Coach Lincoln Riley said USC would announce a depth chart sometime after getting through its Tuesday and Wednesday practices, as the evaluation at several positions remains ongoing.
"We'll release it on Wednesday. That's always been our deal. Our deal's been, I just never got into like the false deadlines. I know everyone wants one on game week, but we need to get through our two heaviest practices," Riley said. "We tell the guys they're going to earn it out on the field, so to me I'd be a little bit of a hypocrite if I said you're going to earn it on the field but then you don't actually have to earn it on the field. So yeah, after [Wednesday's] practice we'll release a depth chart that's a little more extensive."
That still might not include a decision on the starting left tackle, though.
Offensive coordinator/OL coach Josh Henson indicated he could see the competition between 2021 starter Courtland Ford and veteran transfer Bobby Haskins, a two-year starter at Virginia, continuing through the season opener Saturday vs. Rice.
"It's still playing out. I'm not sure that it won't play out until through the game. Maybe both guys will play, I don't know. That's kind of where I'm at right now," Henson said Tuesday. "No one has really separated themselves at that spot, no one has really gotten themselves behind -- one day one guy's a little better, one day the next guy's a little better. Which is a good thing -- we're in a heck of a battle. That may get decided through game play also."
Haskins missed the spring recovering surgery for an ankle injury he played through last season at Virginia.
That set him back in fully adjusting to a new offense, new terminology, etc. Ford, meanwhile, is seeking to show growth and improvement after starting most of the season at left tackle last fall.
As for what will help Henson ultimately make a decision there ...
"Consistency. Just doing it every snap. Your bad plays not being sacks -- your bad plays just being kind of on the edge but I still blocked him. Those kind of things," he said.
Haskins played 652 snaps over 10 games last season at Virginia, the majority coming at left tackle. He was an ACC honorable mention pick and nabbed one ACC offensive lineman of the week honor along the way. Per PFF, he allowed just 3 sacks last fall but 27 pressures overall.
Previously, Haskins had logged 789 snaps over 12 games in 2019 before being slowed in 2020 coming off offseason surgery, which relegated him to a backup role and special teams.
Ford allowed 3 sacks and 20 pressures in eight games before missing the remainder of the season with injury
With the rest of the starting offensive line set -- with left guard Andrew Vorhees, center Brett Neilon, right guard Justin Dedich and right tackle Jonah Monheim -- Henson isn't worried about the situation at left tackle affecting any collective chemistry within the unit.
"Both guys are in there working, both do a really good job, they're good communicators. They know what they're doing. Vorhees beside them is a very veteran guy so it's not an issue," Henson said.
