Five questions for the USC Trojans heading into fall camp

The USC Trojans are set to open fall camp with an early-morning practice on Friday. And with that, the long offseason will be over. There will still be a month until the Trojans hit Allegiant Field to take on the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas. That’s when the real answers will start to pour in. But for now, here are five major questions for the Trojans as they head into fall camp.

What does USC have at defensive tackle?

USC went after several defensive tackles in the transfer portal this offseason and landed two in Nate Clifton from Vanderbilt and Gavin Meyer from Wyoming. Three likely would have been preferable, including a big-name, but the Trojans truly aren’t in a bad place up front in terms of numbers of personnel. Bear Alexander, Clifton, Meyer, Elijah Hughes, Devan Thompkins and Kobe Pepe give the Trojans a three-deep of guys who have played — and some who have played a lot. And that doesn’t factor in the potential splashes of true freshmen Jide Abasiri, Carlon Jones and Ratumana Bulabalavu.

Lining up all the depth and finding the guy who starts next to Alexander will be key for fall, but getting Alexander to raise his game and consistently be the terror he was on occasion last fall will be just as important. He said during Wednesday’s media day that playing at that level more consistently is part of his focus this year. Is he ready to be that guy? The talent is there.

Meyer and Clifton have played plenty, but working them into this defense and alongside Alexander or each other will be a fall to-do. Clifton was at USC in the spring, but Meyer was a summer addition. Hughes is up to 293 pounds after being listed at 270 as a true freshman last fall.

Can this Trojan team tackle?

The number of missed tackles by the USC defense the past two years was only part of why the Trojans struggled on that side of the ball, but it was a big one. USC missed 141 tackles last season after missing 146 the season before. The expectation is that D’Anton Lynn will make this defense better in every conceivable way from the 2023 version. But how much better will the Trojans get in simply bringing ball carriers to the ground? Lynn spoke plenty about the need to tackle and be physical in practice. He said Wednesday the top two tenets of his defense are stopping the run and affecting the quarterback.

Linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold is coming off a 106-tackle season and said the team has been very physical in practice with the understanding that the Big Ten demands that of teams.

“In practice, we emphasize we’re going to hit, we’re going to tackle,” Mascarenas-Arnold said, adding that it all comes down to a mix of technique and intent.

He said footwork, eye discipline and finding the strike zone are huge parts of it, but intent and attitude matter as well.

“If you want to tackle somebody, you’re going to tackle them,” Mascarenas-Arnold said. “It’s that simple.”

Can the offensive line jell completely?

Heading into last fall camp, Jonah Monheim was flipped to left tackle after spending all spring on the right side. Emmanuel Pregnon started working at left guard after spending the previous year at Wyoming on the right side. And the Trojans wound up starting a couple of different lineups early in the year.

This year, things feel a lot more settled up front going into the fall. Elijah Paige, Pregnon, Monheim, Alani Noa and Mason Murphy played together all spring and that’s the lineup expected to open spring as starters. The wrinkle is Gino Quinones, who grabbed an opening-week start last season and was going to be a key part of the interior until an early-season injury ended his year.

There’s a big belief in Paige at left tackle and a growing confidence that Murphy can find consistency in his play that hasn’t always been there. Monheim has everybody’s confidence in the middle, but he’ll need to make sure communication across the line is consistent with everybody on the same page.

The USC offensive line had its ups and downs last season, but it wasn’t consistently good enough in the run game. The size and strength appear to be there with the starters and key backups. Head coach Lincoln Riley said he believes this line will be able to move people off the ball better than last year. There has to be more cohesiveness than last season, and finding that continues this weekend.

Who steps up on the edges?

USC has plenty of players on the roster listed as defensive ends. The Trojans have to find a small handful capable of not just playing this season, but who will make significant impacts. Jamil Muhammad is one of the leaders and played well early last season. But the better offensive lines found ways to shut down the USC pass rush over the second half of the season.

Anthony Lucas is someone who keeps coming up when players are asked about practice field standouts. The ability is clearly there and unlocking it will be one of the biggest jobs for defensive line coaches Shaun Nua and Eric Henderson this fall. Second-year player Braylan Shelby had an impressive physique as a true freshman last fall and continues to add size and strength. The time appears to be now for him, but he’ll need to prove it.

What can Sam Greene or DJ Peevy provide in their second seasons? Will Solomon Tuliaupupu be healthy enough to contribute? And can true freshman Kameryn Fountain make an impact after flashing plenty during spring ball and the spring game?

The Trojans had two total sacks in a five-game stretch against Notre Dame, Utah, Cal, Washington and Oregon last season. It’s not only on the ends to generate pass rush and pressure, but they’re certainly looked at to lead the way there. The Trojans face what is likely the best pair of offensive tackles in the country in Game 1 this season, lining up against LSU’s Emery Jones and Will Campbell. The ends will need to be sharp from the opening snap.

Can USC take advantage of the new rules?

All teams will play with the same rules in 2024, but the ones who can take advantage of them best will obviously benefit the most. One player on each side of the ball will be allowed to wear radio communications in their helmet. That will be quarterback Miller Moss on offense and linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold on defense.

Teams will also be able to utilize 18 tablets across the sideline, locker room and coaching booths. The tablets will allow teams to view in-game replays, including broadcast feeds and specific camera angles.

The other big one for fall camp is a loosening of the rules regarding analysts. Previously, they could only observe practices without providing instruction. Now, any staff member (including analysts) “may provide technical and tactical instruction to student-athletes during practice and competition,” according to the new rule.

USC should get a big boost here in several areas. Defensive analyst Skyler Jones was a big addition this offseason. He was an assistant defensive line coach for Eric Henderson with the Los Angeles Rams and served as an analyst at Oregon last fall. Getting another talented defensive line coach on the field is significant for that group.

The same goes for offensive analyst Zach Crabtree, who has worked closely with Josh Henson and the offensive line group since his arrival in January of 2022.

Defensive analyst Taylor Mays can now work hand-in-hand on the field with secondary coach Doug Belk and coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

And USC’s special teams should get a boost with analyst Ryan Dougherty now able to work directly with the Trojans kickers and punters.

It’s always been a bit of a grey area on what exactly analysts can do and what is on either side of that “coaching” line. Erasing it completely will allow hundreds of people across college football to play a more impactful role this fall. USC has a chance to get a big boost from its analysts during camp and throughout the season.

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