday afternoon he will remain with the Seminoles despite heavy interest from Alabama in him being Nick Saban’s replacement in Tuscaloosa. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported shortly after the announcement that Norvell and FSU have agreed to an eight-year contract extension that will pay him more than $10 million annually. In USA Today’s… Read more »
Norvell gets beat by GA 63-3. He immed gets a fantastic $ bump for the worst slaughter in CFB playoff history. Recent NCAA penalties for NIL violations are no problem either.
Norvell — “On second thought, losing huge ain’t so bad…”
Patriots Move Fast CBSNews.com — Robert Kraft said Thursday that the Patriots would work “very quickly” to fill the position, and he wasn’t kidding. Pats ILB coach Jerod Mayo, Sr was always clearly New England’s guy, as the Patriots didn’t reach out to interview anyone else for the job before naming Mayo, per The Athletic. The team was able to hire 37-year old Mayo without a lengthy interview process due to a succession plan that was placed in a contract extension with the team that he signed last offseason. Mayo was seen as Belichick’s heir apparent since Josh McDaniels left for Las Vegas.… Read more »
We all know that Lynn is like 2 years at USC before someone in the nfl takes him as a DC. If Henderson comes aboard now he could be in line for the USC DC job, which if he is good would only last a few years then he goes to nfl. Or who knows, maybe he wants to travel 5 days a week and recruit. lol
Tommy Rees, Mike Norvell, Kalen DeBoer emerge as top Alabama candidates
Bruce Feldman & Kennington Smith III (The Athletic) — ” Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer have emerged as the top three candidates for the Alabama coaching position left vacant by Nick Saban’s retirement, multiple sources familiar with the process tell The Athletic.
“Meetings with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne are expected to be completed by end of day Thursday and an announcement could come as soon as Friday, sources said…”
We are such a prisoner of the moment culture. Riley now stinks and Norvell is the guy. Two years ago nobody wanted Norvell, including FSU fans. Now Bama wants him.
The world of sports business has always been about what have you done for me lately. That maxim seems to apply across the board in life, right? At least USC fans don’t have to worry about other NFL teams trying to pick off LR from the Trojans for the time being. Good. He can focus on continuing his Trojan rebuild and resurrecting his slightly tattered rep. He’s following through so far on remaking the USC D from the bottom up. Very cool. I’m looking forward to his next coaching, portal, and prep additions. Speaking of preps, does anyone know what’s… Read more »
Horn fans wanted to kill Suck and now they are begging him not to go to Bama (he isn’t but con Sexton will start the rumor) … Horn fans will be back wanting to kill Suck after his extension. We all know what happens when lazy Suck knows he has it made. Half assed effort.
1:52 p.m. – ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided some more intel on Alabama’s negotiations with Kalen DeBoer in an appearance on SportsCenter. Thamel said Washington offered a 7-year contract that would have made him one of the top 10-highest coaches in college football, but “as of now, Kalen DeBoer to Alabama is just basically requiring signatures for it to be finalized.” “Kalen DeBoer has indicated to officials at the University of Washington that he’s likely to take the job at Alabama,” Thamel said. “It is not a done deal, it is not official. He has not resigned. But … this deal… Read more »
“I’d like to thank coach Riley and the entire coaching & support staff that I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from for the past 5 years. I hope that my energy and presence made a positive impact each and every day both in the office and on the field. “To USC, the fan base, and supporters: You are first class and I truly appreciate the love and passion you all have for this prestigious place. Thank you for welcoming me and my family into your program. “Last, but most importantly, I’d like to thank all the players… Read more »
Phew !!!!!!!!!! Just got back to my den after 3 days ( My town had my ENTIRE street Evacuate for 3 days due to flooding….. It turned out not necessary )….. So ….. I read that we have a new player named Maiava ?????
Entering the Big10, as we know a black and blue conference based on physicality, of course our Oline will be challenged beyond anything the PAC12 presented, except perhaps a healthy Utah. Opening with LSU isn’t exactly a physical cakewalk. Wondering if our strength, conditioning and nutrition have been adjusted accordingly. On the DL side, lighter, faster, with lots of prescribed movement was schemed. Cant imagine Lynn allowing that. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of team comes out of the tunnel. If it was the team with Moss and a fly-around D VS Louisville, we’ll get an upset or… Read more »
Would PC consider taking the UDUB HC job? He’s already up there and knows the territory. He would get enough of a contract to make it worth while. Just depends if he wants the aggravation of the NIL and Portal. The Big Ten would make it a challenge he might find attractive. He could probably grab some top coaches to help him, including Coach O?
