As we close the book on spring and USC embarks on its summer conditioning and player-run practices, it's time to revisit the depth chart and examine which players separated themselves at their position and/or carved out a bigger role since the end of last season. Below is a list of the most notables cases on defense. (Here are five offensive players.)
5. LB PALAIE GAOTEOTE
It wasn’t too long ago that Gaoteote was being groomed to take over at middle linebacker. As he enters his sophomore year, there’s a chance that he never mans the MIKE spot on a regular basis. He spent all of spring at weakside linebacker and doesn’t figure to slide over to MLB this fall as John Houston and Jordan Iosefa compete for the starting job. The primary reason Gaoteote isn’t in the mix in the middle is the aforementioned players have a better grasp of the system and making the calls. There’s also the real possibility that he’s better where he’s at. EA had a strong performance at weakside in last year’s season finale and it planted the seed for the switch. While DC Clancy Pendergast noted he’s diagnosing plays better, Gaoteote’s instincts remain one of his biggest strengths. Playing WLB affords him more room to be fast and free and take some chances. EA is a special talent who could (and perhaps should) line up in several spots over the course of a game. It wouldn’t be surprising if he led the team in sacks, tackles for loss or interceptions in a given year. He’s a rare breed. More importantly, he appears to have been put in a better position to succeed.
