The key storylines and questions as USC opens camp

USC football traditionally ushers in the start of fall camp with a lot of buzz, hype, expectation and intrigue.

Well, the buzz is more isolated this time around, the hype not so present, the expectations guarded and the intrigue much different for these Trojans as they officially launch the start of preseason practice Friday afternoon.

USC wasn't among the five Pac-12 programs voted into the preseason top-25 of the coaches poll. The Trojans aren't expected by most to even win their division, let alone the conference.

A year after being preordained as the next great USC quarterback by some media, sophomore JT Daniels still has everything to prove and hasn't even officially been named the starter yet for 2019.

All of that is true, yet there is nonetheless real intrigue around this program -- just a different kind.

There's not much that can be done to truly offset a 5-7 finish and the stigma that follows from such a season until the games start again. USC's worst season since 2000 continues to haunt it on the recruiting trail, where earlier Friday its top overall target excluded the Trojans from his top four list and their top running back target committed instead to Texas.

But in many other ways, the narrative around the program did start to change in the spring.

New strength and conditioning coach Aaron Ausmus has inspired endless hagiography over the last few months -- including our own encomium here -- for the impact the players say he's made through the offseason program, both in instilling general accountability and preparing the team physically.

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has just three years of experience as a college coordinator, all at North Texas, and yet the collective excitement he's created around this offense has already made everyone forget that he was the Trojans' second OC hire of the offseason.

But that's what happens following change. The spring and leadup to camp are traditionally periods of optimism -- to whatever degree. Fall camp can be to an extent as well, but with this USC team there are real questions that also need to be answered this month that weren't or couldn't be resolved in the spring.

Here's a look at the key storylines that will provide truer clarity as to what kind of season this can be for the Trojans.

RELATED: Catch up on our Countdown to Camp series breaking down each position | 10 factors that could lead to a USC football revival this fall

We didn't get a full look during the spring at what this new offensive under Harrell will be -- or at least it didn't seem that way.

USC had so few healthy defensive backs that it had to largely rely on undersized walk-ons just to be able to scrimmage. There wasn't much of a downfield element to the Trojans' passing attack in the spring, and wide receiver Michael Pittman candidly acknowledged that there wasn't much point in doing so at the time given the defensive matchups available in practice. They instead worked more on the short and intermediate passing attack that Pittman said needed more attention, hinting that the deep shots downfield will remain a key weapon.

It will be interesting to see how that manifests this month where, closer to the start of the season, the Trojans need to be replicating their full offensive plans as much as possible in preparation.

In the spring, the four-wide sets were usually three wideouts supplemented by a tight end. But now USC welcomes in 5-star WR Bru McCoy (who if not eligible for the fall will at least be practicing), 4-star WR Kyle Ford and 3-star WR Munir McClain to the mix while Velus Jones also rejoins the proceedings after spending the spring in the transfer portal. Perhaps that expanded WR depth leads to some different formations and packages than shown in the spring.

And then of course there is Daniels. It's generally presumed that he'll again be USC's starting quarterback, but coach Clay Helton insists there is an open QB competition and that it may even take him all of August to make a decision. That seems like a bit much, but regardless it is true that Daniels has much to prove.

He made quick work of his first USC quarterback competition last summer, looking assertive, poised and clearly ahead of his challengers. Can he do it again this month in this new offense, one that prioritizes pace and quick decision-making over Daniels' inclinations to take his time pre-snap and assess the defense?

We'll find out soon enough.

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