During USC's 12th practice of the spring Saturday, I kept my focus on the defensive backs through the entirety of the session, as it has been one of the more intriguing position groups of camp.

Between the three four-star freshmen safeties -- Calen Bullock, Xamarion Gordon and Anthony Beavers -- plus high-profile Texas transfer Xavion Alford also competing at safety, redshirt freshman Joshua Jackson Jr. impressing in his move from wide receiver to cornerback and junior corner Chris Steele looking like a man on a mission, there has been a lot worth noting from the unit.

Here are my evaluations of the players we got to see in the secondary on Saturday, as camp winds down and those DBs look to make some final impressions on the coaching staff before the end of spring.

Chris Steele: Steele seems to have flipped a switch since the end of last season. The player that I’ve seen so far this spring looks many degrees superior to the one that wore No. 8 for the Trojans defense last fall. Steele has already proclaimed his desire to be an All-American and a top draft-pick after the 2021 season, and his play so far indicates that he’s determined to get there.

What stands out when you watch him in coverage is the palpable confidence he plays with now. In the past, Steele had a tendency to lose faith in his coverage despite being in good position, leading him to resort to grabbing and clinging to receivers and subsequently drawing flags. So far this spring, that issue seems to have evaporated. Steele’s footwork and eye discipline have improved greatly, and his confidence in his technique and natural athleticism allows him to remain in control snap after snap. He knows where he’s supposed to be and what he’s supposed to be looking at; you can tell from the calm demeanor he plays with now that he understands his role perfectly.

He once again practically locked down his side of the field on Saturday, both in the team session and one-on-ones, where I didn’t chart him allowing a single completion. He’s not afraid to get aggressive at the line of scrimmage, and he’s gotten good at making life uncomfortable for receivers at the release point. That’s allowed him to completely smother underneath routes like slants -- a number of which he broke up in one-on-ones and another of which from QB Kedon Slovis he deflected for an interception to Hunter Echols in the team period.

Steele’s side of the field saw significantly less targets, regardless of who was in at quarterback. He's clearly the Trojans' CB1 -- the only question now is where he ends up in the scope of the Pac-12 and college football at large.