USC spring grades: Linebackers

Published May 6, 2019

Adam Maya • TrojanSports

Editor

Welcome back to our series in which we’re grading each position group based on how it performed in spring practice, and ranking the respective units within the team. We continue with linebackers.

SYNOPSIS

No position on the team has a wider variance in what it could be this fall. There’s a world in which the USC linebackers are strong at each spot, and another where frontline guys are being shifted around in hopes of finding the right combination. My feeling is the arrangement we saw in spring will be a solid one, if not better.

Palaie Gaoteote isn’t at middle linebacker, where Clancy Pendergast last year said he would be. But I wouldn’t interpret this change as some form of extended punishment for how he fared there last season. It’s true that Pendergast trusts John Houston and Jordan Iosefa more. It might also be true that EA is a better fit at weakside linebacker, which gives him more free reign and pass rushing opportunities. Gaoteote, as you know, can be as good as anyone on the team. He covers so much space and his instincts are off the charts. It’s still too early to place a ceiling on him, but his DC at least appears to be committed to keeping him on the field, which was the first major hurdle. What shouldn’t be overlooked is Pendergast loved how EA played WLB in last year’s season finale against Notre Dame, and it apparently planted a seed for 2019.

There’s reason to believe this was a good move beyond what I noted above. Houston and Iosefa had a timeshare at middle linebacker in spring and we could actually see that continue during the season. Neither of the two seniors have proven they need to be on the field on a full-time basis. Houston had the better spring and goes into the summer as the starter. He has to become a better tackler and have more of a presence on the field, of course. For what it’s worth, he made more plays in practice than I can remember from him in previous springs/training camps. I just wouldn’t characterize it as a star turn for the redshirt senior. It would be a victory if Houston, who’s spent the past two seasons at weakside, could replicate what USC got out of a senior Michael Hutchings in 2016 when Pendergast shrewdly moved Cam Smith to WILL and had Hutchings play the MIKE.

And then there’s Iosefa, who’s a more physical player but not as fast. After a quiet season at strongside linebacker last year, the move inside could be a welcome change. He holds an important voice among his teammates and figures to see the field in some capacity. He and Houston are different enough that they could serve different needs, should neither establish himself as the clear-cut guy. At this point, we can’t count Solomon Tuliaupupu in or out. He has a lot of ground to make up after seeing his spring cut short following just four practices because of soreness and discomfort in his surgically repaired foot. His range and potential were pretty obvious in the time he did participate, but health will ultimately determine whether he’s a factor in the competition at middle linebacker. There’s also the chance that Iosefa moves back outside, although USC has more athletic options there. I get the sense they’re better, too.

Hunter Echols had one of the better springs on defense. SAM was a new spot for him also, as he’s spent the majority of his time at Predator. While the latter spot has been reduced to certain packages, it remains to be seen how the Trojans will employ their outside linebackers altogether. (Thus, I combined the inside and outside spots into one group for the post-spring report.) Perhaps less is more? We saw a lot of four-down fronts this spring, in addition to freshman sensation Drake Jackson manning the edge as a stand-up rusher. Don’t be surprised to see USC mix up its fronts more.

The Trojans appear to be building the type of depth that would allow them to switch up personnel and alignments more liberally based on the situation. Echols is a natural pass rusher who’s persistent and can be explosive. I had him coming out ahead of Eli’jah Winston by the end of spring and believe he won himself some playing time. It was an impressive rebound after an inauspicious start to spring ball. That competition will carry over into training camp. It’s also worth noting Kana’i Mauga slid over to WLB and should be a nice reserve there. He plays with great hustle, he also covers a lot of ground and his size won’t be an issue off the ball.

USC goes into summer with a new starter projected for each of its three linebacker spots. That might make things tough early on. But it’s definitely within reach for the group as a whole to be an upgrade over last season.

Spring grade: B+