Newcomers make a big impact: Takeaways from USC training camp
Consensus Camp Star
DL Tuli Tuipulotu sacks UTAH QB Jake Bentley during a game in November 2020. (Rick Bowmer / AP)
There were a multitude of doubts about USC’s defense coming into camp, most of them warranted. The only certainty among that group all summer seemed to be that Tuli Tuipulotu was on the brink of becoming a star.
His ascent has played out as planned thus far. Ask any USC coaches or players who stood out most on defense, and you’ll get the same answer. Tuipulotu, they suggest, has been an absolute game-wrecker.
How exactly Grinch plans to deploy the Trojans’ destructive defensive end is still unclear, but as injuries depleted the defensive front in camp, Grinch responded by moving Tuipulotu all over the line. He even tried his hand at standing up as an outside rush end.
Wherever Tuipulotu lines up, the consensus from camp is that he’ll make a major impact.
Eric Gentry Makes Big Impression
Former ASU LB Eric Gentry could see plenty of snaps this season for USC and has developed into a coach and player favorite. (Rick Scuteri / AP)
It’s impossible to miss Eric Gentry. At 6-foot-6, standing in the middle of USC’s defense, the transfer linebacker from Arizona State towers over the front with uncommon length for the position.
“When he first came in I was like, ‘Who the hell is this tall dude?” Tuipulotu joked this week. “He’s athletic for a guy with that type of body and I like him a lot. He’s a hitter, too. He’ll come down on the line. I like EG a lot.”
Gentry’s length isn’t the only part of his game that’s stood out to coaches. Inside linebackers coach Brian Odom commented recently how quickly Gentry has picked up the defense. During USC’s scrimmage, he was in the right place at the right time to snag an interception.
“Very impressed with Eric,” Grinch added. “You can tell he’s played football at our level. The difference between freshman year and sophomore year, there’s no bigger difference.”
Considering Gentry’s first year ended with freshman All-American status, that’s an encouraging sign. It doesn’t, however, assure him of the starting inside linebacker spot. While Gentry undoubtedly has the higher upside, senior Ralen Goforth has the edge in experience.
USC could choose to trot out Goforth alongside surefire starter Shane Lee to begin the season. But it seems only a matter of time before Gentry steps into that role.
The Wright Stuff?
Former Loyola High standout CB Ceyair Wright is making an impact for the Trojans. (Eric Sondheimer / LAT)
USC’s second corner spot remains one of its most intriguing battles ahead of the season, and by no means has that battle been settled. But reading the tea leaves, it’s impossible to ignore how much we’ve heard Ceyair Wright’s name come up.
The redshirt freshman — and budding actor — was raw when he arrived at USC as a four-star prospect last season. He got more screen time in the new “Space Jam” movie last summer than he did on the field for USC in the fall.
That won’t be the case this season. Wright continues to be placed opposite Mekhi Blackmon on USC’s first team defense during the open portion of practice, while Riley and others have heaped praise on his development.
Asked Saturday who improved his stock most through camp, Riley didn’t hesitate to bring up Wright again.
Does that make him the favorite for the corner spot? Hard to say. Washington transfer Jacobe Covington and sophomore Prophet Brown appeared to have a more clear path to that role at the start of camp, and although Brown intercepted a pass in last weekend’s scrimmage, we haven’t heard much about Covington. Five-star freshman cornerback Domani Jackson, meanwhile, missed the last week of camp with an undisclosed injury.
O-line Is Nearly Set
Andrew Vorhees walks on the field during USC training camp in August 2019. (Luis Sinco / LAT)
Little has changed with USC’s starting offensive line since the spring. Andrew Vorhees, Brett Neilon and Justin Dedich have remained locked in on the interior, while Jonah Monheim has continued to man the right tackle spot.
Riley essentially confirmed on Saturday that those four have earned their spots. The only question mark comes at left tackle, where Courtland Ford and Bobby Haskins are continuing to compete into next week.
“Right now we think both Courtland and Bobby are good enough,” Riley said. “I’m sure they’ll both have a role.”
