IMHO Sunday: Transfermania – Part 2 edition

In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles:

Transfermania: I must admit that I enjoy the second transfer window (April 15-30) more exciting that the first, just not in overall numbers. In the currently ongoing second transfer window, the available players in April seem to be high quality, and many will be taken by schools that either didn’t recruit them out of high school because they were under evaluated or the player made a wrong signing choice to begin with or played somewhere where they could prove they belonged at a higher classification of ball.

Transfermania – Part 2: As soon as this April’s transfer window opened up, Trojans fans were immediately welcomed with potentially great news that Georgia defensive tackle Bear Alexander (6-2 ½, 305) would be making a scheduled official recruiting trip soon. Well, soon became sooner-rather-than later as Alexander, one of the elite high school recruits his senior season while at IMG Academy in Florida, was on his Trojans recruiting visit this current weekend.

No question, if “The Bear” decides L.A. is the way, a decision he said would be made on Sunday night that corresponds to the conclusion of his official Trojans’ visit, he would be an obvious major elevation addition to D-line coach Shaun Nua’s suddenly budding “star-studded” defensive line if you consider former 5-star Anthony Lucas, the A&M transfer, combined with Alexander, a former On3 4-star recruit.  

Bear Alexander: Is he coming to Troy? An offical announcement is expected on Sunday night.
(Photo above by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

Transfermania – Part 3: Of course, not to get overly giddy, like high school recruiting, a transfer recruit’s recruiting ain’t over until it’s over. However, all signs seem to point a Athens to Los Angeles relocation for Alexander. Unfortunately, since recruiting from the high school ranks or the transfer portal can be unpredictable. It hurt when former Florida offensive lineman Ethan White, who had committed to USC is no longer in the picture due a physical health issue, according to Lincoln Riley, an issue that may have ended his football career. The Trojans were hoping White would fill the shoes of former All-America guard Andrew Vorhees.  

Transfermania – Part 4: So, exit Ethan White and enter former Houston offensive lineman Cam’Ron Johnson, a two-year starter for the Cougars, who was also visiting USC this weekend along with Bear Alexander. If the Trojans can reportedly beat out Missouri, according to those in the know, it would certainly be a great help since Johnson was an All-Conference performer at guard for Houston. 

Transfermania – Part 5: The excitement and beauty of the second transfer window is that it comes at the conclusion of most spring practices across the country. This second transfer window is also a shorter window of opportunity to make a decision, which is probably a good thing. In the cases of Bear Alexander and Cam’Ron Johnson, the clock will be ticking to make a decision and finalize it. The question, of course, is what happens if neither commits, and the Trojans must move to Plan C or Plan D? That, of course, is the intrigue of the whole spring transfer serenade.    

Cam’ron Johnson (#72): Is he coming to the Trojans’ O-line?
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Transfermania – Part 6: Of course, this second recruiting window is a two-way street for USC, as well. We have already seen Trojans departures like offensive tackle Courtland Ford (committed to the University of Kentucky), secondary performer Joshua Jackson Jr., and walk-on quarterback Keegan Patterson. Lincoln Riley said he expects more movement departures from his roster, which means those slots need to be all refilled at some point.   

Transfermania – Part 7: Take in the Transfer Window 2 and combine it with the current number of high school recruits on campus as part of Lincoln Riley’s masterplan, the theory is if you juggle the recruiting and transfers with acumen, you can make a roster leap forward in terms of optimism.

Summation: So, with the second portal window currently wide open, we now sit back, grab some popcorn and a soft drink, and watch this whole transfer scenario unfold knowing that what the Trojans showed in the spring will probably be upgraded again before training camp in late July. Don’t know about you, but I find this exercise both fun, exciting, intriguing, and captivating. Transfermania – Part 2 is alive and well, and the Trojans are about – in theory – to get better. Given the expectations for 2023, this is an exciting time to be a USC fan.   

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The Lincoln Riley quotebook

USC football coach Lincoln Riley speaks to his team following the annual spring game on April 15.
(Kiyoshi Mio / USA TODAY Sports)

In a media question regarding what his program’s plan for the next several months leading up to training camp in late July, Riley said:

“In the next three months, guys will be getting on the road recruiting starting next week. All the assistants will be out all over the country. This is really a great chance to watch spring football, this is an important time to see the evaluation side of it not only for this year but for future years. We’ll be hosting a lot of recruits on campus whether it’s the transfer portal or a majority of our official visits for the upcoming year here through June. There will be a lot of great hosting opportunities. A lot of it for us will be prep work for the summer and leading into the season.

“It’s kind of nice to be done with spring early because you now know exactly what you need to do. The spring clarifies a lot of where the team needs to head, and you start putting those plans down on paper. That’s everything from the off-season plan, nutrition plan, how you’re bonding the team together, how you’re teaching, how you’re developing. This is kind of the fun part of developing it. You start getting a good idea who you are going to have on the roster and what they need to do. Lot of planning and anticipation for the guys to be back here in early June because obviously it will be very important for this team the next three and a half months, especially playing a Week 0 game and how quickly this season is going to come. We’ve got to have an elite three months and really be ready to go on July 27th.  

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From the press box…

(Photo above by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Nobody asked me…but: I am willing to bet that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch knows there’s still a lot of work to be done because there were still too many missed tackles and a number of players are still not fundamentally sound when it comes to pursuit angles. After viewing the spring game, which is a small sample size, there are more questions than answers for me. I am not ready to say this defense is nearly as good – yet – as made out to be. 

Nobody asked me…but: I know one of the first things noticed about the commitment of running back Bryan Jackson (McKinney, Texas) on Friday is that he is listed as a 3-star. You should also notice that the man recruiting him is Kiel McDonald, the USC running backs coach, who has a history of taking such “star” players and making them into NFL style running backs.

