Embattled USC coach Clay Helton has struck a distinct tone with his comments over the last month, almost as if trying to address his many critics head-on with what they want to hear.

He says he's going to be hands-off with the offense and give new coordinator Graham Harrell the autonomy to install and run his system as Helton takes a more big-picture approach to managing the team.

"My total focus this spring, therefore, will be on the discipline of the game," he reiterated in comments released by USC on Monday, doubling down on that new catchphrase. "I'll let our coordinators install scheme and system. And that's how it will be in the fall and during games, when the coordinators will call the plays and I'll manage game situations."

And with a key gripe from many Trojans fans being the notion that Helton is stubborn when it comes to setting the lineup, he takes direct aim at that as well.

“Everyone will compete for playing time in every practice,” he stated Monday. “The practice field will decide who plays, and that begins in spring practice and will continue in the fall. Nobody owns a job, no one can be comfortable and stagnant. We won’t even have a depth chart until the day before each game because players will be competing for playing time on a weekly basis.”

It formally starts Tuesday as USC opens spring practice, looking to turn the page on a 5-7 season that didn't ultimately cost Helton his job but did greatly weaken his foundation of support within the fan base.

A tough close to the recruiting cycle -- the Trojans' No. 19 finish was the program's lowest in the history of the Rivals rankings, which started in 2002 -- only furthered the doubts and questions that will follow the Trojans through this pivotal 2019 campaign.

With that, here are the key questions USC carries into the spring:

While most of USC's new coaching hires have been around the program for more than a couple months now, spring practice provides the first true look at how they function in their roles.

It will be interesting to hear the comments from the players within the relevant position groups about what's different with a new voice setting the tone.

In addition to the hiring of Harrell to replace initial offseason splash Kliff Kingsbury at OC, USC also brought in new coaches for the running backs (former Bowling Green head coach and Texas Tech RBs coach Mike Jinks), defensive line (Chad Kauha'aha'a from Boise State) and secondary (Greg Burns, who returns to USC after most recently coaching at Oregon State), while promoting analyst Joe DeForest to outside linebackers coach, moving Keary Colbert from the tight ends to the wide receivers, giving those TE duties to special teams coordinator John Baxter and now having Tim Drevno enter a full season as offensive line coach after starting with the RBs last fall.

USC needed to shake things up. The question is were those aforementioned moves enough to manifest a true change in the culture and identity of this team?

As mentioned, that has become Helton's rallying mantra for turning the page on the woes of 2018.

Those are just words at the moment, though. What does it actually mean and how does he actually plan to exact improvements in minimizing penalties and self-inflicted errors? Will there truly be a new level of accountability? And what exactly will Helton be doing during practices to follow through on all this?

His role will be interesting to monitor this spring.

Freshman Palaie Gaoteote was a raw revelation over the second half of last season when he filled in for injured middle linebacker Cam Smith.

He flashed his playmaking potential while also showing the traits of a true freshman still learning his responsibilities within the scheme. Even accepting the latter, it was frustrating to many to see his role mostly disappear when Smith was healthy to return, as defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast insisted it was more valuable that he get reps behind Smith at MLB in practice rather than playing elsewhere on the defense.

As Adam Maya reported, though, the plan heading into spring is to look at Gaoteote at weakside linebacker with Jordan Iosefa moving inside to compete with John Houston at middle linebacker.

Where Gaoteote ultimately lines up seems less important that USC ensuring it finds a role with which he's comfortable, as he has the potential to be one of the most impactful players on the defense.

The only thing more inconsistent than USC's tight end usage in 2018 was the execution from that group when it did receive opportunities in the passing game.

Senior Tyler Petite struggled all fall while Josh Falo was up and down as a sophomore.

Falo will be joined by fellow junior Erik Krommenhoek and freshman early enrollee Jude Wolfe this spring as Harrell gets his first look at the group

The larger question, though, remains how the tight ends fit into Harrell's plans for the offense in general?

As mentioned, Drevno now has a full offseason to shape the offensive line after taking over the group late last fall when Neil Callaway was dismissed.

The linemen seemed to appreciate his style in those final weeks of the 2018 season, but Drevno has a tough task ahead of him trying to elevate a unit that often struggled last fall and now replaces three starters in left guard Chris Brown (the most consistent linemen of the group), right tackle Chuma Edoga and maligned center Toa Lobendahn (one of Helton's stubborn roster decisions that cost the team a year ago).

There are real questions about the depth here -- and defensive lineman Liam Jimmons has already been moved over from the defensive line -- but foremost USC has to build up its starting 5. There's potential and while change doesn't ensure improvement, it's unlikely this group will take a step back from what it showed in 2018.

The other wrinkle, though, is Drevno has never worked in an Air Raid offense and it will be interesting to see if that provides an addition obstacle.

Stephen Carr looked poised for a big sophomore season, even while working his way back from injury. He looked like the best running back in fall camp last fall, a safe bet to build on an encouraging freshman campaign in which he averaged 5.6 yards per carry in a limited role.

It didn't quite come together as he rushed 81 times for 384 yards 4.7 YPC) and 2 touchdowns.

