USC Is Loaded At WR!

USC is deep at wide receiver. Will that affect how Trojans use Bru McCoy?

How will Bru McCoy be utilized by OC Graham Harrell in USC’s passing game this season? (John McGillen / USC Athletics)

It was yet another example of the former five-star wideout making his presence known during USC’s camp — and yet another sign that McCoy may earn a permanent place in the Trojans’ passing offense sooner rather than later. USC coach Clay Helton said on Monday that the redshirt freshman looks “extremely comfortable” and that he made “a major step forward” during the Trojans’ first live scrimmage action. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell raved last week about how difficult McCoy was to cover.

But as McCoy makes that long-awaited leap, the question arises how quickly he might work into an especially deep USC rotation at receiver. If last season is any indication, it could be longer than his early performance might suggest.

Like last season, the Trojans have a cemented top-three at receiver, with Amon-ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns on the outside and Drake London in the slot. London was the insurgent in that top group last season, but with Michael Pittman Jr. catching 101 passes, it took the top-flight freshman half of the season to carve out a trusted place in the receiver rotation, even after he turned heads in training camp.

Before Oct. 19, London was held catchless in five of six games. He burst onto the scene after that, finishing with five touchdowns in his final seven games.

His trajectory could be a reasonable model for what to expect from McCoy this season.

“We knew what we had with Ra and Pitt and TV,” Helton said on Monday. “We were looking for that next guy that could produce for us, and you look up and there’s Drake, and I think he had over 700 yards for us last year. So there’ll be some — one, two, three guys for us this year that’ll stand out for us.”

Similar promises were made to expand the receiver rotation last season, but London wound up being the only young wideout to make an impact. Outside of Pittman, St. Brown, Vaughns and London, four other receivers caught 11 total passes last season. 

Drake London looks to play an important, and still evolving, role for USC

Of those four, two have since transferred. Of the remaining two, Kyle Ford is currently injured and Munir McClain is suspended.

McCoy appears to be the furthest along of USC’s young receivers this season, though he’s hardly the only one earning early plaudits. Freshman Gary Bryant Jr. has also made an impression as a movable piece in the offense and a speedy returner on special teams. Helton also mentioned freshman Joshua Jackson Jr. and sophomore John Jackson as potential contributors.

How long it might take for any of them to contribute in a meaningful way is to be determined.

Standout bros

While Marlon Tuipulotu was slated to step into a bigger role along USC’s defensive line, Tuli Tuipulotu was set to step into his older brother’s shadow. So far, both have impressed.

Helton singled out Marlon as one of the standouts of Saturday’s scrimmage, praising his leadership in the absence of All-Pac-12 defensive tackle Jay Tufele, who opted out of the season.

The younger Tuipulotu, meanwhile, has had “one of the better camps of anybody on our team,” Helton said.

“He looks like a monster,” Helton said of the freshman defensive end. “He’s 275 but runs like he’s 240 — I mean, great athleticism, has pass-rushing skills. Obviously, his older brother is on him every day making sure that he’s doing right on and off the field, so he has a really bright future.”

Notes

Junior linebacker Kana’i Mauga continues to deal with a hamstring injury, but Helton said he expects Mauga to be ready for USC’s opener against Arizona State. … Redshirt junior linebacker Juliano Falaniko severely sprained an ankle that will keep him out several weeks. … Cornerbacks Dorian Hewett and Jayden Williams are both dealing with minor back injuries and are expected to return to practice in the coming days.

latimes.com

__________

TrojanDailyBlog members  —  Always feel free to add information or topics to the TDB which don’t necessarily pertain to any particular moderator post or member comment.

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO RECEIVE NOTICE OF NEW COMMENTS OR REPLIES.
Notify of
12 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
rleeholder1
rleeholder1
Offline
October 21, 2020 12:48 pm

Just a thought while going into the “Wayback Machine”. My relative, Ted Tannehill was USC’s leading rusher as a right halfback on the 1945 Trojan “squad”. I was watching an NFL game Sunday and wondered if the Tennessee Titans QB, was related to Ted. Both excelled in Track and Field in college as well as Football. Based upon the photos, I do see a resemblance. I tried to do some research on mostly Google, but couldn’t find a connection between the two. Oh, the things we do in retirement!

Ted Tannehill 1945 (1).jpg
rleeholder1
rleeholder1
Offline
October 21, 2020 12:49 pm
Reply to  rleeholder1

Here is a photo of Ryan Tannehill. Couldn’t get both photos in the same post.

Ryan Tannehill.jpg
gametv
gametv
Offline
October 20, 2020 9:10 pm

How long will USC be able to claim the best receiver corp on the West Coast? Oregon picks up a commit from Donte Thornton to complete a sweep of the best receiver talent to enroll at west coast programs. How is Oregon sweeping up all the best receivers if USC’s air raid is such a receiver-friendly offense? So what about 2022? There are 2 WR recruits in the top 50 players in the next year coming out of Mater Dei, in our backyard. USC has the crystal ball projection for Mater Dei’s top player in 2022, but out of the… Read more »

Golden Trojan
Major Genius
Golden Trojan
Offline
October 20, 2020 1:06 pm
Reply to  Allen Wallace

Alabama was so solid against a very good Georgia team. One particular play that stood out to me, the QB calls the blitz by the LB, the tight end shifts to that side, they pick up the blitz perfectly. The players are so fit and well coached.

ATL D.D.S.
Major Genius
ATL D.D.S.
Offline
October 22, 2020 3:30 am
Reply to  Allen Wallace

And Kirby Smart looked like the bratty little country kid who gets his ass handed to him by the city boys….

LawyerJohn
LawyerJohn
Offline
October 20, 2020 9:24 am

Too many cooks in the kitchen. I would rather carry too many linemen than an over-abundance of wideouts.

Jamaica
Noble Genius
Jamaica
Offline
October 20, 2020 9:38 am
Reply to  LawyerJohn

I agree with that 110 percent and then some. Linemen get hurt, banged up, need blows. A team will use only so many WRs. The backups will sit all season long. But hacker Helton hasn’t a clue.

rleeholder1
rleeholder1
Offline
October 20, 2020 3:47 am

Number one, I’m hoping that McCoy is healthy and able to play this shortened season. He had so much “hoopla” when he came to SC. Reminded me of the Brett Favre situation of “will he play or won’t he play”. Biased towards the Trojans as I always am, I think SC has the best corps of wide receivers in the Country and can’t wait to see them in action in a little over 2 weeks. Kedon Slovis will have a lot of choices to go to when pass plays are called. Usually, and as a former QB in HS myself,… Read more »

gametv
gametv
Offline
October 20, 2020 11:59 am
Reply to  rleeholder1

USC has so many weapons in the arsenal, but it all comes down to whether the offensive line is able to provide any protection or provide blocking for the run game. I just hope they focus on really deploying all the weapons, including passing to running backs, tight ends and developing a strong run attack that really augments the passing game. What I am hearing about the “scrimmage” worries me a bit. Sounds like Helton is right back to his fake physical practices. I heard that Ohio State under Urban Meyer used to start practices at a local high school… Read more »

rleeholder1
rleeholder1
Offline
October 21, 2020 12:43 pm
Reply to  gametv

Agree with you 100% gametv!!