DeBoer is a great coach. But he’s had a lot of luck. In the last 2 years he’s had 17 wins by 10 points or less. He hasn’t been blowing out the field. Lady Luck likes to play the field. She may date you for awhile by sooner or later she wants to move on.
Hah. Good. Cool reference to Lady Luck as a personification of fortune or chance, and how she may split on one and want to move on. Makes me think of smirking Frank Sinatra at the crap tables, cigarette smoke swirling around his dwindling chips as Ava Gardner sips whisky with the volatile crooner. Viewed that way, Lady Luck seemed to move on from USC in 2023 after the Trojans “forced” 28 turnovers in 2022, the sixth-most in the entire FBS. In the first five USC games of 2022, there were nine fumbles, and the Trojans recovered all nine. Before losing its… Read more »
To a certain extent that is true…..you create your own luck through hard work. But there’s a lot of hard working teams and coaches out there. They say that Clay Helton used to see his family on week ends. The rest of the week he slept in his office. Hard work will get you near the championship every year if you have great coaching and talent on the field.But if you’re going to win it all, there’s one thing you need……a girlfriend named “Lady Luck”
Clay Helton was/is stupid. Big problem there. He could have literally lived on the USC campus as HC of a job he never even remotely deserved, and it would have made no difference.
I don’t mean to offend any remaining Helton supporters who may strongly disagree with me. He is a well-meaning, nice man. But since this thread started about Uber coach Kalen DeBoer, referring to the pitiful Helton in the same sentence as DeBoer simply cracks me up! 😂
Classic Helton, take your pick
Clay Helton was a complete buffoon, that probably should be coaching at the high school level. He was as bad at his job as Larry Scott.
Remember how we all used to dread The Cat’s pressers? Same BS every time. He was the king of ugly wins and bad losses. We’d have to watch these frustrating debacles while he would say things like “Wait until you see us in November”, and “I need to look at the tape. But we played like warriors.”
When STAN crushed him 42-28 in the Coliseum on 9/11/21, it was a huge favor from the Cardinal, finally leading to his dismissal. Glory hallelujah!
Whoever hired this clown and then kept this loser around for a decade … is the true buffoon(s).
The amazing new 67-team FBS look of CFB, sans WSU, ORE ST, and independents ND, UMASS and UCONN
I still think that we can win it all under LR. Whether he is as good as DeBoer is irrelevant. There are a number of coaches out there who are capable of winning a NC with the help of the right assistants(they do all the coaching) and key players at the right positions and it never hurts to be on a kissing relationship with Lady Luck(at least for that one season). I think LR is one of those coaches. That doesn’t mean that he is going to win a NC. A whole lot of people who are capable never win… Read more »
Do you really think the “assistants do all the coaching?” I couldn’t more strongly disagree. There are so many clear examples to the contrary, the most obvious and latest of which is Nick Saban.
Nick Saban and even LR who is a great QB coach. But generally. the HC plans and runs the program. Most of the coaching is done by the assistants
Maybe this is why Kalen DeBoer pursued the Tide job, despite the incredibly long shadow of Nick Saban…It just means more there, as they say in the SEC.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1745995947232874530
Bold move by DeBoer … he will do well, but well there is a multiple national titles now
Washington job is a good job. Be interesting who lands that.
It’s always been speculated Caleb wants to finagle his way out of being drafted by the terminally dead-end Bears. With the Draft entry declaration day only three days off, it’s looking like that might be true. Caleb’s always been a big showman too, both on and off the field. He seemingly knows how to play the crowd (sometimes to his detriment) at all times. Not a bad skill for the 2024 #1 pick. Yet he hasn’t hired an agent from what I can glean. btw, CJ Stroud didn’t announce his declaration for the 2023 NFL Draft until January 16, the… Read more »
I got to agree with you Allen, he will play it out to the very end, just like he did committing to USC. I would assume they have been in negotiations already in prep for the draft.
