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The first major injury dominoes for USC were made public last Friday when coach Clay Helton announced that linebackers Jordan Iosefa and Solomon Tuliaupupu would both need knee surgeries and would miss the upcoming season.
The news rippled through the fan base and social media as Iosefa was a favorite to start at the Mac linebacker, or middle linebacker spot, as a redshirt senior after missing all of last season while undergoing two knee procedures.
Furthermore, Tuliaupupu, the redshirt sophomore and former 4-star Rivals100 prospect out of nearby Mater Dei High School, seemed to finally be past the foot injury that cost him his first two seasons at USC. He too was competing for a role at the Mac spot and has remained of peak intrigue to fans eager to see him be able to show his long-awaited high-end potential.
Those were two significant losses for the Trojans, for sure, but if there was one spot on the defense that could weather a pair of setbacks like that, it might actually be that Mac linebacker spot.
The reality was the Trojans had a glut of talented players at the position, but all with plenty to prove still. Even Iosefa, who was voted a team captain last year and is the most experienced of the bunch, has never had more than 38 tackles in a season at USC.
So where do those injuries leave the Trojans now?
With a very intriguing position battle that should center around junior Kana'i Mauga and sophomore Ralen Goforth, with redshirt sophomore Tayler Katoa also in the mix at that Mac linebacker spot.
"From a linebacker standpoint, we entered the fall looking pretty good," Helton said. "When you lose the quality of a player like Jordan Iosefa, and [I] was extremely excited about Solo -- really pretty heartbroken over it because I know the amount of work that he’s put in to have the chance to have his foot well. He was feeling good and now has a knee. That takes away from your depth.
"There’s still some really, really quality players. I think of EA. I think of Ralen. You think of a Tuasivi [Nomura], a Kana'i. We have men there, but when you talk about the quality with not only defense but special teams … those are losses. Those are losses that are going to provide an opportunity for other people to step up."
Palaie "EA" Gaoteote is projected to start at the Rover linebacker spot in new coordinator Todd Orlando's defense. It's unclear which spot Nomura, the redshirt freshman is slotted at.
But Mauga and Goforth seem like the top candidates at that Mac position regardless. They were already notable players to watch this preseason, but now their paths to a prominent role are even more in focus.
And both talked to TrojanSports.com in recent days, prior to the public announcement of the injuries, about their outlook and expectations for this season.
"First and foremost, my personal goal is just to win the starting job," Goforth said. "Last year I sat behind John Houston, I learned a lot sitting behind him. He taught me a lot about the defense and showed me what the coaches wanted to see and stuff like that. I learned a lot from John Houston. He played a big role in me adjusting to college. I didn't really get the opportunity to really play as much as I wanted to, but looking forward to this year I can't really think much about the past. I'm just staying hungry, staying ready. I'm just looking forward to this year and what the opportunity presents me."
