15 Notes, Quotes And Things To Know Ahead Of Usc Spring Football

Welcome backmost to nan Times of Troy newsletter, wherever we’ve sewage a jam-packed version for you this week. USC hit reporters were fixed nan chance to talk to assistants we don’t often get entree to during nan season. So this week, we’re going to quiet nan notebook, pinch 15 notes, quotes and different things you should cognize up of USC’s outpouring shot session.

1. Jayden Maiava has taken “a immense activity jump” from past season. That’s according to violative coordinator Luke Huard, who said nan backmost has been gathering pinch young wideouts, mounting up group chats, watching movie and moving pinch them astatine walk-throughs. There will beryllium a batch connected his shoulders pinch specified a young receiving corps.

2. Freshman backmost Jonas Williams is “pretty developed” from a beingness standpoint. The athleticism besides is evident erstwhile you watch him connected tape. The mobility is really quickly tin he get up to velocity mentally? Huard said Williams ran a “very multiple” discourtesy that asked a batch of its quarterbacks. So that’s a bully sign. But pinch Husan Longstreet gone, USC is starting from quadrate 1 again astatine backup quarterback. Sam Huard is still an option, but this wasn’t needfully what USC planned.

3. Huard addressed Longstreet’s exit and really plans astatine backmost alteration connected a whim nowadays. Huard’s tone, which can’t really beryllium detected successful nan quote, suggested he wasn’t precisely thrilled astir nan situation. (Huard, aft all, spent a batch of clip and power getting Longstreet to USC.) This is portion of what he said: “We are going to enlistee guys that are going to correspond USC astatine an elite level and springiness america an opportunity to triumph and compete for nationalist championships. So for us, it’s identifying those guys that USC is important to ‘em. They want to genuinely beryllium here. They want to enactment and develop.”

4. Don’t beryllium shocked if a freshman moving backmost makes an impression, moreover pinch a clear apical 2 successful nan backfield. Deshonne Redeaux and Shahn Alston earned raves from moving backs coach Anthony Jones — and are very different. Alston is nan bigger powerfulness back, while Jones called Redeaux “a jack of each trades.” Jones said Redeaux is already a coagulated blocker and moreover tin statement up successful nan slot arsenic a receiver if request be.

5. What’s nan adjacent measurement look for illustration for King Miller? “Hopefully, King 2.0,” Jones said, pinch a laugh. Miller’s main extremity successful nan offseason has been “transforming his body,” Jones added. And if Miller tin support his breakaway velocity while adding strength, nan sophomore moving backmost could beryllium bound for an moreover bigger twelvemonth than he had successful 2025.

6. Sophomore receiver Tanook Hines is moving connected his way running. Hines’ athleticism was intelligibly disconnected nan charts successful his debut season. But there’s still plentifulness to polish successful his game. Receivers coach Dennis Simmons said that’s nan adjacent measurement for him arsenic he takes nan reins arsenic nan Trojans’ No. 1 wideout. This offseason is simply a important 1 for Hines.

7. Zach Williams will move to slot receiver. Could that mean much opportunity? Williams didn’t make overmuch of a scatter past season, mostly because of injury, but erstwhile he near Utah, then-coach Kyle Whittingham said he would’ve been nan Utes’ apical receiver nan adjacent season. Williams has talent. And pinch nan move inside, he yet could get nan opportunity too.

8. The remainder of USC’s receiving corps is very young. I expect that intends we’ll spot a batch of sets pinch Hines, Williams and N.C. State transportation Terrell Anderson astatine first. But freshmen Boobie Feaster and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt nary uncertainty will get their chances to alteration that. Redshirt freshman Corey Simms turned heads successful campy past autumn and could beryllium primed for a measurement guardant too.

9. The title astatine tight extremity is wide open. Lake McRee is disconnected to nan NFL. Walker Lyons transferred. “Who’s going to capable each those snaps?” tight ends coach Chad Savage asked. “Those are a batch of snaps that person gotta beryllium replaced.” Savage mentioned that Wisconsin transportation Hunter Ashcraft would beryllium a portion of that equation. Redshirt freshman Taniela Tupou had begun to impressment by nan extremity of past play arsenic well.

10. That said, freshman Mark Bowman mightiness make a superior push to start. When I asked Savage astir wherever Bowman was astir developed, he said Bowman was “pretty complete” already. Remember, he still should beryllium successful precocious schoolhouse astatine this point. Of course, it’ll return clip for him to set to nan physicality and blocking of assemblage football. But I fishy that won’t return long. “In position of being a earthy pass-catcher, way runner, being explosive,” Savage said, “he tin do each that.”

11. Savage had a chance to time off for different opportunity. He chose to enactment and was promoted accordingly. The Trojans’ caller walk crippled coordinator called moving astatine USC “a dream travel true.” He added, “There’s truthful overmuch maturation for maine to hap present astatine USC. … I’m a West Coast guy.” That’s bully news, considering he mightiness beryllium 1 of nan champion recruiters successful assemblage football.

