Sometime this week, the USC coaching staff will formally make what could be considered the toughest -- or at least most complicated -- depth chart decision of the preseason.
That is settling the starting right tackle job with either redshirt senior Jalen McKenzie, a two-year starter at both guard and tackle, or impressive redshirt freshman Jonah Monheim, whom offensive line coach Clay McGuire called "maybe the smartest kid we have on that O-line" and "one of the better guys we have in the run game right now."
All signs seem to be pointing to a changing of the guard -- or tackle, in this case -- on the right side, as Monheim has taken the bulk of the first-team reps there over the last week-plus (after working at first-team left tackle the first half of camp). On Tuesday, as the Trojans entered "mock game week" and went through their final practice before turning the focus to game-planning for season-opening opponent San Jose State, Monheim was the first-team RT for four of the five series in the live team period (while moving to left tackle for the other, with McKenzie rotating in on the right side).
But the coaches weren't ready to publicly concede a decision has been made there with head coach Clay Helton saying it would come sometime this week.
"You know what's really cool about that competition, it's made both guys improve, I really feel, from last year. And I appreciate both guys because they're both great teammates. They've competed extremely well. No matter how it shakes out I see them both contributing each and every game," Helton said Tuesday. "Obviously a hard decision, but the best man has to go out there -- whoever has had the best camp. We'll put that together, make a decision and move forward. ... You've got depth and you've got some really talented men that you've got to make tough decisions. That's a good thing. It could be the other way around."
Said McGuire: "I think we're really close. I think that obviously we gotta go in there and watch some tape and have some discussions and I think we're really close to kind of making decisions. ... It's extremely tough. I mean, all those kids have competed hard. They've came up every day, they've competed and done everything they're asked, they've worked hard and it's one of those things. It's a good problem but it is a problem -- you got to make a decision and it's not easy. And so again, like I said, you're hoping it'd be easy, but on one hand you're kind of glad it's not."
The rest of the first-team offensive line seems set with redshirt freshman Courtland Ford at left tackle, redshirt senior Andrew Vorhees at left guard, redshirt senior Brett Neilon at center and redshirt senior Liam Jimmons at right guard.
The second-team is largely set as well. Freshman Mason Murphy has taken over the left tackle reps on that unit, since redshirt freshman Casey Collier left camp to return home for several days earlier this month. The rest of the second unit projects as redshirt junior left guard Justin Dedich, redshirt freshman center Andrew Milek, redshirt junior right guard Liam Douglass and the other end of the right tackle competition. (Though if Neilon missed any time at center, it would likely be Dedich who steps in for him.)
"I think we kind figured out a two-deep and we've established competition throughout camp," McGuire said. "And we've had to play at a really high level or you're going to lose your job type situation. Obviously get a chance to go against a really good D-line every day so I think we've gotten better against a really good opponent, as well. So I think camp so far has been pretty successful and have relatively stayed healthy most of camp."