Great. I hope he succeeds in whatever plan he thinks will benefit him the most…..just as long as he goes somewhere and not back to SC
I guess Caleb is waiting until the very last day to declare or will he?
Lining up the deals and will go with the team that trades up for him. The same team that hires Belichik or Carroll.
Washington candidates to replace Kalen DeBoer: Ryan Grubb, Lance Leipold, Jedd Fisch and more… Bruce Feldman (The Athletic) — Washington will be on its fourth head coach since 2019, going from Chris Petersen to Jimmy Lake to DeBoer to whomever new athletic director Troy Dannen tabs. If Dannen does have an open search, I expect he will give strong consideration to Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, who is the one guy in the Pac-12 who might’ve done as good a job as DeBoer has in revitalizing a dismal situation. Fisch took over a program riding a 12-game losing streak when he… Read more »
Klieman or Leipold. Both would do great at WA.
Yep. Both and home run hires at UW.
Two really good coaches with a background much like DeBoars
Looks like DeBoer is going to Alabama:
Alabama has moved quickly to identify Nick Saban’s successor as head football coach. Washington coach Kalen DeBoer, 49, has informed his team that he will be accepting the Crimson Tide job to replace the legendary Saban, who announced his retirement on Wednesday after 17 seasons leading the program, according to multiple reports.
DeBoer’s buyout to leave the Huskies stands at $12 million.
first domino, now who fills the Huskies position? Harbaugh is next and we all know it.
also, it’s currently 6 below zero at my house. Fun stuff! Just kidding, I miss So Cal weather.
Pete is looking for a job…….just a bad joke.
No! That wouldn’t be right. We should just pay Pete to consult and be part of USC forever.
72-year-old Pete is looking for a time machine. He’ll be one of the most interesting coaches to track.
Who will do best at their next stop? Pete or Belichick. I say whoever lands with the best QB, as they both are defensive experts in an offense-hyped NFL.
I’d take either of those old worn out butts over most of these offensive geniuses….but…it’s just me.
Let’s get some of these de-commits out of Bama and Michigan
now you’re talking……
Chris…which state are you in? I’am in Indy after 20 years in Portland O and 50 plus in northern IL.
Eastern Washington, can throw a rock and hit Idaho. Portland used to be great, now I don’t recognize it. But that’s lots of places.
I have a buddy that lived in Moscow ID as a judge for 10 years and loved it. Not sure you’re down that way near Pullman. He and his family of 5 kids is in Billings MT now. I’ve also visited the lakes east of Spokane and the city itself….have to say it’s a very beautiful area. Gonzaga!…..and no state income tax! My wife worked for Washington St U at Vancouver for 10 years so we visited HQ in Pullman a few times. As for Portland…..when we got there we loved it……but when we left it was a different city.… Read more »
So it’s gonna be 21 degrees in your neck of the woods at 7 am tomorrow?
go Listen to the peristyle podcast- Ryan has house of victory on. Super good info on NIL.
I’m a Tunnelvision fan myself .(I almost got the impression that Ryan Abraham was gonna close up his USC.COM Shop when USC announced the Clay Helton extension ….. He even hinted about closing up the shop when that happened !)
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer is already negotiating a contract to replace Nick Saban at Alabama, sources told ESPN and Mark Schlabach.
Bad move … Udub much better job for him and his staff
DeBoer has the talent, confidence, and desire to excel. Alabama is the perfect place for him to be if he can stand the humidity. He could not ask for a better team to break in with, and the ghost of Saban should not bother him, he is his own man and does it his way respectully of the colleges traditions.
Can’t wait for him (who has been in the northern tier his whole life) to call grits cornmeal mush. That ought to go over well.
Colleges with most overall No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft Caleb Williams will put USC in the lead. Had Reggie Bush not somehow slipped to #2, USC would already have the lead. Georgia (5) — Travon Waker (2022), Matthew Stafford (2009), Harry Babcock (1953), Charley Trippi (1945), Frank Sinkwich (1943) Notre Dame (5) — Walt Patulski (1972), Paul Hornung (1957), Leon Hart (1950), Frank Dancewicz (1946), Angelo Bertelli (1944) Oklahoma (5) — Kyler Murray (2019), Baker Mayfield (2018), Sam Bradford (2010), Billy Sims (1980), Lee Roy Selmon (1976) Southern California (5) — Carson Palmer (2003), Keyshawn Johnson (1996),… Read more »
Random but interesting stat, Nick Saban at Alabama has more 1st round draft picks (44) than losses (29).
