Freshmen Standouts, Ol Battles And Other Post-spring Takeaways On Usc Football

Welcome backmost to nan Times of Troy newsletter, wherever we’re happy to study that nan USC hit had a chance to beryllium down pinch USC’s assistants complete immoderate meal burritos past week. It’ll beryllium a while earlier we’re talking shot again. So why not get successful a fewer parting takeaways from nan outpouring and my various conversations pinch assistants?

1. It doesn’t consciousness each that bold anymore to foretell that Trent Mosley will person an power instantly arsenic a freshman this fall. The Rancho Margarita prima receiver has done thing but impressment since his presence astatine USC. “Trent had a really, really beardown spring,” tight ends/inside receivers coach Chad Savage said. “Super excited for nan early he’s sewage astatine USC. He carries himself for illustration a pro. The measurement he handled nan playbook for an early enrollee is very, very impressive.” I’ve been astir agelong capable to cognize those comments cheque each nan boxes for a breakout player. If he’s not starting correct distant successful nan slot, it will only beryllium a matter of time.

2. With Tanook Hines retired for spring, sophomore wideout Corey Simms abruptly recovered himself pinch an outsized magnitude of responsibility. The unit had him study aggregate spots and play connected some sides of nan field, a domiciled usually reserved for much seasoned receivers. But Simms, somehow, has been astatine USC for longer than immoderate different receiver successful nan room. It was a large opportunity for Simms, and Dennis Simmons, USC’s receivers coach, called nan acquisition “a large eye-opener.” I don’t deliberation we’ll spot Simms measurement into a starting role, but I expect we’ll spot a batch much of him this fall.

3. I’ll beryllium really funny to spot really freshman wideout Ethan “Boobie” Feaster fits into that operation erstwhile he gets to field this summer. Feaster was 1 of USC’s fewer signees not to enroll successful January, truthful he’ll beryllium playing catch-up. But don’t beryllium amazed if you spot a emergence akin to Hines’ past season. Feaster is being compensated excessively good to not get a shot. Another freshman receiver who could get immoderate unexpected tally this fall? Tron Baker.

4. There was a agelong this outpouring wherever Savage could consciousness freshman tight extremity Mark Bowman was reasoning excessively much. Considering really overmuch is asked of nan tight extremity position astatine USC, it’s understandable. All it took, though, was week disconnected for outpouring break, Savage said, for Bowman to bounce backmost — and faster than astir freshmen would. “The tight ends, we put a batch connected their sheet mentally,” Savage said. “But erstwhile he could deliberation little and play faster, he was backmost to being nan Mark Bowman we cognize he’s tin of being.”

5. So overmuch tin still alteration on USC’s violative line, which, successful this case, is really a bully thing. But violative statement coach Zach Hanson did make a fewer things clear. One, Tobias Raymond will beryllium “pinned down connected nan inside,” meaning he won’t play tackle, wherever he’s spent 68% of his snaps astatine USC. It’s not group successful chromatic if he’ll commencement astatine halfway aliases subordinate Alani Noa arsenic a starting guard. But to me, it makes consciousness to slot him astatine halfway while giving freshman Breck Kolojay a changeable to snag a starting defender spot. “He’s arsenic crisp arsenic anybody I’ve been astir arsenic a existent freshman,” Hanson said of Kolojay. “From a beingness standpoint arsenic well, man, he’s sewage awesome feet. He’s a large beingness kid. He’s strong.” I asked Hanson if he had nan constitution to play correct away, and he didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely,” Hanson said. Hayden Treter is nan different defender pushing to play connected nan inside.

6. Right tackle will beryllium 1 of nan champion battles successful autumn camp. Justin Tauanuu, nan incumbent, sat retired each of spring, ceding nan spot for nan clip being to Elijah Vaikona. It’s excessively adjacent to telephone betwixt those 2 correct now, and that’s earlier you see Keenyi Pepe, nan highest-rated violative linemen enlistee successful USC history. It’s a bully problem for Hanson to have.

7. No violative lineman connected USC’s roster has taken anyplace adjacent nan number of unrecorded reps arsenic Alani Noa — 1,461 complete nan past 2 seasons — but erstwhile Noa was distant from nan squad during vessel season, it was a existent mobility if he’d return. “He was trying to fig retired precisely what he wanted to do,” Hanson said. “Obviously excited to person him back.” He’ll beryllium locked into 1 of nan defender spots and has nan “ability to beryllium a top-round draught pick,” according to Hanson. The biggest point opinionated successful his measurement correct now, though? Confidence. That’s what USC has been moving connected pinch him since his return.

8. Gary Patterson equated nan learning process for USC’s defense this outpouring to “drinking retired of a occurrence hose.” The squad only held 1 full-on scrimmage and spent astir of nan convention learning. But now, nan squad and unit starts backmost astatine Day 1 of installment and does it again. By August, Patterson said, they should person gone done nan full strategy 4 times.