Haskins has been behind Ford all camp, but don’t be surprised if he climbs to the top rung of the depth chart over the next week.
Catching Raleek
Former Mater Dei RB Raleek Brown has been showcasing his speed in USC training camp. (Ashley Landis / AP)
Tuipulotu thought he had freshman running back Raleek Brown within his reach during last weekend’s scrimmage. Then, Brown turned on the jets and blew past the Trojans star defender.
“Raleek is fast,” Tuipulotu said.
That seems to be the consensus on the Trojans’ all-purpose freshman playmaker. Of all the first-year players in camp, Brown seems most assured of a role this fall.
His speed isn’t the only trait that’s been on display, either.
“Raleek has some really good hands,” running backs coach Kiel McDonald said. “His ball skills are considered ahead of schedule, for sure. He’s a joy to have.”
Depth With De’jon?
(Young Kwak / AP)
Behind Tuipulotu, who has been sensational, and redshirt senior Nick Figueroa, who’s as steady as they come, there’s not exactly an abundance of proven depth along USC’s defensive front. That’s defensive line coach Shaun Nua’s biggest concern and could be a problem into the season if injuries hit the group.
But one reserve defensive lineman seems to have made enough of an impression to earn trust in that rotation.
De’jon Benton played only a bit part on USC’s defense the last three seasons. Still, Nua believes in his potential in the Trojans’ new scheme.
“He was made for this defense,” Nua said. “He fits what we do perfectly.”
Lake Making Waves
A foot injury will sideline expected starter Jude Wolfe for at least half the season, leaving USC with a gaping hole at H-back, a position that’s been crucial to past iterations of Riley’s offense.
Into that void steps Lake McRee, a redshirt freshman who came on strong at the end of last season.
Riley has used many different types of H-backs over the years — and found success with pretty much every kind. McRee, assuming he holds onto the job, will presumably be more of a flex receiving threat. The only other healthy scholarship tight end in camp is senior Malcolm Epps, who’s likely to play more of a traditional, inline tight end role.
Korey Foreman
Riley said Saturday that Foreman, in particular, could recover in time for the season. “He’s gotta get some reps and unfortunately missed (more of) the first couple weeks here of camp than we would want him to miss,” Riley said.
“So we’ve got some time, but he’s going to have to compete hard and catch up and be ready to roll.”
Depth Chart Coming Soon
With fall camp ending, classes beginning this week and the season opener against Rice on Sept. 3, USC’s coaching staff has decisions to make on its depth chart.
“We’ve got some that are starting to settle as far as you have a good idea of who’s going to play in that first game,” Riley said. “You’ve got some that are certainly ongoing.”
The coach highlighted the specialists, receivers, cornerbacks and left tackle as positions that have competition for positions at the moment.
As the depth chart is finalized behind the scenes, the team is focused on transitioning to in-season practices and adjusting their off-field behaviors like study and sleep habits.
“You’ve gotta keep improving in practice, and to improve, it’s gotta be competitive,” Riley said. “There will be somebody this year that’s a starter in Game 1 that isn’t in Game 5. And somebody that’s on the scout team in Game 1 all of a sudden becomes a starter.”
latimes.com
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There are some pretty crazy comments from teammates and coaches about Raleek. Also, every highlight that the official USC account pushes out has #14 running past people. I’m excited to watch him play in this offense. I think this might be the best group of skill positions we’ve ever had. Huge claim, but I really do think it’s a real discussion.
