With spring practice beginning Tuesday, TrojanSports.com is previewing each USC position group. We conclude with quarterbacks.
ROSTER
Returning: Matt Fink, RS Jr.; Jack Sears RS So.; JT Daniels, So.
Lost: N/A
Added: Kedon Slovis
Arriving in summer: N/A
KEY QUESTIONS
1. Is the competition truly open?
2. Who’s the best quarterback?
3. How big of an upgrade will the Air Raid be?
POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH
Daniels vs. Sears: This is a two-man race, if there is one. The Air Raid values mobility but ultimately necessitates being able to win from the pocket. This is where Daniels would seem to hold the biggest edge. What will become clear immediately is whether he already has a sizable lead. The proof will be in the first-team reps. All three QBs figure to get them, but if Sears doesn’t quickly separate himself from Fink, he’s not catching Daniels. Lost in the whirlwind of Daniels parachuting in last summer and winning the starting job was Sears showing marked improvement from spring. He was good in training camp; Daniels was simply better. And once the season started, there was no way the Helton-Martin-Ellis triumvirate was going to make a QB change. Now the decision is apparently all Graham Harrell’s. It gives everyone a chance at making another first impression at USC.
BREAKDOWN
Quarterback play will improve. By the numbers, it hadn’t been worse in 19 years. A better offensive system coupled with the growth of the starting QB (Daniels or otherwise) should make a huge difference. The common thread in USC’s offense since Pete Carroll left has the been the reliance on the quarterback to ignite the offense. Remember, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart operated in run-first attacks, while John David Booty and Mark Sanchez weren’t fully unleashed until the 2007 and 2009 Rose Bowls, respectively.
