USC tight end position needs young talent to step up behind veteran Lake McRee

After a disappointing regular season in 2023, the USC Trojans found some positive momentum at the very end with the way they prepared for and played in a convincing Holiday Bowl win over Louisville. The one major exception to that better energy was seeing tight end Lake McRee go down with an injury during bowl prep. It cost him a chance to play in that game and to be fully healthy for this past spring ball.

But the veteran is back on the field this fall, serving as a leader for a USC tight end position that added some major talent in the 2024 recruiting class. McRee stayed ahead of rehab schedule in order to get to this point and said having suffered a similar injury during his high school career helped him understand and prepare for making his way back to full health. Tight end coach Zach Hanson said he was “super proud” of the work McRee put in this offseason. They continue to be a little cautious with him during camp, but McRee said he feels all the way back.

He’s the clear leader of a tight end group that has a chance to make a significant contribution on the field this season, with or without the ball in their hands. Tight ends haven’t been top targets the past two years in Riley’s USC offense, but McRee did finish fifth on the team in receptions last season. Hanson said the group talks about making the most of the opportunities they’re given. And he wants the group to be more explosive when it comes to all aspects of the position this season.

“We need to be better out in space,” Hanson said. “We made a big push when we get the ball in our hands of making plays – not just being possession guys…Always have to work on technique and fundamentals in the blocking game. That’s just part of it. We spend a lot of time on that stuff and just making sure if there’s a 280-pound D-end, I can man him up and block him.”

But it’s a group that has almost zero experience outside of McRee. Kade Eldridge played in just one game last season and didn’t record a catch. Carson Tabaracci played in five games on offense and caught one pass. Joey Olsen, Walter Matthews and Walker Lyons are all true freshmen. With so little experience, McRee took that leadership responsibility to heart this offseason.

“When you take in a bunch of guys who know nothing about the offense, you get to help them a lot in the offseason when the coaches can’t be around,” McRee said. “You get to walk them through the plays. I kind of embraced that role of being the older guy in the room and being the leader. I try to take it as slow as possible but also put a fire under them because we need them. We have a lot of guys but even though they’re young we’re going to need most of those guys. I think having a good leader role of telling them what they need to do was big for me and something that I really wasn’t experienced with. So I think this summer was good for all of us.”

Eldridge specifically has turned up his play this fall. Hanson said the redshirt freshman has “really had a good camp” and especially when it comes to run blocking.

“He’s a big, strong, physical kid and he’s really starting to gain an understanding of how to stick your face on somebody and be really physical,” Hanson said. “He embraces it and likes it, too.”

McRee sees the change as well.

“Kade had a big jump this offseason,” McRee said. “Really big on changing his body and getting a lot stronger. You can see the physicality difference in him this fall camp. He’s done a lot in the blocking game that has really jumped off the film.”

Tabaracci has missed the start of camp due to injury, but Hanson said he’ll be another veteran presence added to the room when he returns. But in watching the team go through individual drills during practice, it’s hard not to notice the three true freshmen.

“Athletically, they’re all really gifted,” McRee said of the group.

McRee said Walker’s hand-eye coordination stands out, Matthews is a “freak athlete” with a basketball background, and Olsen brings a receiver’s ability in his route running and hands to the position. McRee and Hanson both spoke about Olsen’s significant jump into fall camp from his experience during spring ball. How well they block could dictate how much playing time they see this season, but all of them bring some explosiveness to the passing game.

Lyons is an interesting case because he’s only recently returned from an 18-month mission and also missed most of his senior high school season due to a leg injury.

“Being out for a couple years, there’s a little bit of rust to knock off,” Hanson said. “But he’s done really well. Really excited about him. Looking for him to make a major push here at the end of camp and hopefully get in the mix.”

Between helping to create a typical Lincoln Riley running game, assisting the offensive tackles in keeping Miller Moss upright and making key plays in the passing game, this will be a key group for the Trojans this season. A USC tight end hasn’t been drafted into the NFL since Randall Telfer in 2015. But that room now looks like his has some potential pros in it.

“You can see it,” Hanson said. “The talent level is where we want it to be. Now it’s up to me to get all these guys ready, right? That’s the next part. But we’re blessed with a great group. They really work hard at it…I feel like we’re in a really good position with those guys.”

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