USC Trojans

LOS ANGELES -- Did Lane Kiffin mean the old first day or the new first day?

That was the natural question after the USC Trojans' coach said this week that he thought his top two tight ends, Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer, were both future first-day NFL draft picks.

Considering what both have done through just 14 career games, their eventual selection among the top 100 of the 2014 or 2015 NFL drafts wouldn't be terribly surprising. They both have the frames, athletic ability and skill set to be starting tight ends at the next level.

But the draft stopped going three rounds on its first day a few years ago. Now, the first day is on Thursday, and it only goes 32 picks. Did Kiffin essentially say he thought both his tight ends were NFL first-round potential?

In a word: yes.

"I think they'll eventually be first-round, first-day picks, or right there," Kiffin said Thursday when asked to clarify his original comments. "Now, obviously they have to continue to develop, but they have the potential to do that.

"I think if you ask any scout when they come out there and watch them practice and watch them play, I think you'd hear a lot of the same."

Telfer is ranked in the top five of most 2015 tight end rankings. Grimble's not quite as highly thought of, but with his strength, it's easy to see an NFL team needing a blocking tight end taking him high when he does declare for the draft. Both players are redshirt sophomores.

Of course, the next natural question is whether the two will take away from each other's ability to develop in college.

In a word, Kiffin's answer to that question: no.

“They push each other," Kiffin said earlier in the week. "They’re great kids. I’d say Randall was probably ahead at one point, and then Xavier really matured and rounded out his entire game."

It's an interesting time to discuss the tight end position, too -- with the Stanford Cardinal boasting three NFL types at the spot last year and two this season now that Coby Fleener went 34th overall to the Indianapolis Colts in April's draft.

The Cardinal's combination of Levine Toilolo and Zach Ertz is one year older than USC's Grimble and Telfer.

Pac-12 spring preview: South Division

Spring practice is almost here. Here's a snapshot at what to expect from the Pac-12 South in the coming weeks.

ARIZONA

Spring practice starts: March 4

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Hello, my name is ... Like the other two teams in the South Division with new head coaches (Arizona State and UCLA) much of Arizona's first few weeks will be Rich Rodriguez evaluating his personnel and getting to know what he has to work with. Likewise, the players are going to have to figure out what this new coaching staff is about. Everything from how they do pre-practice stretches to how they call the cadence is going to change.
• New scheme and a new scheme: A spread option on offense and a 3-3-5 on defense. That's a lot of new material to digest on both sides of the ball. Until Rodriguez can recruit the players he likes into his scheme, he's going to have to make it work with the players he has. Fortunately on the defensive side of the ball, Arizona has good depth in the secondary with Cortez Johnson, Marquis Flowers, Shaquille Richardson, Jourdon Grandon and Tra'Mayne Bondurant. The Wildcats should also get a boost with the return of injured players Jake Fischer (LB), Jonathan McKnight (CB) and Adam Hall (S).
• Perfect fit? Former starter Matt Scott, who was beaten out by Nick Folesin 2009, is expected to reprise his starting role under Rodriguez. He redshirted the 2011 season and -- magically -- Foles never got hurt last year despite taking 23 sacks and countless hits. Scott is considered the more versatile quarterback and should fit nicely into the new run-based spread attack.

ARIZONA STATE

Spring practice starts: March 13

Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• QB competition: We know what kind of offense new coach Todd Graham is going to run; now it's a matter of figuring out who is going to run it. Graham has his choice of three players -- Mike Bercovici, Taylor Kelly or Michael Eubank -- to replace NFL-bound Brock Osweiler. Graham said earlier this month that there are no favorites heading into the competition and each one brings his own skill set to the table. Eubank has the size (6-foot-5, 235 pounds), Bercovici (6-1, 205) is a mechanic and Kelly (6-1, 202) is a little bit of everything.
• Get the locker room: By the end of the 2011 season, ASU's locker room wasn't just divided, it was completely splintered. Graham's task -- and that of his new coaching staff -- is to pick up the pieces, mend internal fences and find some chemistry on both sides of the ball. Linebacker Brandon Magee, long considered a great locker room leader, should help get the Sun Devils back on track as he returns from a season-ending Achilles injury.
• Hands competition: The Sun Devils lose three of their top four wide receivers from last season -- Gerell Robinson, Aaron Pflugrad and Mike Willie. Jamal Miles returns after finishing second on the team last season with 60 catches and six touchdowns. Rashad Ross figures to be the No. 2 guy, but establishing depth in that corps -- especially if Graham wants to be up-tempo -- is key.

