USC released its official depth chart for Week 1 on Thursday, but by this point there were no surprises, as the decisions aligned with what had become apparent throughout the preseason.
Redshirt freshman Jonah Monheim won the right tackle job, beating out redshirt senior incumbent Jalen McKenzie, so Monheim and redshirt freshman left tackle Courtland Ford will be the new bookends for the Trojans' offensive line around returning starters Andrew Vorhees at left guard, Brett Neilon at center and Liam Jimmons at right guard.
"They're very good. They're doing a lot of good things. Like I said, you give those guys a couple more years and those are guys who are going to be really, really good football players. They already are and we need them to play at a high level," offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said this week of the young tackles. "But those two guys, like I said, for them to just be freshmen and play at the level they're playing is really impressive. So I think they're going to do nothing but grow as the season goes on, as the years go on, because those two guys work really hard and do things right.
"They're very coachable, they want to do things exactly the way you coach them and because of that they'll just continue to grow and get better and better every week, get better and better every year, and we're going to look up and have two really special linemen here."
It's no surprise either that newcomer Tahj Washington earns the other first-team outside receiver spot opposite star junior Drake London, while the biggest surprise of camp -- freshman Joseph Manjack -- is named the first-team slot receiver. Manjack had received consistent first-team reps over the last couple weeks, making it clear he would have a prominent role in the offense. The 3-star prospect from Tomball, Texas, came in as the Trojans' lowest-rated 2021 WR signee and ends up as a first-teamer.
It should be noted that sophomore Gary Bryant Jr. -- expected to be a major part of the offense this season -- is not on the initial depth chart because he is out for "health and safety" reasons and also working through a hamstring injury. It will be interesting to see what his return does to the depth chart, as he can work both inside and outside.
For now at least, though, Manjack has a chance to prove himself.
"Manjack, he's been a fun guy to coach, and he just has a knack for being good at football, you what I mean, and there's something to be said for that," Harrell said this week. "He does a lot of things well. He understands football, he understands running routes. But more than anything I think he just enjoys playing and plays at a high level every single day. That's the key to this game -- be consistent and do your job over and over and over at a high level and I think the more comfortable you get I think the higher level you play because you can relax and try out some things."
It's been clear for a while that senior newcomer Keaontay Ingram and redshirt senior Vavae Malepeai would form the Trojans' 1A/1B combination in the backfield. TCU transfer Darwin Barlow is likely to miss the game this weekend with a hamstring injury, but it will be interesting to see if/how both he and junior Kenan Christon are worked in behind those two lead backs.
And now that he's back from his turf toe injury, tight end Malcolm Epps -- the Texas transfer -- lands at his presumed spot as the first-team Y receiver (inside), while impressive freshman Michael Trigg continues to work to learn the playbook. Trigg will likely be involved Saturday vs. San Jose State in some capacity and see his role grow as his command of the playbook comes along.
On the defensive side, everything is status quo, with the nose tackle spot left as a timeshare between redshirt sophomore Stanley Ta'ufo'ou and redshirt freshman Jamar Sekona with fellow redshirt freshman Kobe Pepe also expected to rotate in behind them.
That's the position of most uncertainty for the Trojans as none of the three has any meaningful game experience, but the rest of the defensive line makes up for it with redshirt senior Nick Figueroa at defensive end, advanced sophomore Tuli Tuipulotu at defensive tackle and star junior Drake Jackson at the B-backer outside linebacker spot.
Five-star freshman defensive end Korey Foreman will rotate in behind Figueroa and be used on clear pass-rushing downs as he continues to learn the full breadth of the defense.
"He's going to be in the game. We're going to roll him in and he'll play quite a bit. Obviously he's a dynamic guy, so he'll play," defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said.
Likewise, defensive coordinator Todd Orlando had stated previously that junior Ralen Goforth and redshirt junior Raymond Scott would rotate at the Rover linebacker position, as the depth chart indicates, but that highly-touted freshman Raesjon Davis would also get opportunities early in the season. It will be interesting to see how that manifests Saturday.
And the secondary has been pretty much locked in since the spring, with junior Chris Steele and redshirt junior Isaac Taylor-Stuart at cornerback, redshirt senior Isaiah Pola-Mao and redshirt junior Chase Williams at safety and redshirt senior Greg Johnson at nickel. Taylor-Stuart and Williams are new starters this year with plenty to prove, but neither was truly challenged for those jobs this preseason.
USC does rotate a good bit at safety, though, so guys like Texas transfer Xavion Alford, Auburn transfer Chris Thompson Jr. and impressive freshman Calen Bullock at nickel could see opportunities.
On special teams, Colorado transfer K.D. Nixon will be involved in both kickoff and punt returns.
