Kedon Slovis deflected doubters in embracing competition at USC
**This is a continuation of our USC Next Up series, profiling the Trojans' 2019 newcomers in-depth. Check out our previous features linked at the bottom, and subscribe to be able to access the rest of the series after this free preview.**
USC freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis was well aware of the chatter that followed his commitment to the Trojans.
He was frequently reminded that 5-star QB JT Daniels, who would start 11 games as a true freshman last fall, was just a year ahead of him and that Bryce Young, the top dual-threat QB in the entire 2020 class, was already committed to join the program a year behind him.
"Everyone brings it up," Slovis said back in late December, undaunted as he prepared to move to campus as an early enrollee.
"Everyone brings it up, and it's the same answer -- let's go, let's see what happens," added his father, Max Slovis. "People are always like, 'Why would you go there? There's all these great quarterbacks.' We're a great quarterback -- let's go see what happens. ...
"My sister lives in San Diego and [tells us], 'Oh, my friend says they have this guy, this guy and this guy.' We are this guy. … You don't know until you go."
After four weeks of spring practice, it doesn't seem anybody is questioning whether Slovis belongs at USC.
He doesn't look at all like an overmatched 3-star prospect out of place with the Trojans' returning QBs. With efficient mechanics and a strong, accurate arm, he's quickly rendered the recruiting rankings moot and flipped the narrative.
Now, it's reporters wondering if even head coach Clay Helton has been surprised by what he's seen from the true freshman.
"I'll be honest with you, not surprised but pleased that a young man could walk in here [and perform like this]," Helton said two Saturdays ago, after an especially sharp scrimmage session by Slovis. "... He asked me two days ago, 'Coach, do you mind if I go to prom?' And I forgot, he's supposed to be in high school. But he's out here and he's really executing at a high level for a true freshman. I'm very pleased with him.
"He's making clear, decisive decisions. Good accuracy, good timing and good decision making. He's not making critical errors and that's what you normally see from young people."
For that matter, Slovis always remained clear and decisive when others -- even those well-intentioned -- suggested maybe he was making an error joining a crowded QB room at a program like USC that would likely keep bringing in 5-star and 4-star prospects.
Every day on the practice field this spring has been another chance to prove himself -- though, not to anyone in particular.
"At the end of the day, there's so many examples of people who have been overlooked in my situation so it's not a big deal," he said. "Yeah, it's definitely a little chip on my shoulder to kind of prove people wrong, but with that I kind of want to prove a lot of people right -- there's plenty of people that do believe in me."
USC an easy decision
In a way, Slovis' football path has always been one driven largely by self belief.
His father is a middle school basketball coach with his background squarely in that sport. His mother Lisa Slovis, meanwhile, was initially opposed to the idea of Kedon playing football at all.
But he felt a calling nonetheless.
"Eventually we got her to make a deal. We got myself to play flag [football] when I was 7 years old with the promise of never playing tackle ever," Kedon shared back in December, as he and his parents sat around the living room in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Said Lisa: "They all promised me, no football -- no tackle."
"We'd see how it went," Kedon clarified.
The next compromise was to conditionally give tackle football a try with the agreement that he'd quit if he got a concussion.
By the time that happened -- this past fall -- there was no turning back. His future had already come into focus.
Slovis had to wait his turn behind a three-year starter at Desert Mountain High School before taking over as a junior.
He then stepped in and passed for 2,987 yards, 32 touchdowns and 5 interceptions over 11 games, according to MaxPreps.
Desert Mountain wasn't flush with Division I prospects, but the Wolves' coach at the time, David Sedmak, knew that was Slovis' future.
"All of us, everybody that's watched him knew he was going to be a D-1 scholarship guy, but he didn't start until his junior year … so he was a little late getting on the radar of the schools and the recruiting services and all that stuff," Sedmak said. "He definitely opened people's eyes."
Hawaii was quick to offer Slovis a scholarship after that junior season, and as his recruitment gained momentum USC took notice later that spring. Slovis got word in mid-May that former Trojans QBs coach Bryan Ellis was going to come check him out at a Monday morning spring practice.
"I remember having a conversation with my dad, I was like, 'Dad, USC's going to come watch me throw. Imagine, [if they offer], USC's like the gateway to any school I want,'" Slovis recalled. "And he's like, 'Well what other school would you want at that point?' I was like, 'Well, you're right.' … But still at that point I didn't think it was going to happen."
Ellis watched him throw that Monday morning and offered the QB later in the day. The quick evaluation left a strong impression on Slovis, who says NC State had gotten back to him with an offer two weeks after its visit while Oregon State took a week to mull it over, for comparison.
"And USC -- that day. It was really cool," he said.
He was in Los Angeles a few days later for an unofficial visit and committed to Helton and the Trojans that weekend.
And while others raised the questions about USC's crowded depth chart -- with veteran QBs Jack Sears and Matt Fink already behind Daniels last season -- Slovis says he never questioned his decision.
