USC Trojans

It was a big spring for the USC inside linebackers on a number of levels. Lining up out of a new defensive set with a dramatic change in philosophy, not to mention a new position coach in Mike Ekeler, they emerged as one of the standout groups of the spring. And so, with an eye toward next season, here’s a look at some of the major storylines of the offseason for USC’s inside linebacker corps.

New-look defense, new level of play

With the recently hired Clancy Pendergast installing a brand-new 5-2 defensive look, there was a ton of anticipation heading into the spring, as everyone wondered just how the inside linebackers would adjust to their new roles. All of the concerns were quickly erased as players such as Hayes Pullard, Lamar Dawson and Anthony Sarao made a lightning-quick transition and shined right from day one.

In fact, with a mindset focused on attacking the line of scrimmage at all times, Pullard and Co. made more big-play stops and tackles for loss than they ever did out of the old 4-3 set, giving the defense a physical and active presence that it will desperately need in the fall. Throw in what has been the very positive influence of Ekeler, and there’s reason to believe that this unit’s production will go up dramatically in 2013.

Leader of the pack

No defensive performer made a bigger statement this spring than the veteran manning the starting MIKE linebacker spot -- Pullard. Coming off a 2012 campaign that saw him finish second on the team with 107 tackles, the redshirt junior out of Los Angeles Crenshaw simply took his game to another level. Showcasing unique football instincts and an aggresive brand of play, he’s a natural fit in Pendergast’s defense. With the way that he produced on the field this spring for the Trojans, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him garner consideration for some major postseason honors in 2013. Just as important, he emerged as an unquestioned team leader, speaking up when he had to while also setting an example with his work ethic.

Battle still raging at WILL

It didn’t necessarily receive a lot of attention going into spring ball, but when it was all said and done, the competition between Dawson and Sarao at the WILL linebacker spot ultimately stood out as one of the overriding highlights. In somewhat of a surprise move, it was Sarao who was lining up with the first unit at the outset of the practices ahead of Dawson -- a starter in the middle since his freshman season.

To Dawson’s credit, however, he more than answered the challenge, performing at a higher level than he ever has before -- continually drawing the praise of USC head coach Lane Kiffin. But Sarao didn’t back down either, looking more than at home in his role as a starter. In the end, however, it was Dawson who took his place with the first-team defense in the spring game. A sign that this competition isn’t over was that both players were listed atop the post-spring depth chart with the signature “OR” label placed between their names. With Dawson and Sarao acknowledging that they’ll continue to push each other throughout the spring, the one thing that is certain is that the Trojans are sure to have an extremely capable starter at the WILL spot this fall. And while both players will likely see the field in at least some capacity, there are only so many snaps to go around, and it’s going to be interesting to see just how this one shakes out.

Searching for depth

While Pullard, Dawson and Sarao have all proven themselves to a certain extent, the fact remains that there simply isn’t much depth at the two inside linebacker positions beyond those three performers. The MIKE spot is particularly thin, with walk-ons Will Andrew and Julian Coleman currently serving as backups. Therefore, the arrival of Class of 2013 signee Michael Hutchings this summer is sure to be welcomed with open arms by Pendergast and Ekeler. At 6-foot-1 and a rock-solid 213 pounds, the Concord (Calif.) De La Salle standout is known for his athleticism and playmaking ability, and there’s little doubt that he’ll make a major push for the role as Pullard’s primary backup in fall camp. Scott Starr is another name to watch at WILL -- assuming he’ll return in time after undergoing neck surgery this past season. Tough and rangy, the redshirt freshman out of Norco, Calif., has the tools to develop into a key contributor down the line.

LOS ANGELES -- It was a day for the offense on Saturday at the Coliseum, as the Trojans put together one of their most impressive offensive displays of the spring.

There were multiple contributors during the scrimmage, including Max Wittek and Marqise Lee, who seemed to be making up for lost time after each sat out earlier portions of spring with knee injuries.

"The story of the day was the passing game and the offense in general,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “All three quarterbacks played great and it was obviously great to have Marqise back.”

Wittek got the start with the first unit and quickly hit De'Von Flournoy with a nice touch pass over Anthony Brown for 25 yards. On another drive he completed a 40-yard pass to Lee and then closed out the drive with a 20-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor. Wittek also had a 4-yard touchdown to Lee with a back shoulder throw against coverage from Brown. Wittek ended the day completing 14 of 17 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns.