Chris, I think that is a fair claim. This is probably as good an overall group of O talent SC has ever assembled. The RBs, WRs, QBs, TEs, and OL are two deep with high quality players. I do not think we have Lendale White/Reggie Bush talent a RB but we have more talent at WR than I can ever recall and we have only two TEs (Lake and Epps) but both are talented. We lack at this time a proven dominant O player, like an OJ, or a Marcus Allen or a Reggie Bush or a Mike Williams (Mike… Read more »
The top 10 Heisman contenders by odds per The Athletic (BetMGM):
Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud: 2-1
Alabama QB Bryce Young: 7-2
USC QB Caleb Williams: 6-1
Texas RB Bijan Robinson: 16-1
Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.: 20-1
Texas QB Quinn Ewers: 20-1
Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel: 20-1
Ohio State RB TreVeyon Henderson: 20-1
Florida QB Anthony Richardson: 20-1
Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei: 20-1
theathletic.com
I check on the former SC QBs: JT is 50:1, Jaxson Dart is 50:1, and Kedon Slovis is 50:1. And Jack Sears, having not been picked up from the transfer portal (to the best of my research) is probably going to try out for the Seattle Seahawks. Jordan Addison is 80:1 and
Travis Dye is 100:1, which is higher than Charbonnet who is not rated. Three QBs SC plays that are rated: DTR at 80:1, Rising (Utah) at 80:1 and Haevner (Fresno State) at 100:1
You’ve gotta love this Fox Big Noon Saturday ad starting off with LR!
https://twitter.com/i/status/1561152536521756672
And driving up to what looks like a Mediterranean style home in Southern Cal. (There are no palm trees in Columbus or Tuscaloosa.)
FOX is going to give ESPN a challenge for CFB Television Supremacy
Quinn, Bush & Leinart vs Herbstreit & Corso, should be interesting.
I prefer the ESPN crew abd game day. To me it just feels like part of the Saturday experience. Maybe once we go to Big10 I will tune into the Fox crew.
I used to love GameDay (amazing intro too!), but I think the show has already seen its best days. It’s truly amazing the show was so good for so long. I know mainstay Lee Corso is an ancient 87-yr old legend who has fortunately semi-recovered from a stroke, but he’s certainly no reason to tune in, even in his severely diminished role as chief mascot headwear guy. MICH honk Desmond Howard has never done much for me, and often seems to be anti-USC IMO, though he tries to hide it. Herbstreit basically protects Corso from falling off the stage when… Read more »
Sign me up for watching this Backyard Brawl: “On Sept. 1, a Thursday night game filled with high-profile ex-Trojans will unfold on national television. West Virginia, with former USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell and former Trojan quarterback J.T. Daniels, will go up against the Pittsburgh Panthers and former USC signal-caller Kedon Slovis. Two USC quarterbacks will face each other, one of them guided by an offensive coordinator who worked with him in Los Angeles. “Harrell coached both Daniels and Slovis in 2019 before Daniels got hurt and Slovis took over the position. It will be fascinating to see how Harrell… Read more »
I have family ties to West Virginia( Mom born there, brother lives there) so I am pulling for the Mountaineers. That and the fact the Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi is a complete Douche Bag! Hope WVU rubs his face in the dirt.
I’ll be watching as well from a hotel room in Thousand Oaks as I’m coming over from Northwest Arizona to take my son to the SC vs Rice game on Saturday. I haven’t been this pumped up to see a USC game for a long time. New HC and staff, great additions to the team from the transfer portal and some good players left over from last year. I’m pulling for JT and WVU vs Pitt. I’ve never liked Pitt because Tony Dorsett stole the Heisman from my classmate Ricky Bell IMO.
Big Advantage Malachi!
QB Arch Manning’s team, Isadore Newman (La) lost big to The Holy Cross School, 35-7.
Malachi Nelson’s Los Alamitos Griffins destroyed Bakersfield Garces Memorial 41-0. Nelson finished the first half 16-of-17 passing for 352 yds and five TDs.
Nelson looks to be an incredible athlete as well as a great QB. Manning is riding his family’s name and it will be interesting to see what each of them does at the next level. Barring injury, I think Nelson will be much more successful.
I’d say the recruiting services are in a real pinch. They all sucked up to the Manning name and over-ranked Arch for publicity’s cause/clicks when guys like Nelson are clearly better, and it’s not even close.
It’ll be interesting to see how much they continue to bend over and ignore what is plain to see. Soo much for evaluation integrity. The only question remaining is how far off the map should Arch drop. JMHO.
