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USC's QB competition 'going to take 25 practices' to decide

JT Daniels finished spring atop the QB depth chart, followed by Jack Sears. Do they have an equal chance of winning the job before the season opener?
JT Daniels finished spring atop the QB depth chart, followed by Jack Sears. Do they have an equal chance of winning the job before the season opener? (Ryan Young/TrojanSports.com)

USC’s starting quarterback job is JT Daniels’ to lose. And as Coach Clay Helton describes it, the job can actually be lost this season.

Helton revealed Wednesday that he doesn’t intend to announce a starter until the Friday before the season opener against Fresno State.

“It’s going to take 25 practices,” he said. “We got four quarterbacks. I want to see where they’re at. … I want our quarterbacks to feel competition, to improve. I think that’s healthy.”

It’s more likely than not that this rhetoric is being used as a tool to keep players fully engaged and not grow complacent, which has been a problem in the past. Helton in spring laid out plans to release a new depth chart every Friday during the season -- it has traditionally come out on Sundays. He reiterated that intention at Pac-12 Media Day while also insisting the quarterback job will be subject to change just like any other position.

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“It’s one of the things that I wanted for our entire football team,” Helton said. “Because you name a starter in Game 1 doesn’t mean that you get to start the entire year. Guys develop and guys work. Production comes into play. Guys sometimes getting healthy comes into play. Situations change. …

“I don’t ever want that competition to stop. I don’t want people to get comfortable in their role.”

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