Our thorough closing thoughts and takeaways from USC spring practice

USC wrapped up spring practice last Friday with its 15th and final session of the five-week camp, and in going through our notes and letting everything sink in for a few days, we gathered together our final thoughts and takeaways.

And we have plenty ...

So the TrojanSports.com spring football recap is broken down into five categories covering pretty much every relevant storyline and emptying the notebook.

Without further deliberation ...

1. WR Drake London: The coaching staff wanted to see how London would look as an outside receiver this camp, and the junior delivered a resounding response. The verdict -- dominant as ever. Nobody produced more highlight-reel plays or wow moments, whether it was his ability to win seemingly every contested catch, his elite anticipation and timing to create just enough separation at the last moment on passes thrown into tight coverage, the Odell Beckham-like full-extension one-handed leaping catch (see above and below) or the fact that he treated every spring rep like it was the fourth quarter of the Pac-12 championship game, fighting for extra yards, dragging defenders, etc. The Pac-12's delayed and shortened 2020 season was treated with irrelevance nationally and obscured London's impressive performance (33 catches for 502 yards and 3 TDs in six games in a very deep receiving corps), but I fully expect him to thrust himself in the national conversation in 2021 as one of the best receivers in the country. With Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns off to the NFL, USC should make every effort to turn London into a targeted focal point of the passing game. And whether he lines up in his familiar Y position inside, is moved outside full-time or used in a variety of ways to make defenses adjust (that would be our preference), he should make a strong case for best receiver in the Pac-12 this season and could even push himself into All-American consideration.

2. CB Chris Steele: The junior cornerback was one of a number of players who missed the first couple weeks of camp for various reasons -- most due to "health protocols." But that still left him plenty of time to assert himself in a major way. Simply put, Steele looks like a man on a mission this year. For that matter, he's made his goals publicly clear, stating that he intends to earn All-American status and be a high NFL draft pick after this coming season. Like London, Steele is not viewed in that way nationally yet, but if he can transfer his spring performance to Saturdays in the fall, we're not going to put a ceiling on his 2021 season. He brought a palpable intensity to the practice field this spring, consistently provided sticky coverage (while cutting down on his past tendency to get too handsy), had an interception in the spring game, had an interception in camp on one of the few passes to London that wasn't caught (it was a bad pass that Steele deftly jumped in front of in the back corner of the end zone) and in general looked like he is on the cusp of truly delivering on his 5-star recruiting stature.

3. DE Tuli Tuipulotu: It felt like just five or so months ago that we were talking about Tuipulotu as an up-and-coming freshman who had flashed in some games and generally surprised a lot of people -- actually, it was just five or so months ago -- but now he's being discussed among coaches, teammates and even us media folk as one of the established stalwarts on the defensive line. TEs coach Seth Doege called him "a freak," running back Stephen Carr highlighted him as one of the hardest hitters this spring, center Brett Neilon identified him as the hardest to block in practice and added "His motor is incredible, awesome player," and DL coach Vic So'oto is talking about him becoming a leader on the line and a fixture for as many snaps as he proves he can handle. Yeah, it's been a rapid ascent for the formerly underrated 3-star prospect who looks like a budding star entering his second season.

4. RB Keaontay Ingram: The Texas transfer has already produced at a high level in college with 1,811 career rushing yards and 515 receiving yards during his time with the Longhorns, but he still had to establish himself anew here in his spring debut at USC while joining a crowded running back competition that is intended to be pared down to a clear 1A and 1B RB tandem by the start of the season. And indeed he did make a strong first impression, flashing a mix of speed, elusiveness and raw power. Those first two qualities were put in the spotlight for everybody to see on his 49-yard catch-and-run play in the spring game, in which he made more than a half dozen tacklers miss. And the power game was the consistently evident attribute throughout the spring, as he often pushed the pile or pulled defenders along for extra yards with his 6-foot, 220-pound frame. Honestly, all the running backs had impressive moments this spring and it remains to be seen how the competition will shake out in August (more on that later). But in terms of creating buzz this spring, Ingram did his part thus far. As safety Isaiah Pola-Mao put it, "His running style is pretty different from what we have -- just a hard-nosed football player."

5. QB Jaxson Dart: There were a few considerations for this last spot. Junior OLB Drake Jackson was a monster at times, as expected, but he just wasn't active for enough of the spring. Freshman wide receiver Michael Jackson III was also a consistently impressive newcomer, but we're going to give the last spot on this list to Dart. Both he and fellow freshman QB Miller Moss got off to a slow start in camp, as could be expected from early enrollee newcomers, but Dart seized the final few weeks of spring, looking more confident and comfortable with each successive practice. He had a bad interception in the spring game (like all the other QBs) and lost some fumbles along the way this spring, but overall as a passer he trusts his arm and doesn't hesitate when he sees a play to be made. He's often showed incredible touch and accuracy, and as Steele actually noted, Dart makes the cross-field passes from the far hash with strong velocity to get the ball where it's going on a line. And then there's the mobility aspect to his game. A prodigious dual-threat QB in high school who racked up rushing yards with a hard-nosed, embracing-contact style, Dart didn't so much just take off and run a ton this spring but he showcased an impressive ability to get out of the pocket, keep his eyes downfield and throw darts (sorry, had to get at least one in) on the move, often changing his arm angle to suit the throw. Dart was especially impressive in red zone and goal line settings, turning walk-on tight end Sean Mahoney into Travis Kelce on multiple end zone connections. And yes, we did also see the coaching staff design some runs for him close to the goal line (with consistent effectiveness). Dart will have to keep battling Moss in August for that backup job, but he was the early standout in that QB competition.