Sorry Sark,but Bryan Jackson is coming to be a Trojan running back.

Nobody asked me…but: I know a lot of people who were disappointed in true freshman linebacker Tackett Curtis’s performance in the spring game. Although it was not probably the performance the kid wanted, the fact of the matter is that he, too, is still just a true freshman. 

Nobody asked me…but: Nobody asked me…but: By the way Tackett Curtis moves around the field – and, yes, he’s still adjusting to the speed and angle of the college game – let me be, however, be the first to give Trojans’ true freshman inside linebacker his first nickname: The Shark.

Nobody asked me…but: I know a lot of people who were also disappointed in true freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson’s performance in the spring game. Although it was not probably the performance the kid wanted, the fact of the matter is that he, too, is still just a true freshman.  

Trojans true freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson
(Courtesy of Malachi Nelson)

Nobody asked me…but: Should we be concerned with the spring game attendance count that was lower than Lincoln Riley’s first spring game? No, L.A. traditionally shows up for games that count and games that can overcome a nice Southern California day. And don’t forget, the spring game was on the Pac-12 Network…if you could get it.

Nobody asked me…but: The thought of both quarterback Caleb Williams and transfer tailback MarShawn Lloyd in the same backfield should bring a lot of nervous nights to the opponents on USC’s 2023 schedule.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams warms up before the Trojans’ 2023 spring game at the Coliseum
(Photo above by Acscottphotography/WeAreSC)

Nobody asked me…but: While there has been the obvious elevation of talent on

Nobody asked me…but: I agree with the national preseason polls that the Trojans being ranked No. 7 or No. 8 nationally seems about right.

Nobody asked me…but: For most college football fans that I know, June can’t roll by quick enough for those that love to check out preseason college football magazines.

It’s going to be a long haul for USC fans, who now must wait until late August to see their Trojans play again.

Nobody asked me…but: Speaking of college football magazines, is it possible that Caleb Williams won’t be on the cover of all of them?

Nobody asked me…but: I am still concerned with the consistency of the Trojans’ secondary.

Nobody asked me…but: I was surprised there was no live DJ at the spring game. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

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The post-game show…

(Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

The anticipation: A number of media members attending the spring game at the Coliseum showed some real enthusiasm that the 2023 Pac-12 Football Media Day would be held in Las Vegas.

IMHO: Pac-12 Football Media Day does not have the same fluff it once had. I would say the fact that this is the last go-round for USC and UCLA in the Pac-12 will probably be a key talking point. As for holding the media day in Las Vegas, I’d rather be there for the Pac-12 Championship Football Game if given the option.

Will the Trojans return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game?
(Photo above by WeAreSC/Erik McKinney)

Wondering: I didn’t see it, but there seemed to be less freebees for fans and students at this USC spring game compared to last spring. Maybe I am wrong, but USC would be wise not to take fans or students for granted and not go the extra mile in promotions for the upcoming season. The allure of Caleb Williams can’t do it all.

Good job: I thought the Trojans Marching Band was in top form as were the USC Song Girls at the spring game. While watching from the press box, I wonder if the band enjoyed being in the stands near the end zone of the peristyle end as opposed to being behind the peristyle end zone.

There’s nothing better than watching the famous USC Song Girls perform at an event.

The voice: It was good to see Pete Arbogast, the radio broadcast voice of the Trojans, in the press box before the spring game. While I appreciate the coverage by Jordan Moore and his group covering the spring game on radio, it just seems like having Arbo describing the action down on the field would have been a plus.

Spring numbers: It is pointless to point out that the attendance from last Saturday’s spring game was in the 25,000 range…if you’re comparing that number to other spring games across the country held on the same day. For example, Ohio State had 75,000 in The Horseshoe for its spring game, but what else is there to do in Columbus and in that weather?

New Coli image: In honor of this being the 100-year anniversary of the Coliseum, this football season’s playing field has been decorated at the back of each end zone with a new logo celebration.

New Coliseum design logo

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The Call-in Show…

Caller No. 1: Mr. G, I read your stories on the recent passing of Kevin Bruce. He must have been quite a guy.  

Caller No. 1, Kevin was that and then some. He was, as they say, the real deal.

Caller No. 2, Coach, do you think that Jalen Hurts, a Lincoln Riley protégé, on the verge of signing with the Philadelphia Eagles for a reported five-year, $255 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, including $179.3 million guaranteed will help USC’s quarterback recruiting?

Caller No. 2, it certainly doesn’t hurt, so help me, Dylan Raiola. 

Quarterback Dylon Raiola is looking at what school to continue his college career.

Caller No. 3: Katz, I know it’s hard to find a quality portal transfer that has more than one year remaining, but I don’t think that a program with just one-and done players. Just my humble opinion.

Caller No. 3, you are correct, sir!

Caller No. 4: Sir, why does USC give Coliseum attendance figures that don’t appear to match the actual people in the stands?

Caller No. 4, the truth seems to be one all sports teams do. Most by tickets sold or the turnstile count with a little fudging. In other words, believe me or your lying eyes.    

The stands are empty for the spring game on the north side of the Coli. However, all the fans sat below the press box.

Caller No. 5: Greg, when you fly, is there anything about the airport the flight itself that annoys you?

Caller No. 5, I get very frustrated when an airline claims free Wi-Fi, and it doesn’t work. I flew to Chicago this weekend on American and the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. It was the worst.

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The last word…

For those that missed last Tuesday’s “Inside the Trojans’ Huddle”, panelists Marc Kulkin, Chris Arledge, Erik McKinney, and Greg Katz reviewed last Saturday’s Coliseum USC Spring Game by offensive and defensive position groups and critiqued the spring game attendance and fan atmosphere.

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