AP Pre-Season 2022 AA team (six from Pac-12) First team Offense Quarterback — Bryce Young, junior, Alabama Running back — Bijan Robinson, junior, Texas Running back — TreVeyon Henderson, sophomore, Ohio State Tackle — Peter Skoronski, junior, Northwestern Tackle — Paris Johnson Jr., junior, Ohio State Guard — Andrew Vorhees, sixth-year, Southern California Guard — Caleb Chandler, sixth-year, Louisville Center — Jarrett Patterson, senior, Notre Dame Tight end — Brock Bowers, sophomore, Georgia Wide receiver — Jordan Addison, junior, Southern California Wide receiver — Jaxon Smith-Njigba, junior, Ohio State Wide receiver — Kayshon Boutte, junior, LSU All-purpose player — Deuce Vaughn, junior, Kansas State Kicker — Jake Moody, senior, Michigan Defense Defensive… Read more »
I can hardly wait for SC to return to the days of PC when SC will have as many players on these teams as AL, GA, ND, or tOSU. Amazing that Army has a better LB than any SC has. I am not dissing the SC D, but simply stating facts.
From KTLA 5 news is Los Angeles: As the new semester starts at USC, university officials say they’re disappointed over breakaway fraternities, and are warning students not to join them for their own safety. Eight frats have cut ties with the school after officials imposed strict rules to Greek life in response to allegations of sexual assaults at frat parties. They are: • Tau Kappa Epsilon • Beta Theta Pi • Pi Kappa Alpha • Kappa Alpha • Lambda Chi Alpha • Sigma Chi • Zeta Beta Tau • Sigma Alpha Mu In response, USC posted a statement on Instagram… Read more »
F__k the karens that are anti-male at every university and have been trying to run off frats for the last couple of generations. Usual woke bull crap. Sad to see these weenies have made inroads at SC.
It’s the right move to get out from under the thumb of the school. Considering that a spat between two students gets one of them kicked off the football team instead of letting the house police its own members. And remember the earning potential of many players has already been impacted by the school overreacting. What doesn’t happen under the school umbrella doesn’t happen at all.
The number of frats disassociating started at 6 and is now up to 10 with more on the way. This is now over half the houses. This has been building for years.
There is no secret that the Folt administration doesn’t want to deal with Greeks and for that matter with alumni. They simply want to dictate their cultural agenda.
They were able to unilaterally disband the local alumni clubs and Trojan clubs. However, in this case the kids and the alumni have had enough.
It’ll be interesting to see how this all ends up, silly secret handshakes and all. Being a Sigma Chi in the early ’70s, frat life at USC was extraordinarily healthy, and fun. The Row in general opened me up to a lot of possibilities which were a big part of my college social life, and beyond. Hazing could still be pretty brutal way back then. Excessive drinking was everywhere, not just on the Row. Rossovich and Battle were members, but weren’t eating cockroaches or glass by the time I arrived. I’m not aware of the specifics of this current battle… Read more »
Allen, I did that very thing–being a sorority hasher. Senior Year at the Pi Phis, then the first two years of dental school at the DGs. I was in the same apartment on 30th street from fall of 79 to the spring of 84. It was summer of 82 before I discovered that my stove worked. That sorority food was really good. Easy to see why the gals gained their “freshmen fifteen pounds”.
A while back before LR was hired all of our conversations were on how poor the O line play was and we beat them up pretty good. We also got to talk about the lack of defense Orlando brought us and how we had little hope of it improving. Time sure changes things doesn’t it? Now we are talking about an O line that should be darn good with some depth to it. We are now looking at an almost all new back 7 on defense, and a potential all american defensive lineman. Sure we still have some areas of… Read more »
Oregon Reportedly Initiates ‘Preliminary Discussions’ with Big Ten. Obviously, the Ducks want out of the Pac-12 bad. PistolsFiringBlog — “Conference realignment discussions had somewhat died down with the college football season fast approaching, but some news came out Monday morning. “Oregon has initiated preliminary discussions with the Big Ten to determine if the institution is a fit with the conference, according to Brett McMurphy. This comes after the Big Ten already destabilized the Pac-12 by taking USC and UCLA this summer. With the backing of Nike founder Phil Knight, Oregon is seen as the best remaining institution of the Pac-12.… Read more »
Sounds like Phil called the B1G office and left a message on the machine.
