USC's 5-7 season wasn't an overnight development.

In Part I of our series, we examined the missteps and misfortune on offense that culminated in a disastrous 2018 campaign. Our second and final installment covers Clancy Pendergast's defense, where a rash of recruiting losses, roster defections and significant injuries caught up to the Trojans this past fall, and leaves them with more questions than answers heading into 2019.

Cast

Coach Kenechi Udeze, Kenny Bigelow (transferred), Malik Dorton, Don Hill (dismissed), Rasheem Green (NFL), Noah Jefferson (transferred), Kevin Scott (transferred), Jacob Daniel (switched positions), Christian Rector, Liam Jimmons, Connor Murphy, Marlon Tuipulotu, Brandon Pili, Jay Tufele, Jacob Lichtenstein, Trevor Trout, Caleb Tremblay

Recruiting Review

USC went all-in with its defensive front in its first full recruiting class since 2011, signing five down linemen in 2015. They were supposed to be the foundation for the coming years on the D-line. In 2016, the Trojans lost out to Tennessee for Jonathan Kongbo and dropped Keyshon Camp, who ended up at Pittsburgh. Neither would have shifted their fortunes in 2018. USC seemingly hit the jackpot in 2017, going out of state to land Pili, Tuipulotu, Tufele and Lichtenstein. There wasn’t much room on the roster to add more in 2018, and the Trojans ended up with two players who redshirted after dropping Tuli Letuligasenoa.

Their three additions from 2019 all came last-minute, which was no small feat considering they parted ways with noted recruiter Udeze. Jackson is one of their highest-ranked DL from the past five years. USC doesn’t need another DL from this class, although there’s always space for a high-end defensive tackle, though it’s highly unlikely one signs in February. Along those same lines, the Trojans were never really in contention for past national heavyweights like Rashan Gary and Marvin Wilson, despite their visits. It’s been a while since USC has been able to bring in strong D-line classes in consecutive years.

Decisions and Development

The heralded haul from 2015 provided little value to the team in 2018, which is the year you’d hope maybe it would pay off most. Green was good enough to turn pro after three seasons, despite Udeze advising him to return for his senior year, Jefferson and Scott are both long gone, Jacob Daniel never saw the field and switched to the offensive line two years ago, and Rector has outplayed his three-star rating. That leads us to the one fateful decision regarding this group.

Bigelow, who was technically a redshirt senior in 2017 but would be granted a sixth year after the season, was miffed when Tuipulotu opened the season as the starting nose tackle. A month later, after Tuipulotu was sidelined by injury, Pili rotated in behind Josh Fatu, and ahead of Bigelow -- and that was the straw that broke Bigelow’s back. He quietly quit the team and then, after five years of injuries and indifference at USC, he had a breakout season for West Virginia. The upcoming season will be a good litmus for just how much the D-linemen have been developed. Coming off a year in which the run defense was poor again and the pass rush was spotty, Pendergast and new DL coach Chad Kauha’aha’a will be working with seven linemen with at least two years in the program. One prevailing issue is whether any of them will become stars.