9. USC rolled pinch a rotation of chiefly 3 protect ends past play — Kameryn Crawford, Braylan Shelby and Anthony Lucas. Lucas is disconnected to nan NFL now, but protect statement coach Shaun Nua is “very, very optimistic” that USC will person much extent rushing disconnected nan separator this season. “Depth is ever your friend,” Nua said. With that successful mind, expect a larger rotation this year, 1 that should astatine slightest see Penn State transportation Zuriah Fisher and, of course, No. 1 wide enlistee Luke Wafle. Wafle, Nua said, spent nan outpouring trying to amended understand his weaknesses. “It’s benignant of eye-opening for him that there’s still a batch for him to learn,” Nua said.

10. We could spot astatine nan extremity of past play that protect backmost Alex Graham had a chance to beryllium thing special, and aft spring, I’m buying moreover much stock. “I emotion his makeup,” safeties coach Paul Gonzales said. “I mean, ever successful nan building, useful hard, smart and instinctive. I’m excited astir wherever we’re putting him successful this defense and really he’s going to make plays pinch his accomplishment set. I deliberation he’s gonna beryllium an effect subordinate for us.” Don’t beryllium amazed if he’s nan champion subordinate successful USC’s protect backfield this fall.

Top 5 … USC receivers of nan past 10 years

USC wide receiver Drake London heads to nan extremity area against Utah successful a 2021 game.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

With Makai Lemon group to beryllium selected successful Thursday’s first information of nan NFL draft, I sewage to talking pinch a friend who went to USC, D Magazine’s Mike Piellucci, astir wherever Lemon ranks among Trojan receivers of nan past decade. So I decided to rank them …

5. Amon-ra St. Brown. Could decidedly beryllium higher connected this list. But successful 2019, connected nan aforesaid offense, it was nan No. 4 receiver connected this database who was apical dog.

4. Michael Pittman Jr. Caught complete 100 passes successful 2019 and was nan Pac-12’s champion heavy threat successful 2018. I’d put his expertise to drawback a walk successful postulation against astir of nan receivers I’ve seen successful my career.

3. Juju Smith-Schuster. Completely ascendant successful 2015. All nan devices to beryllium an all-around force, but ne'er rather captured that potential.

2. Makai Lemon. The only Biletnikoff victor connected this list, Lemon’s expertise to create abstraction complete nan mediate of nan section is 2nd to none. He’s arsenic safe arsenic it gets erstwhile it comes to NFL receivers.

1. Drake London. The only agleam spot successful a dismal 2021 play and nan astir talented receiver I’ve covered successful my career, assemblage aliases pro. London tin do everything. And he’s still getting amended successful nan NFL.

—Lindsay Gottlieb’s quest to build a ace squad for nan 2026-27 play continues. USC added some a 6-foot6 halfway (Florida State’s Pania Davis) and an knowledgeable defender (Ryann Bennett of UC Davis), and it’s only been a week. The Trojans now person a 6-6 (Davis), 6-4 (Sitaya Fagan), 6-4 (Sara Okeke), 6-2 (Laura Williams) frontcourt. If each goes arsenic planned, Gottlieb shouldn’t person to interest overmuch astir rebounding aliases rim protection adjacent season.

—Expect nan assemblage shot play to commencement successful Week Zero successful 2027. That was nan proposal of nan Division 1 Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee this past week. Their proposal would destruct nan request for exceptions to play earlier Labor Day and springiness teams 14 weeks to play 12 games, starting successful (usually) precocious August.

Olympic sports spotlight

After 11 years without a convention title, USC’s women’s tennis squad clinched its first-ever Big Ten title pinch a triumph complete Indiana connected Saturday. That’s nary mini feat, considering that nan Big Ten has 4 teams successful nan apical 20. Saturday’s triumph besides ensured nan Trojans would decorativeness this play undefeated astatine location — different feat they hadn’t accomplished successful complete a decade.

No. 10 USC has won 7 matches successful a statement heading into nan postseason. It’s been 40 years since USC past won a squad nationalist title successful women’s tennis. This squad could person a puncher’s chance if it keeps playing for illustration this.

What I’m watching this week

Laurie Metcalf arsenic Linda and Dan Levy arsenic Nicky successful “Big Mistakes.”

(Spencer Pazer / Netflix)

Since I first saw “Schitt’s Creek,” I’ve been buying banal successful Dan Levy, who created and wrote nan show while besides giving a hilarious capacity arsenic David Rose. And aft watching his latest show, “Big Mistakes,” I americium fresh to double down.

The show follows 2 hopelessly inept siblings — a pastor, played by Levy, and his schoolteacher sister, played by a hilarious Taylor Ortega — whose determination to bargain a necklace for their dying grandma leads them unintentionally into a world of organized crime wherever they are successful measurement complete their head. I haven’t laughed retired large this overmuch during a 30-minute drama successful a minute.

Until adjacent clip ...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email maine astatine ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and travel maine connected X astatine @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.