Lee wasted no time in showing everybody that he is officially back. In the early part of the scrimmage he caught a 60-yard touchdown on a go route from Cody Kessler. Later in the day he caught a bubble pass and put a juke move on Chris Hawkins to set up a 20-yard gain. Simply put, Lee looked every bit the reigning Biletnikoff winner with 10 catches for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Those weren’t the only standouts for the offense, though.

Justin Davis continues to impress, as he had 17 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Davis showed some power on a short run, overpowering Lamar Dawson. He also read a good block from Kevin Graf to get a first down on a 3rd-and-short. His prettiest run came near the end of the scrimmagewith the ball at the 30. Davis broke up the middle and was headed for the end zone before Josh Shaw tracked him down at the 3-yard line. Davis punched it in from there two plays later.

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LOS ANGELES -- Injuries continue to be one of the big stories for the Trojans this spring as it was confirmed after practice that both George Farmer and Su’a Cravens will undergo knee surgeries.

The news was more dire for Farmer after Kiffin confirmed the earlier media reports of a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, which will force him to miss the 2013 season. For Cravens, he has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery Friday. The injury is the same as the one suffered by Silas Redd. Cravens is expected to miss 4-6 weeks and will be back in plenty of time for fall camp.

“Whenever there is an injury you hope, like Su’a, that’s it’s not going to be a long setback,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “With guys like George, those are the ones you feel really bad for. A guy who battles back and was playing well and then to have this setback.”

The Trojans entered the Thursday practice session with 20 players out of action because of injury and two more left practice – Torin Harris and Cyrus Hobbi.

“I don’t see any way we could practice like this in the fall. We wouldn’t be able to play a game,” Kiffin said. “Of the 22 guys who ended up being out today, 18 of them are scholarship players. With the roster reductions we already have we would not be able to give up that many players. We will start fall camp practicing this way, but I don’t think we will end fall camp this way.”

There was some good news on the injury front as Marqise Lee returned, albeit in a limited role, after missing two-and-a-half weeks with a knee injury. Lee seemed to be running fine with no major issues but he was held out of contact team drills. Kevon Seymour and Jordan Simmons also returned to action.

“Marqise was back, which was obviously good to see,” Kiffin said. “He basically took part in the first hour of practice and we’ll add to him as we go.”

George Uko was out today and J.R. Tavai took his spot with the first unit at defensive end. During the final team drill, Aundrey Walker was out and Max Tuerk had moved to center with Hobbi out, so the first unit left side of the line was walk-on Nathan Guertler at tackle and Giovanni Di Poalo at guard.

Receiver shuffle

With Farmer out, that means opportunities for players such as Victor Blackwell and De’Von Flournoy along with first-year players Darreus Rogers and Steven Mitchell. Kiffin also made sure to note the high level of play from Nelson Agholor this spring when discussing the receiver group.

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On a day that perhaps will be remembered more for the signatures the USC staff didn't secure than the ones it did, an upbeat Lane Kiffin took center stage inside the John McKay Center on Wednesday night to officially announce the Trojans' 2013 signing class.

With a total of 13 members comprising the group, it's a class low in numbers but rich in talent, with 12 ranking in the ESPN 300 -- almost all of whom will be counted on to make an immediate contribution on the field for the Trojans.

"A very exciting day for USC football as we welcome 13 new guys into our program," Kiffin said. "We think that these players can come in right away and help us -- all of them. And probably a couple of them will start. Obviously, we have some holes to fill, but they are impact players and players that could have gone anywhere in the country."

Spearheading the class is a standout group of seven players already enrolled in school and set to participate in spring drills in March. They are Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy defensive lineman Kenny Bigelow, Sammamish (Wash.) Skyline quarterback Max Browne, Stockton (Calif.) Lincoln running back Justin Davis, Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta safety Su'a Cravens, Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) cornerback Chris Hawkins, Seffner (Fla.) Armwood safety Leon McQuay III and Carson (Calif.) wide receiver Darreus Rogers.

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5:15 p.m. -- Former USC commit Eddie Vanderdoes signed with Notre Dame.

4:11 p.m. -- USC sent out a press release announcing its recruiting class. "We could only sign a limited number of players because of our sanctions, so we went after the best of the best," coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement.

Kiffin will hold a press conference on campus at 5 p.m. PT. It will be streamed live official athletic website, usctrojans.com.

