On Friday, USC will take the first steps of its 2018 journey when it holds its first practice of training camp.
The Trojans will do so without their leading passer (Sam Darnold), leading rusher (Ronald Jones), leading receiver (Deontay Burnett), and most disruptive defensive presence (outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu), from a year ago.
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Despite that, expectations remain high. USC is the media pick to win the Pac-12 South and make its third conference championship game appearance in the past four seasons.
With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the knowns and unknowns regarding the Trojans as they enter training camp.
What we know
1. Whoever starts at quarterback should have a solid stable of weapons
Yes, the quarterback competition will be the main source of intrigue during training camp. But whoever wins the job should benefit from his surrounding skill players.
Redshirt sophomore Tyler Vaughns and junior Michael Pittman Jr. both progressed at receiver last season and each had big performances in two of USC’s most important games.
Pittman caught seven passes for 146 yards and a touchdown against Stanford in the Pac-12 title game, while Vaughns recorded six catches for 119 yards against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Vaughns is 6-foot-2 and Pittman is 6-foot-4, so they’ll provide sizeable options on the perimeter for an inexperienced quarterback. Those two will lead a group of receivers that also welcomes five-star prospect Amon-Ra St. Brown into the fold.
The tight end spot should be dependable with the return of senior Tyler Petite, who led the group with 23 receptions for 307 yards last year, redshirt junior Daniel Imatorbhebhe and sophomore Josh Falo.
Running back Stephen Carr, a five-star prospect in the 2017 recruiting class, figures to receive a majority of the carries coming out of the backfield and will take some pressure off the quarterback. Carr is also a capable receiver, so he should help in both aspects of the game.
2. There’s coaching staff continuity
Take a look at the Pac-12 South.
There’s a new coach and new staff at Arizona and Arizona State. In Los Angeles, UCLA is breaking in a new staff as well.
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So half the division is going through a makeover.
At USC, Bryan Ellis replaced Tyson Helton, who took the offensive coordinator job at Tennessee, as the quarterbacks coach, and Tim Drevno returned as the Trojans’ running back coach after his predecessor, Deland McCullough, left to join the Kansas City Chiefs.
The other offseason coaching move was the appointment of former Trojans great Keary Colbert as the program’s 10th assistant at tight ends and inside receivers coach.
Both of Helton’s coordinators, Tee Martin and Clancy Pendergast, are back, which means another year in a familiar system for the players.
That should pay dividends in a year with so much changeover within the division.
3. The back end of the defense should be poised for a big year
USC ranked 19th nationally with 16 interceptions in 2017 and 22nd in the FBS with an opponent completion percentage of 54.3 percent.
But not all the pass defense numbers were pretty. The Trojans ranked 82nd in yards per game at 237.0 and gave up 22 touchdown passes, which ranked 90th.
So there’s room to improve in that regard and USC should have the mix of talent and experience to do it.
Linebackers Cameron Smith, who has had a productive first three years as a Trojan, and John Houston are back to patrol the second level of the defense.
Safety Marvell Tell III, who has started for the past two years, provides a consistent presence in the middle of the field. Cornerback Iman Marshall, a four-year starter, was hampered by a sprained left knee last year and missed three games as a result.
But Marshall, a former five-star prospect, seemed to distance himself from those issues and received a lot of praise in the spring. Ajene Harris, who started at nickel back last year, also returns.
Isaiah Langley received plenty of playing time at corner last season, and that should only increase after Jack Jones was dismissed from the university in June.
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The secondary will also receive an injection of young talent. Training camp will offer a glimpse of five-star corner prospect Olaijah Griffin, who was joined by two four-star corners in the Trojans’ recruiting class, Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Chase Williams, and four-star safety Talanoa Hufanga.
What we don’t know
1. How the quarterback situation will unfold
The quarterback position is the big, glaring question mark as the season approaches. However it goes will be a big factor in determining the trajectory of this team.
Expectations are high for true freshman JT Daniels, but the door hasn’t closed on redshirt sophomore Matt Fink or redshirt freshman Jack Sears when it comes to the competition.
This week will offer the first clues as to how the quarterback battle will unfold. Helton hasn’t set a date for when he wants to name a starter, but said at Pac-12 Media Day that a decision would likely come later rather than sooner. Helton did say the public and his players would know before the Trojans play their first game.
The fact there are three quarterbacks in this competition is a reason for a longer decision-making process, and Helton’s focus seemed to be on getting each player enough reps.
He mentioned “two-spot” often with reporters last week in regards to a method of getting the quarterbacks more reps. If there’s a seven-on-seven, USC has enough depth to run two different drills simultaneously during practice.
Rather than four quarterbacks splitting 20 reps, Helton said, it offers those quarterbacks more opportunities. The Trojans have enough depth, barring injuries, to do the same in 11-on-11 drills as well.
Naturally, how those quarterbacks take advantage of those opportunities will go a long way in determining who wins the job.
2. Who will win the other position battles?
Certainly, quarterback will receive the most attention in fall camp, but it’s not the only position that needs be sorted out.
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There will be a battle to protect the next quarterback’s blind side with Austin Jackson and Clayton Johnston competing for the role of starting left tackle.
The safety spot opposite of Tell is open after Chris Hawkins exhausted his eligibility. Ykili Ross and Bubba Bolden figure to be the main competitors for that job.
Up front, Christian Rector, who recorded 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season, will be a staple of the defensive line. Brandon Pili and Malik Dorton will also play a lot. It bears watching how Marlon Tuipulotu and Jay Tufele factor into the defensive line rotation as well.
Langley is likely to start at corner but could receive a challenge from several different sources, including senior Jonathan Lockett or one of the Trojan’s talented incoming freshmen.
3. Which freshmen will earn early playing time?
Smith was a member of USC’s highly-touted 2015 recruiting class, which featured Marshall, Tell, Porter Gustin, Chuma Edoga and Rasheem Green and Jones. All of those players earned significant playing time in their first three seasons as Trojans.
Smith, USC’s defensive leader, believes the ’18 recruiting class, which was ranked fourth nationally in the 247Sports Composite, could do something similar.
“I feel like I’ve talked to more guys than not, who have said, ‘This class is unique and has the potential to feel like a comparison to our 2015 class.’ A lot of guys are ready to play,” Smith said. “We got some guys we really needed for our program. As long as the veterans do our job and bring them on as fast as possible, they can plug tremendous holes for us.”
There will be a lot of eyes on Daniels and St. Brown at camp as those are two obvious candidates to play early, and often. But it will be worth watching to see which other freshmen earn a chance to make an early impact.