USC football notes: Latest on the offensive line, injury updates and more

The question was asked directly to USC coach Clay Helton on Monday morning, but finding the answer may require some parsing of his response.

After talking about what he's seen from the offensive line in general through the first week and a half of preseason camp, Helton was asked if he now knows what his Plan B is at the tackle spots if either left tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker or right tackle Jalen McKenzie get sidelined at any point.

It remains the biggest uncertainty for the Trojans offense.

"One of the things as you've seen from our recruiting is we believe in signing tackles, so even last year each one of those kids had played tackle and they can move out. Jonah Monheim is working at tackle right now, Casey Collier, Courtland Ford are all working at tackle right now," he said. "And you have guys that have been out there at the tackle positions. If you remember, Liam Jimmons has been out there as well as Andrew Vorhees. So we have a lot of candidates that we're working and looking at. It's always about getting the best five on the field.

"[Offensive line coach Tim Drevno] does a good job of putting guys in multiple positions. Jalen's worked right and left. Liam Jimmons has worked inside and out. So there's been a lot of multi-training just for those scenarios. But we've got a lot of good candidates for it -- I don't think we're lacking for tackles. It will be about getting the best five on the field, and I think we'll have a great feel for that after these next two weeks."

RELATED: Highlighting the standouts from USC's first preseason scrimmage | Full transcript of Clay Helton's comments on the Trojans' first scrimmage | Photos from USC's Saturday morning scrimmage | Video from Saturday morning in the Coliseum

One logical takeaway from that would be to think that shifting McKenzie from right to left tackle would be the move if Vera-Tucker gets hurt, and then it would depend on the continued development of the freshmen -- namely Monheim and Ford -- to decide whether they or projected starting guards Jimmons (right side) or Vorhees (left) would plug in at right tackle in that scenario.

Our guess is that Jimmons would be next up. USC has ample depth at guard with redshirt sophomores Liam Douglass and Justin Dedich earning more trust this camp. Redshirt freshman Jason Rodriguez is another name to watch, as he gotten work at both guard and tackle in camp as the second-teamers get rotated around.

But the reports on Monheim and Ford have been consistently encouraging this preseason, so don't rule out one of those freshmen claiming a true second-string spot (Ford could slot in at guard or tackle on the depth chart) if they continue to make a strong impression.

"The six kids that we signed last year are going to be the future of this place and really have had a sense of urgency to not only compete but prepare," Helton said. "Probably this time period, to be honest with you, July to now October has probably benefitted those six kids the most. Probably just impossible for them if we had started in September to have a chance to contribute early, but now having from July to late October right now, they've progressed. Jonah Monheim, Courtland Ford have really stood out to us."

Helton also revealed that another of those true freshmen, Andrew Milek, worked as the third-string center (behind starter Brett Neilon and Dedich) during the scrimmage Saturday.

As for the scrimmage itself, Helton did note that the line needs to tighten up its discipline to avoid costly penalties.

"It really was our first live engagement with those refs. We came away with some holding penalties offensively, which are good to see and teach off of, where we got a little handsy inside and created some second-and-longs for us and ended drives. It’s going to be great to teach off of that," he said.

Overall, though, Helton painted a positive outlook of the offensive line as a whole to this point, but that's to be expected. With media unable to watch practice this preseason due to campus COVID-19 protocols, it's hard to know for sure what kind of chemistry that group is developing with new starters (albeit familiar names, returning starters from different positions) at four of the five spots.

"There's a definite level of experience that you can see with those older kids. They've been in the battles. When you're talking about Alijah Vera-Tucker and Andrew Vorhees and Brett Neilon and Liam Jimmons, Jalen McKenzie, those guys have played a lot of ball. They walked into that stadium like pros, but what stood out to me are some guys who have really grown up over the last couple years and are ready to contribute," Helton said.

"I thought Justin Dedich had a good day on [Saturday] and is going to be a guy who can help us at center or guard. I thought Liam Douglass has really grown and really progressed from last year to this year, and a guy that I can see walking into games. And then I've been ultra impressed with our freshmen. ... I think because of this extended time we've been given, I don't think there's going to be a fear if we have to put one, two or more in a game."

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell actually took the offensive line praise to the next level later Monday evening while appearing on Trojans Live.

"We mix and match a little bit and try to get the best five out there that we can, but we have a lot of experience at that position and that's going to be really helpful for us. I think we can be really dominant up front this season, and in this offense, if you are dominant up front then that's when you're going to be at your best. And those guys do a great job working together in the pass game, but also have done a phenomenal job being physical and getting tough yards and opening creases in the run game. It makes us that much more balanced, that much more tough to stop when we can run and pass, and that all starts up front. ...

"That O-line with as much experience as they have and at the level they're playing right now makes you pretty excited for the season."