12. Offensive statement coach Zach Hanson said USC’s beforehand was “nowhere adjacent wherever we request to be” past season. The portion really overachieved, considering its circumstances, but he feels there’s “a batch of room for growth.” I agree. This group will look a batch different successful nan autumn than it did past season, pinch immoderate linemen starting astatine caller positions. Hanson believes nan added title will lead to a large leap for nan line. I thin to agree.

13. Tobias Raymond will return reps astatine halfway successful nan spring. It has been nan scheme for a while that yet Raymond would effort his manus astatine center, arsenic coaches spot that arsenic his champion chance to instrumentality successful nan NFL. It’s not retired of nan mobility that he could play location afloat time, assuming different linemen steps in.

14. Five-star freshman Keenyi Pepe will commencement disconnected moving astatine correct tackle. Can he triumph nan occupation successful Year 1? He’ll person Justin Taunauu, past year’s starter, arsenic good arsenic young returners for illustration Elijah Vaikona and Aaron Dunn to compete with, but Pepe is further developed than nan accustomed freshman. “A batch is conscionable God-given talent,” Hanson said. “The Lord blessed him pinch unbelievable gifts.”

15. New coordinator Gary Patterson famously split his 4-2-5 defense into 2 calls. One for nan beforehand seven, 1 for nan protect backs. But that could play retired otherwise astatine USC, he said. Patterson’s scheme is to usage pieces of USC’s aged strategy nether D’Anton Lynn and “add different strategy to it.” Sometimes that’ll mean conscionable 1 telephone for nan full defense, different times he’ll scheme to deploy a double call. With slower offenses successful nan Big Ten, that attack could activity rather well.

USC’s Laura Williams looks to walk aft getting a rebound.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

—The USC men are successful superior threat of missing March. It’s not conscionable that nan Trojans lost to No. 10 Illinois. They were blown out by nan Illini, who past mislaid to UCLA 3 nights later. It’s not conscionable that USC mislaid to Oregon, either. It’s really they mislaid to Oregon, a squad that had mislaid 11 of 12, by letting nan Ducks spell connected a stunning 7-0 tally successful nan last minute. This type of USC doesn’t merit to beryllium successful nan tournament. But I do judge this squad has nan talent to beryllium a tourney squad and it’s not retired of nan mobility that it could triumph 2 of nan adjacent four, triumph a mates of games successful nan Big Ten tourney and sneak in. That climb is conscionable a really steep 1 aft Saturday.

—Laura Williams’ emergence arsenic a reliable rebounder and rim protector is simply a large deal. All play long, Lindsay Gottlieb has been contented to trust connected a rotating group astatine nan five. USC has been capable to get by for astir of nan season, but travel March, it’ll thief to person personification who tin do what Williams did against Wisconsin, erstwhile nan redshirt freshman reeled successful 14 rebounds and blocked 4 shots.

—What a commencement to nan play for USC baseball. After starring a mixed no-hitter nan erstwhile week, Grant Govel threw six scoreless innings, gave up conscionable 1 deed and struck retired 11 successful a triumph complete Rice. That was aft No. 1 pitcher Mason Edwards sounded a shutout nan nighttime before. The Trojans are surging to commencement Andy Stankiewicz’s 3rd play arsenic coach, and if nan pitching continues to beryllium this good, USC could beryllium connected nan brink of a breakthrough campaign.

Olympic sports spotlight

USC formation volleyball opened its play connected a basking streak successful Honolulu pinch 4 consecutive wins, including a triumph complete No. 2 Stanford, only to travel up doubly connected nan last time of nan Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic. That 1 of those losses came to No. 1 UCLA, which USC won’t look again until April 4, made it an particularly reliable measurement to extremity nan weekend.

But nan play is young, and there’s nary logic to uncertainty that Dain Blanton will person USC successful nan operation to triumph a nationalist title erstwhile nan rivals meet again.

What I’m Watching This Week

Jason Segel successful “Shrinking.”

(Apple TV+)

It’s shocking that it took until this show’s 3rd play for it to get a mention successful this space, but “Shrinking” is back, and location is nary show connected TV that I find much life-affirming.

Jason Segel stars arsenic Jimmy, a therapist moving done condolences aft nan abrupt decease of his wife. That mightiness sound dense — and, sure, it is sometimes — but it’s besides hilarious, optimistic and heartwarming. Few shows these days tin make you some laughter retired large and tear up successful nan aforesaid episode. This is 1 of them.

The 2nd play was a revelation. And truthful far, I’m hopeful that Season 3 will beryllium a worthy follow-up.

In lawsuit you missed it

Fourth-quarter drought dooms USC vs. No. 10 Ohio State contempt Jazzy Davidson’s 32 points

USC men’s hoops squad fumbles precocious lead, suffers devastating nonaccomplishment to Oregon

Star freshman Jazzy Davidson gives USC a scare arsenic it wins sixth straight

USC men travel unraveled successful blowout nonaccomplishment to Illinois

Until adjacent clip ...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you person immoderate feedback, ideas for betterment aliases things you’d for illustration to see, email maine astatine ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and travel maine connected X astatine @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.