Sports people here in NY Metro area starting to ask more and more “What’s he waiting for” and referring to this social media item from today (About Caleb Williams ) >>>>> From the Athletics website >>>>> Kalyn Kahler
@kalynkahler
It’s Friday, January 12th and Caleb Williams has not yet declared for the NFL draft. The Deadline is Monday January 15th. On Wed, I called Carl Williams, Caleb’s dad, to ask why the delay? He referred me to their publicist, who declined to comment until everything is “buttoned up.”
Didn’t someone on this blog post a comment From Colin Cowherd where Colin said “In about 2 weeks Caleb is gonna announce a decision that I (Colin) will …..somewhat …..not be pleased with “.
We’ve all moved on. We’re ready for life with Caleb in the NFL. What if the “not pleased” was an announcement that he is staying and transferring to Georgia or Bama or…. Some other crazy NIL bidder? Crazy thought. That would be horrible. Not happening, he’s going to the NFL.
I made a joke to my brother 6 weeks ago when I said to him “What if Caleb transfers to say …..Georgia “.
Or how about this TDB members ….. Caleb Williams transfers to ………. Ole Miss !!!!!
LOL … Goatboy Kiffy likes his qbs to get drilled
How Dart is still walking is a miracle
We know CW isn’t taking any hits
That’s true. I made that comment based on what Cowherd said on The Herd.
Back on 12/20 I posted:
Colin Cowherd — “There may be some news on Caleb Williams coming out in the next week or two that I don’t love.”
So Cowherd gave himself some wiggle room.
I have been known to Trust Colin’s opinion ….So I guess we might soon see what Colin was referring to.
“Might” being the key word IMO. Cowherd’s little blurb is now three weeks old, a lifetime in the sports world, and still not a peep.
Frankly, I’ve been moved on from Caleb for quite a while now. I’ll follow Caleb closely in the NFL and hope he is a fantastic success.
His reverse curve two-year era is over. His slight regression, indecisiveness, and increased wildness in 2023 remain a mystery to me. I guess the QB guru combo of Kliff Kingsbury and Lincoln Riley didn’t work out in this case. Maybe too many cooks in the kitchen?
HOF19 — Does anybody actually believe there’s a snowball’s chance in hell Caleb is skipping over the 2024 Draft? He’s so highly regarded he’s just working on contract details with his fave teams who might draft him so they all know what they are getting into. JMHO.
I love the NFL Draft (April 25-27 in Detroit). Caleb will be USC’s 6th #1 Draft pick.
The others are Carson Palmer, O.J. Simpson, Keyshawn Johnson, Rickey Bell, and Ron Yary.
Mike Norvell staying at FSU for $10 mil per year, not taking ALA job Curt Weiler (TheOsceola) — After a stressful few days for the Florida State fanbase, the Seminoles will get a happy ending this time. FSU head football coach Mike Norvell announced on Twitter on Friday afternoon he will remain with the Seminoles despite heavy interest from Alabama in him being Nick Saban’s replacement in Tuscaloosa. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported shortly after the announcement that Norvell and FSU have agreed to an eight-year contract extension that will pay him more than $10 million annually. In USA Today’s… Read more »
Another HC gets a pay raise, must be sweet for these guys.
Norvell gets beat by GA 63-3. He immed gets a fantastic $ bump for the worst slaughter in CFB playoff history. Recent NCAA penalties for NIL violations are no problem either.
Norvell — “On second thought, losing huge ain’t so bad…”
Patriots Move Fast CBSNews.com — Robert Kraft said Thursday that the Patriots would work “very quickly” to fill the position, and he wasn’t kidding. Pats ILB coach Jerod Mayo, Sr was always clearly New England’s guy, as the Patriots didn’t reach out to interview anyone else for the job before naming Mayo, per The Athletic. The team was able to hire 37-year old Mayo without a lengthy interview process due to a succession plan that was placed in a contract extension with the team that he signed last offseason. Mayo was seen as Belichick’s heir apparent since Josh McDaniels left for Las Vegas.… Read more »
Odom out and Eric Henderson in?
Why would Henderson go from NFL D Line coach to college D Line coach? More money? Seems like a step down career wise.
