From the second it was announced Sunday that Porter Gustin’s USC career was over, there has been an outpouring of tributes to him and what he accomplished as a Trojan.
Attempting to quantify Gustin’s impact on USC football is an impossibly broad task. What do you measure? He’s been at USC for the entirety of the Clay Helton era, and in that time frame he’s served as one of the most recognizable faces of Trojan football. Some of the biggest moments in recent history for the Trojans feature a Porter cameo. Remember his big-time sacks of Jake Browning in that tide-turning victory at Washington in 2016? I could go on with his achievements for more than a thousand words probably -- there’s easily enough there to fill out this column.
However, I’m sure there’s very little I could say about him or what he’s done that most of us don’t already know. He’s been the heart and soul of this team for a while. Helton said as much after practice Tuesday when he proclaimed him one of the handful of players he’s coached that he’ll always remember as being a special teammate and athlete.
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His stats are impressive -- 137 career tackles, 33 of them for loss, and 21 sacks are incredible achievements. The tales of his preparation and physical self-maintenance are near legendary, and I could pay off my college tuition if I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen something written about his blender-based meal plan.
Although it’s important to look back and admire what Gustin was for USC and what he accomplished in his time here, it’s also important to remember that the man is still alive along with his football career -- despite the fractured ankle that has ended his senior season.
