Five weeks of spring practice (at least the limited bits we got to actually see), the nationally-televised spring game and dozens of interviews later, we pivot toward the summer with a better understanding -- we think -- of what this USC football team is and can be in 2022.
From projected team MVPs, to spring stock risers, remaining questions, confidence in the defense, belief in the run game, the competitive wide receiver picture and much more, our TrojanSports.com staff debates and discusses the key takeaways from USC's spring.
We cover 10 post-spring questions with a range of responses and insights, some consensus thoughts and, well, a lot of optimism in general.
1. What did we ultimately learn about this USC team this spring?
Tajwar Khandaker: "In terms of football, we learned a lot at a basic level. That includes a solid understanding of what’s being asked at each position, an approximation of the depth chart, and an idea of how this coaching staff runs a team. From the moment Lincoln Riley was announced as head coach it was safe to assume that the Trojans offense would structurally and schematically resemble those he ran at Oklahoma, and everything so far indicates that will be the case. Caleb Williams will transfer seamlessly over in the same system and will probably be behind a decent offensive line. He’ll have a versatile and gifted collection of targets to throw to, paired with a well-rounded group of running backs to establish the rushing attack.
"The defense also seems to be a continuation of what Alex Grinch ran at Oklahoma, but it’s less clear how it’s going to transfer over to this set of players. Over the past few years, the Sooner defense hadn’t been particularly impressive as a unit despite featuring impressive individual play at a number of spots. It’s hard to know what to make of the Trojans’ current collection of talent on that side of the ball, though there’s a lot of untapped potential to work with. Altogether, however, there does seem to be a defined energy and direction to the program that hasn’t been there in a while. Whether or not that lasts through the coming months is another question that we’ll have to wait to have answered."
Jeff McCulloch: "This is a tough one because we only get to see the first 20 minutes of practice, which are the warmups and some individual drills. What we have seen, however, is that the energy and atmosphere is completely different from last year. We see the tempo of practice being much faster and quicker paced. We see Lincoln Riley working with wide receivers and the entire offense. We see Alex Grinch screaming at his players if they do something wrong. Just in those 20 minutes you see this program is heading in the right direction."
Ryan Young: "Yeah, the limited practice viewing opportunities transfer a lot of the 'learning' to trying to parse comments from coaches and players and differentiate between standard spring sunshine optimism and what we can confidently put stock in transferring over to the season. As I discussed on the recent Trojan Talk podcast, I'm confident when I say that this team has fully bought into Lincoln Riley and what he wants to build. The comments this spring from players served as a referendum on the failures of the previous regime to truly instill any accountability or for real leadership to emerge in the locker room. That blunt, candid honesty, ranging from sixth-year senior left guard Andrew Vorhees to second-year players like QB Miller Moss and LB Raesjon Davis, not only highlights what was missing but that the players by and large wanted a more stern and demanding direction from the coaching staff. As Vorhees put it, Riley "isn't afraid to hurt anybody's feelings." It feels like there is an actual structure and clearly-defined direction for the program in a way there simply wasn't in the recent past.
"On the field, meanwhile, we learned that Riley is committed to running the football -- not just paying lip service to having a balanced attack -- that the skill positions are absolutely loaded across the offense, that Mario Williams looks like a clear-cut No. 1 WR, that Moss looks to be a plenty capable backup QB, and that on the defensive side LB Shane Lee, rush end Romello Height, CB Mekhi Blackmon and versatile DB Latrell McCutchin look to be impact additions. All of that said, there's still a lot we don't know -- namely if the defense as a whole is going to be substantially improved from last year. It may take until the actual games start to answer that one."
2. If you had to guess who will finish as the top 3 receivers, ignoring for now the Jordan Addison rumors, who would you pick?
Young: "As I noted, I expect Mario Williams to emerge as the No. 1 receiver, due in large part to the obvious connection and trust he and QB Caleb Williams have from their time as recruits to their freshman year at Oklahoma last fall. Let's not forget, he was the No. 2-ranked WR and No. 16 overall national prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He wasn't the focal point for the Sooners last year as he played alongside more established veteran receivers, but I think a 1,000-yard season and something like 70 catches seems very plausible. Beyond Williams, it comes down to the trio of Brenden Rice, Terrell Bynum and Gary Bryant. Bryant can't seem to stay healthy -- he's yet to make it through a full spring or fall camp -- so it becomes harder to project him. He was USC's second-best receiver last year behind Drake London, but the Trojans have way more depth now. Still, I like Bryant's talent and he was recruited by this staff at Oklahoma, so they like his talent too. Rice just looks to possess all the physical tools you'd want in a playmaking receiver, and Bynum is the most experienced of the group and will play both inside and outside. I think it's more of a clear top 4 than a top 3. But not an exclusive 4. I think the spring showed us that redshirt freshman Kyron Ware-Hudson will be involved, and I'd like to think Kyle Ford will finally get a chance as well for a steady rotation role."
Khandaker: "I feel pretty confident at this point that Mario Williams is going to step straight into the WR1 role for this team. Williams is a legitimately exciting route runner who brings top-level athleticism to the receiver position. His chemistry with Caleb Williams has been easy to notice, as is his knowledge of the offensive scheme. Williams’ performance at the spring game solidified my opinion; he looks to be the clear leader at the position right now. The player I think most likely to challenge Williams’ production is Brenden Rice, who possesses uncanny movement for a man of his size at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. Rice is an explosive athlete, who’s ability to win above the rim is evident from what little we’ve been able to see so far. He could provide an ideal complement to Mario Williams, and I expect that the coaching staff will attempt to employ him as such.
"The WR3 spot is hardest for me to pick a favorite for given the number of viable candidates. Gary Bryant Jr. is a proven deep target and could be poised to take steps forward elsewhere in his game, Terrell Bynum impressed in his first spring as a Trojan, and Kyle Ford is as intriguing as ever. However, I’m going to throw a dart and go with Kyron Ware-Hudson. The redshirt freshman didn’t see much of the field in his first year as a Trojan, but he has seemingly flashed in a big way through camp with his obvious combination of size and dynamic athleticism. He backed that up with a big showing at the spring game, where he did serious damage with the ball in his hands as well as at the catch point. I’d imagine that Riley will enjoy making the most of the creative ways that a player Ware-Hudson can be utilized. He might not start out as WR3, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he took hold of a prominent role through the season."
McCulloch: "The No. 1 receiver on the team seems to be clearly Mario Williams. The chemistry between Mario and Caleb was shown clear as day during the spring game. The No. 2 receiver would be Gary Bryant. It is tough to choose him because he couldn’t play in the spring game but seeing his talent last year and the progression he has made during spring makes it seem like he has earned the trust of this coaching staff. The No. 3 receiver in my projections is going to be Kyron Ware-Hudson. The coaching staff has consistently spoken on his progression throughout spring and how impressed they have been. He was a bright spot in the spring game, with 4 receptions in the game, showing his speed off in the end around that went 18 yards. There is a lot he can do in the offensive playbook and can be a nice surprise to this star-studded offense. I will say however, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brenden Rice is the No. 3 receiver. He didn’t do much during the spring game but that very much could have been strategic. When you see him on the field, you can see his size clearly stands out and has some pretty good hands. The team also must like his speed otherwise he wouldn’t be working on punt returns."