247 sports is reporting it is a done deal. Just waiting on the playoffs to be done. It has to be money
We all know that Lynn is like 2 years at USC before someone in the nfl takes him as a DC. If Henderson comes aboard now he could be in line for the USC DC job, which if he is good would only last a few years then he goes to nfl. Or who knows, maybe he wants to travel 5 days a week and recruit. lol
If he can fix our defense in 2 years, it won’t take long to get another really good DC
Tommy Rees, Mike Norvell, Kalen DeBoer emerge as top Alabama candidates
Bruce Feldman & Kennington Smith III (The Athletic) — ” Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Washington coach Kalen DeBoer have emerged as the top three candidates for the Alabama coaching position left vacant by Nick Saban’s retirement, multiple sources familiar with the process tell The Athletic.
“Meetings with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne are expected to be completed by end of day Thursday and an announcement could come as soon as Friday, sources said…”
theathletic.com
I’m hearing that Lanning is the guy
I would bet against Lanning. He has already said no he is staying at Oregon. The other three would be better picks in my opinion.
We are such a prisoner of the moment culture. Riley now stinks and Norvell is the guy. Two years ago nobody wanted Norvell, including FSU fans. Now Bama wants him.
The world of sports business has always been about what have you done for me lately. That maxim seems to apply across the board in life, right? At least USC fans don’t have to worry about other NFL teams trying to pick off LR from the Trojans for the time being. Good. He can focus on continuing his Trojan rebuild and resurrecting his slightly tattered rep. He’s following through so far on remaking the USC D from the bottom up. Very cool. I’m looking forward to his next coaching, portal, and prep additions. Speaking of preps, does anyone know what’s… Read more »
Horn fans wanted to kill Suck and now they are begging him not to go to Bama (he isn’t but con Sexton will start the rumor) … Horn fans will be back wanting to kill Suck after his extension. We all know what happens when lazy Suck knows he has it made. Half assed effort.
1:52 p.m. – ESPN’s Pete Thamel provided some more intel on Alabama’s negotiations with Kalen DeBoer in an appearance on SportsCenter. Thamel said Washington offered a 7-year contract that would have made him one of the top 10-highest coaches in college football, but “as of now, Kalen DeBoer to Alabama is just basically requiring signatures for it to be finalized.” “Kalen DeBoer has indicated to officials at the University of Washington that he’s likely to take the job at Alabama,” Thamel said. “It is not a done deal, it is not official. He has not resigned. But … this deal… Read more »
It’s officially over now. DeBoer has told UW he’s going to ALA.
USC hoops isn’t very good this year, but I think I may have just watched the worst, most intimidated UCLA team I have ever seen.
With three mins to go UTAH leads the Bruins 87-37. Wow. If only Bill Walton were announcing.
Too bad Werner Wolf isn’t still around.
”if you had UCLA +45, YOU LOST.”
Coach Manning left. Wonder if Lynn had anything to do with it.
Are they making room for Eric Henderson? Rumors are getting stronger. Nothing concrete yet.
“I’d like to thank coach Riley and the entire coaching & support staff that I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from for the past 5 years. I hope that my energy and presence made a positive impact each and every day both in the office and on the field. “To USC, the fan base, and supporters: You are first class and I truly appreciate the love and passion you all have for this prestigious place. Thank you for welcoming me and my family into your program. “Last, but most importantly, I’d like to thank all the players… Read more »
I thought he would be the one that stays with the new staff.
Phew !!!!!!!!!! Just got back to my den after 3 days ( My town had my ENTIRE street Evacuate for 3 days due to flooding….. It turned out not necessary )….. So ….. I read that we have a new player named Maiava ?????
Entering the Big10, as we know a black and blue conference based on physicality, of course our Oline will be challenged beyond anything the PAC12 presented, except perhaps a healthy Utah. Opening with LSU isn’t exactly a physical cakewalk. Wondering if our strength, conditioning and nutrition have been adjusted accordingly. On the DL side, lighter, faster, with lots of prescribed movement was schemed. Cant imagine Lynn allowing that. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of team comes out of the tunnel. If it was the team with Moss and a fly-around D VS Louisville, we’ll get an upset or… Read more »
I think Lynn is going for size on the line, some speed at DB and LB.