Phil called Fox, CBS and NBC to see the value of Oregon in the B1G. Then they go to Warren with a deal.
I like Phil. Very smart, and he’s not lost in the weeds like some of those types are. He knows ORE’s best future is in getting out of the Pac-12 because he’s thinking way down the line.
This should help UCLA I think. It gives the Regents a lesser position because the Pac-12 is so unstable.
Agreed. Phil sees what is now obvious. In five years, if you team in not in the B1G or the SEC, chances of competing for the NC are going to be very slim. And, you are correct with UCLA. Besides being correct, UCLA’s argument is simple; if we did not go, Oregon would have. And the harm to Cal would have been probably greater and the harm to the UC system would have clearly been greater. Do not think it will work as Cal is in such dire straits financially that the Regents will want some of the athletic gold… Read more »
What makes anyone think anyone can appeal to the Gov and the Regents using logic? This is purely an emotional play for money (isn’t it always, with these people?); logic and business reality have nothing to do with it. UCLA either has to tell them to STFU or ask how big a check it needs to write.
Totally agree. The issue is how does UCLA choose to play the game. Negotiate how big a check to write or simply call their bluff? Does UCLA simply say – sure, let’s rescind. And, please tell me how you intent to make up the $40 million per year shortfall the UCLA athletic department will run starting in 2024. (If UCLA rescinds, then look to Oregon or Stanford to take its place – making the Pac even weaker). My guess is Cal’s shortfall will be even larger given that it has about $25 million loan payment looming. Not certain how I… Read more »
UCLA May decide it has to write a blackmail check but it ain’t pulling out of the B1G.
The likelihood of UCLA’s pulling out of the B1G is less than the likelihood of Cal’s saying “never mind” if UCLA offers to write a $25 million check for reparations.
It just occurred to me.
Cal is obviously making less than $125,000/year. So it probably qualifies for loan forgiveness under the “Covid Emergency, Let Our Buddies Off the Hook Loan Forgiveness Executive Order”.
Yep. Came on the say the exact same. B1G to regents and guv’na: “We got USC and that gives us LA. Don’t need UCLA. You guys can pony up the $$$ to save that athletic department. Hello Ducks.”
Sorry about Bill.
Bill would have been proud I’m sure to have witnessed our discussion!
Bill would be more comfortable to stay in his conference of champions.
Wonder if UCLA has the stones to ask the B1G for an extra cut of the conference pie so it can pay off big brother. Nope, didn’t think so.
How about this one. Phil Knight bribes Gavin Newsome with large political contributions in exchange for Gavin getting the Regents to rescind the UCLA joining the B1G and then Oregon joins in its place. Would make for a great movie plot.
Sticking my neck way out here, I do not believe the Regents have the legal ground to literally direct UCLA to rescind their agreement. That’s exaggerated, murky, bargaining hogwash IMO, regardless of what the embarrassed and humiliated Regents are trying to push. When UCLA surprisingly made the move, that caught the Regents and the Governor completely off guard so they announced “All Options Are On the Table.” Nothing unexpected about that shot across the bow. Legally, the Regents can certainly be challenged and tied up if UCLA has the balls. But maybe the little gutties are too weak to stand… Read more »
No one has yet convinced me the Regents have the power to rescind UCLA’s deal. I think it’s a bluff. The question is, who is the Gov pandering to?
Was listening to the Tim May podcast yesterday morning at the gym. Tim is the retired Ohio State football beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch. Probably covered to team for 40 years and is very well connected. He had Dennis Dodd from CBS on the podcast. Dodd thinks ND is staying independent. Dodd also thinks that Oregon, UW, Stanford, and Cal will be next to join the B1G. However, since all 4, individually and in the aggregate, bring less to the table, they will get a lesser media rights revenue share, but it will still be far above what they’ll… Read more »
If that happens, you have a 20-team B1G. 20 teams. Does that mean 2 10-team divisions, 2 7s and a 6, or something more exotic? Assuming it’s 10 and 10 (the Northwest Territory Division and the Louisiana Purchase Division), the first thing that strikes me is that SC is hardly in the conference at all except for revenue sharing. The football schedule would still have all the Pac-12 transplants (5) plus 1 or 2 from Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, and 1 or 2 from everbody else. So, what, a game against tOSU or That School Up North every 5… Read more »
How this all fits together is obviously an issue of Herculean dimensions.
