USCFootball.com - Fall Camp Begins

August 3, 2006

Brian Grummell
USCFootball.com Staff Writer

USC football begins its 2006 season on Thursday in a much-anticipated follow-up to the remarkable legacy created from 2002 to 2005.

In that time, USC won two three Heisman trophies, two national championships and nearly a third. Now that stars Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush have departed, Trojan fans can't help but wonder, what's next?

USCFootball.com has cobbled together the relevant nuggets of information to have you primed and ready for the first week of fall camp that will go a long way in answering those questions.

Week One Schedule: August 3-10

Drills officially begin Thursday morning with the veterans practicing at 8:45 a.m. and newcomers at 3:00 p.m. That will remain the daily schedule from the 3rd to the 6th per NCAA rules designed to help new players better acclimate to each other before facing their veteran teammates.

The first full-squad practices is on Monday August 7th, with everyone in full pads and reporting at 8:45 a.m. Two more practices will be held to complete the week. Both are two-a-days on August 8th and 10th at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Elvis Has Left The Building

Get used to life without offensive stars Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and LenDale White who are now off to the NFL. The transition will be tough, as all three provided the playmaking for the nation's best offense over the last three seasons.

The Trojans' biggest returning star is receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who is awaiting possible sanction from the NCAA for a questionable downtown living arrangement he shared with teammate Matt Leinart last year.

Look for new stars in one-time elite recruits John David Booty and Chauncey Washington. Both are incredibly talented and should help the offense maintain a semblance of its former swagger.

Stars, Everywhere

From coach Pete Carroll at last week's Pac-10 media day:

"I think what's unique about this team is we have the culmination of three really big time recruiting years"

No doubt. Carroll has been part of an unprecedented effort that brought four consecutive No. 1 recruiting classes to Troy. Those classes will provide an undeniable amount of talent and depth to the roster to help make this the most talented USC team to play under Carroll.

Position Battles

Pete Carroll stresses "competition", going so far as to wear a wristband with the motto "compete" and declaring no roster position safe.

Such is life at USC, and the battles will be heated for starting and backup jobs. Notable position battles include quarterback (John David Booty vs. Mark Sanchez), tailback (Chauncey Washington vs. Michael Coleman and a stable of incoming freshmen) and all linebacker spots (Rey Maualuga vs. Oscar Lua, Dallas Sartz vs. Brian Cushing, Keith Rivers vs. Kaluka Maiava).

Better Than You Think

The offensive line and safety groups were hit hard by graduation and NFL departures. But fear not, both are in great shape and fans will be surprised how well the groups will perform with new faces.

Last year's line was arguably among the greatest in college football history, but lost massive guard Deuce Lutui, athletic tackle Winston Justice and energetic guard Fred Matua to the NFL.

However, the line's two best players return in junior tackle Sam Baker and senior center Ryan Kalil. Both are considered among the top one or two players at their positions nationally. They'll likely line up next to Jeff Byers, Chilo Rachal and Kyle Williams or Charles Brown.

At safety, Darnell Bing and Scott ware are gone but in step Josh Pinkard and Kevin Ellison. Pinkard is considered among the best players on the team, and Ellison reminds many people of Matt Grootegoed because of his football instincts and intuition. Also, keep an eye out for true frosh safeties Allen Bradford and Taylor Mays. Both were at the top of USC's recent signing class that is considered the nation's best.

If they remain healthy, both position groups will be considered among the nation's elite by the end of the season.

Return of the M.A.S.H.

Many Trojan stars are returning to the field from injury-plagued 2005 seasons. They include guards Jeff Byers (hip) and Drew Radovich (hip), backs Michael Coleman (hip) and Desmond Reed (knee), linebackers Dallas Sartz (shoulder), Brian Cushing (shoulder, ankle), Thomas Williams (knee) and Luther Brown (back), safety Kevin Ellison (knee) and cornerbacks Terrell Thomas (knee) and Mozique McCurtis (sports hernia).

In and Out

Receiver Whitney Lewis has transferred from USC to Northern Iowa. Defensive backs Brandon and Ryan Ting have left the football team to attend medical school. Offensive lineman Matt Spanos was declared academically ineligile and will miss the 2006 season.

This is the first fall practice for defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Nick Holt since being hired in the offseason to replace line coach Jethro Franklin. Holt and assistant David Watson will add plenty of fire coaching the defensive line. Secondary coach Greg Burns also left for the NFL, and was replaced by graduate assistant Demetrice Martin.

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