If his foot and back issues are behind him -- and that is the question here -- he still possesses the upside to deliver a huge season, especially with 2018 leading rusher Aca'Cedric Ware out of the picture.

While Helton emphasized that everybody on the roster will be competing for jobs anew this spring, all eyes will be on the quarterback position to see just how much of a fresh look that group is given.

For his part, here's what Harrell said about assessing the quarterbacks:

“Oh yeah, every position’s open because I don’t have any preconceived notions about any of them," he said last week. "Like I said, from what I saw on tape, JT is obviously very talented and to come in and play as early as he did speaks a lot about him, but we’re going to try to simplify things and give every one of those guys the best chance to be successful and play to all their skill sets .. and see which one does it best."

JT Daniels started all but one game as a true freshman, passing for 2,672 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in an uneven debut. Jack Sears made the most of his one start, completing 20 of 28 passes for 235 yards and 2 TDs in a loss to Arizona State, and many are curious if the redshirt sophomore will get a real shot to unseat Daniels this spring.

That said, a fresh start with a new offense should serve all the QBs well. It seemed more than a coincidence that Daniels was a much better player in the first half of games down the stretch before coming undone after halftime, when USC's inability to make adjustments seemed to undermine the entire unit.

Again, here's what Harrell said about the QBs:

"I’m excited about JT, he’s done a lot of great things on tape and I’m excited about all of them," he said. "I think Jack has a different skill set as far as athleticism. He’s big, he can run well. To me, Jack, from what I can see in three weeks, is a great leader, he works his tail off so we’re excited about him. [Matt] Fink’s as competitive as anyone I’ve been around — that’s his biggest strength. ... And again, we’re going to try to let their talents be free, go have fun with it and see which one fits us best.”

USC's issues in the secondary are two-fold -- the Trojans don't return much experience at either safety or cornerback, but they also don't return many bodies period.

Only one of the eight defensive backs USC signed in this class is set to be active this spring -- that being 3-star safety prospect Briton Allen -- while the other early enrollee 4-star cornerback Max Williams continues to work his way back from ACL surgery.

For that matter, USC's projected starters at the safety spots -- sophomore Talanoa Hufanga and redshirt sophomore Isaiah Pola-Mao -- are not expected to be full-go this spring as they too work back from season-ending injuries last fall.

And Adam Maya reported Tuesday that veteran C.J. Pollard, who was absent for the first practice, is likely out for the spring with an injury.

That leaves Allen, a hodgepodge of walk-ons and perhaps redshirt freshman Chase Williams (depending on which spot he settles into) to hold down the position the spring until the influx of freshmen arrive in the summer.

That glaring lack of depth will limit what USC is truly able to accomplish this spring.

When he met with reporters last week, Harrell indicated that the oft-used Air Raid description might be too broad when it comes to categorizing his offense.

“I don’t mind people calling it the Air Raid if they want to call it the Air Raid, but to me more than anything, if you look at anyone that’s come from Coach [Mike] Leach that gets kind of tagged with an Air Raid offense, none of us are the same," Harrell said. "It’s kind of like the West Coast [offense] -- the West Coast can be a 22-personnel offense or it can be a spread offense. The Air Raid offense is more of a philosophy than an actual Xs and Os."

More to the point, he said his philosophy is to keep things simple so his playmakers aren't overthinking on the field. He wants to identify and emphasize what his personnel do well and have them play loose and confident while getting the ball to those playmakers with space for them to extend plays.

His insights were interesting, but seeing it in action this spring will provide a much clearer picture of what USC fans can expect from this new offense in 2019.

As mentioned, USC is depleted and inexperienced throughout the secondary, and if the safety situation is concerning take a look at the cornerbacks.

The Trojans are essentially starting over there, and it figured that sophomore Olaijah Griffin (8 tackles and a pass deflection while playing a limited role over 8 games last fall) and redshirt freshman Isaac Taylor-Stuart (limited to special teams action before a foot injury cut short his season altogether) would likely top the depth chart to start the spring.

But Helton said Tuesday, after Griffin was inactive, that he doesn't see him being full-contact at point this spring so that further complicates what the Trojans can possibly get done with that group over these next five weeks.

Williams, the 4-star freshman, will be one to watch in August, but he won't truly get to compete for a role this spring either due to his rehab from knee surgery.

With Greg Johnson expected to transfer out on top of the aforementioned injuries, USC really needs Taylor-Stuart to play like the highly-touted recruit he was rated as in the 2018 class to provide some optimism for the group moving forward.

**Other storylines to monitor: Assessing the pass rush, first look at Australian punter Ben Griffiths, the aforementioned competition at MLB and how does USC’s diminished WR depth impact its plans for the offense?

For a closer look at the Trojans entering spring practice, check out Adam Maya's detailed position-by-position breakdowns:

-- Cornerbacks

-- Safeties

-- Inside linebackers

-- Outside linebackers

-- Defensive linemen

-- Offensive linemen

-- Tight ends

-- Wide receivers

-- Running backs

-- Quarterbacks