Its extreme difficulty is why USC caught the Feeble-12 with its jock strap off.
Another thing worth keeping an eye on:
How will Ohio State, in a 20-team conference, still be able to schedule 8 home games every year?
Now it’s a nine game Conf schedule so it’s 4 or 5 home conference games depending on the season. Next year will be the return trip to South Bend. Conference schedule hasn’t been released so don’t know if it’s six or seven home games next year. But, given that Buckeye Nation is by far the largest fan base in college football, most games are home games. Fact: Indiana’s Memorial Stadium is known as Ohio Stadium West and the Hoosiers take their stadium aerial photo every other year (or used to) when the Buckeyes bust, because the stadium is filled with… Read more »
*visit
Silly Hoosiers, don’t even know the difference between scarlet and crimson.
Need some scheduling software to figure it out, but probably four pods of five (this is football only). Play the other four in your pod every year. Ten conference games so two each from the other pods. Rotate home/away and rotate in the others in other years. I think that results in playing every team and at every campus at least every four years.
Oregon goes into the big house under Belotti and the horseshoe with Mario and beats the BigTen’s best. They also handled MSU with the Chipper when they were highly rated. Even if LR is building a recruiting fence around California, Oregon would still get its share of top athletes and compete in the Big Ten.
Hearing a pin drop from UDUB since the LA schools announced they were leaving, about where it wants to be after the ’23-24 season. Even from rumor mills, there is nothing. Maybe they would rather be a big boy in a makeshift Big 12 or MWC-PAC merger? Maybe they feel with Oregon making the effort in wanting in the Big Ten, they can just hang on Oregon’s coattails and somehow get a ride in? Pretty poor strategy if that’s the case.
You had to figure this announcement was inevitable >>>>> Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
·6m
The #Panthers made it official, announcing QB Baker Mayfield as their starting QB.
Baker Mayfield opens the season against the Browns on 9/11 in Carolina. I think I’m tuning in. Who’s gonna eat the dirt sandwich in this one?
My only possible good take of this development is if ……Maybe …….Mayfield plays real good that the Panthers could (tho I doubt it) put some pressure on Tampa Bay ( This is just me but I AM getting just a bit tired of this guy named Brady).
Some think Lane Kiffin could be the next Panthers coach. Matt Rhule is only 10-23 in two years on the job, and his team looks bad again this year. Interesting take here on how CFB coaches may not want to deal with NIL stuff: AtoZ Sports — “Kiffin has had a wild coaching career. His first head coaching job was with the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He was fired by Al Davis, but that was a bizarre situation that shouldn’t change anyone’s opinion of Kiffin. “The long-time football coach, who has been the head coach at Ole Miss for the… Read more »
I can see Kiffen back in the pros. I think every college coach is at their wits end with NIL. Without some parameters and restraints put into place it will continue to be wild west. Matt Ruhle is a very good college coach, but would he want to come back to the pandemonium going on presently. It seems every college will have to have people in place to insulate the head coaches from the NIL stuff, letting them keep their minds on football and the players.
It’s amazing how quickly a coach’s rep can change. Matt Rhule seemed like god’s gift to coaches when he was at BAY, even though his record there was only 19-20. But he went 11-3 his last year in 2019.
Now he seems like just another coaching retread who is on the verge of being fired. He took the wrong NFL job. Would you want him now as the HC of your favorite CFB team? Not I.
I have seen good coaches go to the nfl only to fail often. It is a different world dealing with pro players. To answer your question, yes, he was one of my favorites to come to USC and I don’t believe he has lost his ability to coach, just not at the pro level, at least not where he is at right now. If he comes back to college I think that like a lot of coaches, it depends on where he ends up will decide how successful he is. And talking about coaches rep changing, just look at Kiffen.
