Michael Pittman is often the most candid and revealing player on the USC roster, so as reporters sought insight into new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after the Trojans' first spring practice Tuesday, the star senior wide receiver was an obvious starting point.

And as usual, Pittman obliged, recalling how Harrell made an immediate impression on the team when he arrived this offseason -- in a couple of ways, that is.

"He just walked in there and I was like, 'Wow, this coach looks like he's my age,'" Pittman joked.

That wasn't the only takeaway, of course.

"He came in, he kind of had like a pump up speech. I liked what he was saying," Pittman continued. "He was just telling us that we're pretty much going to win all of our games, that we're better than every team that's on our schedule. That's no hit to other teams -- we just think we're better and I feel that's what every team should feel."

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Joining a program that finished 5-7 last fall and wilted offensively in the second half of too many games, it sounds like Harrell has tried to inject some confidence and swagger back into the unit since being hired away from North Texas at the end of January.

The 33-year-old offensive coordinator gave off a laid-back confidence in his first meeting with the local media last week, and head coach Clay Helton had raved earlier about Harrell's ability to connect with everybody in a room.

The early feedback from the players, meanwhile, indicates that the offense has indeed taken to him quickly.

"The way he carries himself, his confidence is really up there," wide receiver Tyler Vaughns said. "It's not cocky or anything like that or ignorant. He's trying to put us at a higher level and he's holding us to a higher standard, so just him doing that is really just [making us want to] do better and not disappoint."

Said fellow wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown: "He wants to be the best, the best offense in the FBS and he preaches that every day and he wants us to be great. I think Tyler's right when he said that."

Harrell has some work to do with a unit that finished last season ranked 83rd nationally in total offense (382.6 yards per game) despite being loaded with 5-star and 4-star prospects.

But the potential for the unit is obvious as well, especially when meshed with Harrell's up-tempo version of the Air Raid offense with elements taken from his time as both a QB and assistant coach under Mike Leach (at Texas Tech and Washington State, respectively).

In his third season as the offensive coordinator at North Texas last fall, Harrell's offense ranked 20th nationally with 460.5 yards per game. It produced the 10th-leading passer nationally in Mason Fine (3,793 yards, 27 touchdowns, 5 interceptions) and a rushing attack that totaled 1,999 yards.

That was at a lower tier of the FBS spectrum, sure, but it was also without all those 5-star and 4-star recruits as well.

“They look a lot different than the guys I’ve had, that’s for sure," Harrell had said last week of the group he's inheriting. "... Really after I talked to [Helton] the first time he called me, I got our video guys at North Texas to get video and I just wanted to watch some games just so I could see what they had, especially at the receiver position. [It’s] exciting. I think we have a great group of receivers that can do special things.

"My job is to put those guys in a position to be successful. The philosophy of the Air Raid is to keep it simple, put your playmakers in space, get them the ball in space and let them do what they do."

Simple was indeed the key word as the Trojans spoke to reporters Tuesday after practice for the first time since Harrell's hiring.

"It's not complex," Pittman said of the new offense. "You just get in there and play fast. It's simple in like terms of scheme. It's kind of like he puts it up and he's like, 'Run this.' And it's not like particular splits, there's no particular depths. It's just 'Get open,' I guess."

Said St. Brown: "I would say much less words, much less terminology, much less plays and just way more simple. You know exactly what you have on each play -- there's not much thinking, just go."

St. Brown offered an example, noting that a typical play call last year might have involved seven words whereas now it's more likely to be three words.

In his meeting with reporters last week, Harrell relayed a story from his time with the Green Bay Packers, where he felt the play calls were too complex for most of the quarterback room to easily digest. That reinforced his belief in doing things the opposite way, as he had at Texas Tech under Leach where he passed for 15,793 yards and 134 touchdowns with 34 interceptions over four seasons.

"We believe in him," St. Brown added. "It's a much more simple scheme, like everyone's been saying. Much less terminology. So I think it allows us to play fast and not think much."

As for how Harrell's scheme impacts the rest of the offense, running back Stephen Carr shared his excitement to be more involved in the passing game this season.

"It's no doubt that we're going to run the ball, but I think we have more passing opportunities, opportunities to catch the ball out of the backfield," he said. "Like I said before, that's something I love to do."

Meanwhile, left tackle Austin Jackson didn't seem concerned about how the offensive line would adapt to the uptempo Air Raid style.

"We're going to be moving around a lot more, running a lot more so that's pretty much the main thing," he said. "I think it suits us really well. I feel like from left to right we're all pretty athletic, actually pretty much everybody on the O-line. We all move pretty well so that should help us out."

Like Pittman, Jackson also thought back to the Trojans' first meeting with Harrell and the impression he left that day.

"I thought he was real clear and concise. It seems like he has a plan for our offense," he said. "I believe in him. I trust him."