4:00 p.m. -- "In the summertime I committed to USC, and there's a reason why I committed," said Nico Falah, who announced for the Trojans. "It was back and forth and hard to decide, but I went with the greater picture."

Falah also said that UCLA made a late run for him this morning, but he prayed about the decision and signed with USC.

1:08 p.m. -- Indications are that USC might be done for the day. There's the possibility that the coaching staff tucks away the five available scholarships and uses them for the 2014 class, which would become a 20-member class.

12:46 p.m. -- USC has officially announced the signings of Nico Falah, Steven Mitchell, Ty Isaac, Michael Hutchings, Khaliel Rodgers and Quinton Powell.

12:34 p.m. -- ESPN 150 prospect Steven Mitchell, the only receiver in the class, has also signed. No official word from USC yet, though. No surprise on this one. Read all about Mitchell's drama-free recruitment here .

12:29 p.m. -- It's important to note that USC has yet to announce any of its signees, though Khaliel Rodgers and Michael Hutchings have confirmed they have signed and sent in their national letters of intent.

12:16 p.m. -- Washington has announced that it received a signed national letter of intent from cornerback Jermaine Kelly, ending any chance USC had to swoop in late for the local standout. The Trojans offered on Tuesday hoping to soften the blow dealt by the loss of Jalen Ramsey, but it was too late. Kelly fell in love with Seattle and decided to leave the area. USC has had a bad two days.

12:11 p.m. -- It's no surprise now, but Jason Hatcher has officially signed with Kentucky. He walked into his announcement ceremony wearing a blue tie and carrying a blue Kentucky hat. Bigelow is the lone defensive lineman who remains from a group that included Hatcher, Fitts, Prevot and Eddie Vanderdoes.

11:11 a.m. -- We've received word that cornerback Jermaine Kelly, who was offered by USC less than 24 hours before signing day, is expected to announce his college choice in 30 minutes.

Kelly (Los Angeles/Salesian) is committed to Washington and was previously committed to UCLA, but it wouldn't be surprising if he signed with childhood favorite USC. It would be big for the Trojans given the loss of No. 4 CB Jalen Ramsey to Florida State.

11:00 a.m. -- No. 14 DT Keith Bryant had a USC hat on the table at his announcement ceremony but committed to Florida State. It appears Bigelow will be the only incoming defensive lineman for the Trojans.

9:33 a.m. -- Eddie Vanderdoes has cleared the air about his situation, writing on his Twitter account: "I'll put my life on it that I have NOT signed one paper yet."

9:15 a.m. -- ESPN 150 linebacker Quinton Powell (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland) committed to USC, ending a drought of sorts for the Trojans. Fitts, Thomas, Ramsey and Prevot had committed elsewhere, so this is an important pick up for USC.

"Every time I heard about (the decommitments) I shrugged it off," Powell said. "I just thought about myself. I wanted to commit based on my opinion of the school."

8:41 a.m. -- Prevot announced he is signing with Oregon. Another blow to USC, heightened by the fact that they lost out to another Pac-12 school... With DE Kylie Fitts (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) signing with UCLA and Jason Hatcher (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) expected to sign with Kentucky, the Trojans are down to early enrollee Kenny Bigelow in this class.

8:28 a.m. -- Four-star DE Torrodney Prevot (Houston, Texas/Alief Taylor) has three hats on the table at his announcement ceremony: USC, Oregon and Texas A&M...

8:00 a.m. -- No. 4-rated CB Jalen Ramsey (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) officially flipped from USC to Florida State in a signing ceremony at his school. It's a big loss for USC, which had held onto his commitment since the summer. Ultimately, the firing of defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders appears to have made the difference. Ramsey felt very comfortable with new Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who recruited him while he was at Alabama.

7:16 a.m. -- UCLA coach Jim Mora announced the school received a signed national letter of intent from four-star safety Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga), ending any speculation that the close friend of USC early enrollee Chris Hawkins might potentially flip. Not catastrophic since the Trojans are set at safety with No. 1 Su'a Cravens and No. 3 Leon McQuay III.

6:15 a.m. -- No. 1-rated OLB Matthew Thomas (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) committed to Florida State, citing a comfort level with the coaches and it being a family decision. According to sources, USC made a late run Tuesday night but ran out of time.

4:55 a.m. -- ESPN 300 OG Khaliel Rodgers has signed his paperwork and is making it official with the Trojans.

4:15 a.m. -- Signing day is finally here. Follow along for the latest news as USC looks to put the finishing touches on its 2013 recruiting class.