I really liked Kiffin because we served purposes for one another in the recruiting biz and he was a fantastic source and the rules used to allow more of an exchange there I believe. I knew he was smart and had a white-hot passion to be great in coaching. I thought he was good at USC too, but the loss of 30 rides and all the other NCAA stuff was just too hard for a not-ready-for-prime-time coach to overcome. Kiffin just had too many issues at USC for Haden to keep him on, though I’ll never understand the infamous Tarmac… Read more »
For all his faults in 2010, Kiffin deserves a lot of credit for hoe he managed the roster during the sanctions years. This included, if I recall correctly, exercising an automatic appeal that had the effect of delaying the scholarship sanction a year, which gave him time to put his plan in place.
If a dummy like Helton had been the coach in 2010, things would have been much worse.
Oh, ya! If The Cat had tried to lead USC through the scholarship-cramped years post-Bush, the Trojans would have been a much bigger disaster. Kiffin used the rules smartly to the benefit of USC’s reduced numbers as you know. One of Kiffin’s big problems was Kennedy Pola, who punched him out before lethargic, uninspired USC lost to GT 21-7 in the 2012 Sun Bowl. Shortly before the game, Kiffin had reneged on a promise he made to Pola, the supposed OC, that Pola could call plays in the bowl game. As a result, Kiffin wore a black windbreaker, visor and… Read more »
Athlon Sports — The Trojans now begin a new era of expectations with Lincoln Riley at the helm. This fall is his first bite at the apple, and while it probably will go well enough, fans should exercise caution with regard to their expectations. The Trojans have plenty of offensive firepower, but they’re a little light on talent if they get hit with injuries, and the defense isn’t quite as loaded as the offense. It will be interesting to see how Riley manages this over a full season and here’s how three Athlon staff see it panning out. Steven Lassan… Read more »
I have a lot of anticipation for this upcoming season and no expectations other than at least 8 wins. The 4 games listed above look to be the toughest but all are winnable. We will know how tough those teams will be and how good SC will be pretty soon in September. That Kane Webb take is lame. Really, the business decisions of Conference Commissioners, University Presidents and ADs will motivate players on a football team for revenge? I think not.
Kane Webb is so wrong. USC has been rumored and given innuendoes of possibly leaving the Pac for years. When Folt asked for a bigger piece of the pie and got unanimously rejected, did anyone of these idiots even consider USC would leave? Does this Webb guy ever read anything? Now he is right in regards to SC having a target on their back, but that is to be expected at USC when you have a great coach and team. I can see every Pac game being played with the opposition pumped to super bowl heights. Just because the leadership… Read more »
Here’s my guess at D starters-
DLine- Tuli, Stanley T, Figueroa, Height
LB- Lee, Gentry
Corners- Blackmon, Wright
nickel- Max
safeties- Bullock, Alford
also in my opinion there are only 4 spots that are locks- Tuli, Bullock, Lee, Blackmon
Every thing I have read about Gentry leads me to believe he is a lock, as long as he continues to perform. That can be said about any player now with LR and how he runs things.
Consensus 2023 Texas 4-star S/CB Warren Roberson (6-0, 190) is expected to announce his commitment to USC tomorrow over numerous other offers per Scott Schrader.
on3.com
This article is great and shows me that the defense might be a lot better than we think. After the last few years, when our defense couldn’t stop anyone, it will be nice to have talent and coaching that leads to defensive stops.