Even as Ellis left to become the offensive coorindator at Western Kentucky this offseason, Tee Martin was relieved of his duties as USC OC and subsequent hire Kliff Kingsbury lasted just a month as the Trojans’ new OC before Graham Harrell eventually arrived to stablilze the position.
Through all that, some schools checked in late in the process to gauge his interest or openness, after he followed up as a senior with 2,542 passing yards, 18 TDs and 6 INTs over nine games.
"I just told them, 'Thank you, but I'm committed to USC,'" Slovis said.
Added his father, Max: "He stopped that very quickly as soon as coaches contacted him. …. He was firm with that from the start."
Learning from Kurt Warner
Lisa Slovis admits football is still not her area of expertise, but as she heard that aforementioned chatter about the competition awaiting at USC and people wondering if it was the best fit for her son, she asked him herself.
"My big deal was, 'OK, so everybody says this great quarterback's already there. So what if you don't get to play?' He's like, 'I get the best education possible,'" Lisa Slovis recalled of their conversation.
Added Kedon: "The worst-case scenario, if I never play, I know the degree means a lot. ... But we're still going to try to play."
After Slovis had officially signed with USC, a prominent Arizona high school football coach who competed against him raved about the addition for the Trojans, noting that Slovis had elevated the Desert Mountain roster with his performance there.
Also, another perspective is that while stacking 5-star QBs one after another scores well on the recruiting rankings, it doesn't always lead to depth chart stability. Georgia has had two 5-star QBs transfer in the last couple years in Jacob Eason (to Washington) and Justin Fields (to Ohio State after just one season) as fellow 5-star prospect Jake Fromm solidified himself as the starter while only a true freshman in 2017.
Slovis knows what he's walking into at USC with Daniels and Sears perceived as the contenders for the starting job entering this spring practice and Young the much-ballyhooed headliner of the Trojans' 2020 recruiting class. And he made a decision with all factors in mind, including the big-picture benefit of a business administration degree from USC.
"It's a really special place," he said.
All of that said, he's not lacking for confidence that he can surprise any remaining doubters -- or validate those aforementioned early believers.
"Kedon has an opportunity to prove coach Helton right," Max Slovis said. "It's a huge opportunity for him, because to bring in a player that's not a 5-star kid to USC and say, 'This is our 2019 guy' … it's a great opportunity for him to say, 'You know what, I am that guy and let me prove it to you.'"
There's one more layer to Slovis' football story that seems particularly relevant to the topic on a couple of levels.
After doling out that praise for his true freshman QB two weekends ago, Helton was asked why he thought Slovis was avoiding the normal pratfalls of rookie college quarterbacks.
"I'll have to credit coach Warner on that one," Helton said, referring to Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner. "He was coached by Kurt Warner in high school, and I thought he came in very mature. … Obviously he was extremely well coached, and he's a work-ethic guy. He puts a lot of study into it, puts the extra work into it and he wants to be great. He's got a bright future."
Warner joined the Desert Mountain staff as offensive coordinator during Slovis' freshman year. It was an incredible opportunity for Slovis, who had looked up to Warner growing up during his Super Bowl run with the Arizona Cardinals.
"In fifth grade, everyone had to do a report -- they had to pick a historical person. Most people picked like Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington. You could pick anyone, so I was like, 'I'll pick Kurt Warner,'" Slovis recalled.
A few years later, he was learning from him.
And there might not be a better example in football history of a guy exceeding outside expectations than Warner, who became one of the great stories in sports as he went from undrafted QB out of Northern Iowa to working briefly in a grocery store to Arena Football League standout and eventually NFL star and Super Bowl champion.
"Against all odds," Slovis said. "... I don't think Kurt had 3 stars -- I don't think they had stars back then."
Slovis' own story is just beginning. He's had a nice spring, but that's just the foundation.
The USC coaches haven't commented on the QB depth chart during spring practice, but it seems logical to presume that Daniels is still in the driver's seat with Sears -- who proved himself in his lone start against Arizona State last fall -- his top challenger.
Harrell says all the QBs have things to learn still. With Slovis, he mentioned how he has been harping on his timing on out routes, trying to convince the young QB that he was a tick late even though his arm strength was allowing him to complete that pass most times nonetheless. On Tuesday, it led to an interception in practice and a teachable moment.
But like Helton, Harrell has been impressed -- and he'll even say it, a little surprised.
"The only thing surprising about him is just how young he is and how quickly he's picked it up," Harrell said. "Now I think having a new system kind of evens out the playing field for him. It's not like the other guys have been in it for three years and he's in year one. A kid coming in straight out of high school and performing at a high level like he is, it kind of surprised me. But again I think he's playing on a much more even playing field than most kids coming in [early]."
However Slovis' time at USC plays out, the narrative has already shifted. The chatter from those wondering about the Trojans signing a 3-star-rated QB has been quieted by the consistently positive reports emanating from spring practice.
Not that he expected this to go any differently.
"He's cut that way. … He has his own way of pushing himself," Lisa Slovis said back in late December before sending her son off to college.
Added Max Slovis: "He wanted it. He wanted to prove himself against the best. 'Dad, I think I'm great, but let me prove it and see if I am and we'll go from there.'"
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