Lincoln Riley’s Game Plan Lincoln Riley on former OU WR Marquise Brown — “He went from a two [or] three [on the depth chart], to probably one of the top two or three best receivers in that league within a matter of six weeks. It can happen that fast. We’re going to need it to happen that fast. It’s an underrated part of your roster. It’s not building ourselves to win one game. We’re building ourselves to try to win a lot of games and win games different ways and win games with different people. And to do that, you’ve… Read more »
I believe the Trojan D will be greatly benefitted by the Trojan’s explosive and powerful O, both running and passing. I don’t think I’ve read too much, if anything, about that possibility here. USC’s type of O/D setup can give a defense enormous (perhaps undeserved) confidence. Our D could be thinking it can always redeem itself because our O can strike at any time. It will also put pressure on the D to excel anywhere it can, keep pace, and measure up. Also, our D should be coming to play with a boulder-like chip on its shoulder. Nothing but weak… Read more »
What is changing is the defensive scheme. These players in last years inadequately designed defense could look much different this year. All of a sudden we hear about De’jon Benton. Could it be he is being used in a system he works better in? Then we have such a change in work ethic, attitude, and basic football philosophy. We have coaches demanding improvement and a much better strength program. This defense is not even going to be close to what we had last year, it is going to vastly better and above all else faster. I hope the offense can… Read more »
Steveg, I totally agree with your take on this. We have better players on defense this year that 2021 and the scheme and discipline demanded by the coaches is evident. This D is practicing daily against one of the nations presumed best Offenses designed by LR. If this defense can hold its own against this offense then those who want to bury our D maybe in for a surprise. I hope that is what we see. We are faster and more athletic and experienced in key areas so all we can do is watch our boys play and hope that… Read more »
I am intrigued by the Cal/UCLA issue. The core of the problem, I think is the Cal 2012 Stadium renovation and new athletic center. I researched it a bit and discovered that Cal borrowed $445 million to fund it. It borrowed the money with very odd financing, interest only for 20 years and then the loan amortizes over 80 years. The idea was that Cal could raise the $445 million over the 20 years via donations and selling seat licenses. Seating licensing and donations has raised about $61 million. I have no idea what was done with that $61 million… Read more »
Wow. I had no idea CAL was this bad off.
Another thought … should we be giving beleaguered Pat Haden some important credit for getting the massive Coliseum basically rebuilt, by all accounts a job well done?
Who lent them $445 million with a 100 year payback?
”seat licensing and donations raised $61 million” sounds a lot like “Henry and Tommie Aaron hit 768 home runs between them.” So maybe 60 million in donations and 1 million in licensing.
The Speed of Trust LAT — “He puts himself in position to win a lot,” OC Josh Henson said of Virginia OT transfer Bobby Haskins. “[That’s] just experience. [He’s] a seasoned operator. He doesn’t make things hard on himself.” Haskins also added 10 pounds to his frame during the spring as part of a plan he devised with USC strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie to add upper body strength. He’s now checking in around 305, which he says has already helped him improve as a run blocker. Whether that’ll be enough for him to win the job at left… Read more »
At this point I get a good feeling that the OL will be fairly good. 6 solid players that are definite starters. I would think of the other 10 OL at least 4 are capable backups. The DL is another story, those guys got to get healthy first let alone get good. Hopefully things will improve over the next 2 weeks.
Golden, I am reading really good reviews on the back up OL. Strange it seems, Helton did recruit good OL talent – he just could not coach it or develop it. It appears that we will have a very solid two deep on the OL. In fact, it appears that we will have a very sold 2 deep on the entire O. The D is a totally different proposition – on the front 7, we will not even have 7 solid starters. The only players that I would count as solid in the front 7 are Tui, Lee and Gentry.… Read more »
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) — “I’m increasingly of the belief that Notre Dame won’t be joining the Big Ten, (or the SEC). It wants to remain independent if it can make it work financially. I initially believed that to be completely unrealistic when it was reported the school was hoping to get a $75 million TV deal after 2025 (it currently averages $22 million from NBC), but I’ve changed my mind. “As we saw with the Big Ten’s new deal, rights fees are skyrocketing. That league nearly tripled its take (from $440 million to $1.2 billion) in the span of six years.… Read more »
I like when Riley said this (I love coaches who are ALWAYS willing to keep looking to field the best team week-in week-out!) >>>>> “There will be somebody this year that’s a starter in Game 1 that isn’t in Game 5. And somebody that’s on the scout team in Game 1 all of a sudden becomes a starter.”………FIGHT ON !!!!!
Right Hof19, it reminds me of the Pete Carroll days, your position on the depth chart is not secure from week to week.