COLORADO

Spring practice starts: March 10

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Momentum, maybe? For as rough as 2011 was for the Buffs, they ended the year on a high note, winning two-of-three down the stretch -- including a 17-14 win over Utah in the season finale. But there is also the possibility that things might get worse before they get better. With just four returning starters on offense, spring in Boulder will likely be more about teaching and less about refining.
• Where to start (offense)? Well, quarterback might be a good place. In the court of public opinion, Connor Wood, a transfer from Texas, seems to be the favorite. Nick Hirschman appeared in five games last season, mostly in mop-up time when the game was already out of hand. It's also possible a starter could be named by the end of spring ball. Finding offensive weapons to surround the new quarterback will also be a challenge. Wide receiver Paul Richardson caught 39 balls last season, and running back Tony Jones showed a flare for catching the ball out of the backfield. He'll likely step in as the new workhorse back for the departed Rodney Stewart.
• Where to start (defense)? Last in this. Last in that. Last in almost every team statistic the Pac-12 has to offer. But there are some intriguing youngsters on the roster. Cornerback Greg Henderson was all-conference honorable mention as a freshman with a team-high nine passes broken up. Jered Bell also returns from injury after blowing out a knee last preseason. If healthy, he's expected to be a big contributor in the secondary. Linebacker Jon Majorreturns as the team's leading tackler, and if Doug Rippy is fully recovered from his knee injury, he'll look to build on what was a pretty good season last year before getting hurt.

UCLA

Spring practice starts: April 3

Spring game: May 5

What to watch:

• QB up for grabs: Like the majority of the conference, UCLA enters spring with a quarterback competition. New offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said he doesn't care how much experience (or lack thereof) a player has -- if he can play, he wins the job. So don't be surprised if Brett Hundley passes Kevin Prince and Richard Brehautas the new man leading the Bruins. Fans have been clamoring for a change. Hundley might be it.
• Attitude adjustment: One of the first things new head coach Jim Mora did was slam the team for its tradition of going "over the wall," a time-honored senior ditch day, saying if they want to jump the wall, they should just keep on going. How's that for sending a message? UCLA has earned a reputation for being soft and underachieving despite good talent. Attitude and toughness is needed -- and so far, Mora appears to be hammering that point home.
• Speaking of toughness ... The defense has to get tougher. No two ways about it. It was weak against the run last season, allowing more than 190 yards per game on the ground; couldn't get to the quarterback; and couldn't get off the field almost 50 percent of the time on third down. It's time for potential all-conference players such as defensive end Datone Jones to start living up to the hype and the defense as a whole to stop getting pushed up and down the field. At 6-5, 275 pounds, Jones has the physical makeup to be a major force in the conference and catapult himself into the elite class of collegiate defensive players.

USC

Spring practice starts: March 6

Spring game: April 14

What to watch:

• Ignore the hype: Few teams ended last season hotter than USC and returning quarterback Matt Barkley. The Heisman talk has already started, the way-too-early rankings already have the Trojans as national championship contenders, and the public perception is that the offense is unstoppable. Nice to hear, but hype is a double-edged sword. Head coach Lane Kiffin has a knack for deflecting hype. This season will be his toughest test to date.
• Insurance? The Trojans are loaded on both sides of the ball with returning players. But after the starting 22, things start to get dicey. Developing depth and keeping the starters healthy is a top priority -- particularly on the offensive and defensive lines and at running back, where experience is thin outside of the starters. The entire back seven returns on defense -- headlined by hard-hitting safety T.J. McDonald. Stopping the pass has been a major priority for Kiffin, and if this group stays healthy it should see the pass-efficiency numbers improve even more.
• Other options: Along those same lines, wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee make up the most feared receiving duo in the conference -- maybe the country. But who are the Nos. 3 and 4 receivers behind them? George Farmer? Victor Blackwell? De'Von Flournoy? Don't overlook the tight end duo of Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer, which should rival Stanford's Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo as the best tight end tandem in the conference.

UTAH

Spring practice starts: March 20

Spring game: April 21

What to watch:

• Youthful approach: Head coach Kyle Whittingham turned some heads by naming former Utah quarterback Brian Johnson as his offensive coordinator. Johnson, who recently turned 25, said he's not looking to make wholesale changes to the offense, though he wants to put his stamp on it and continue to build around running back John White IV, who had a breakout season in his first year of major college football. Having quarterback Jordan Wynn back healthy should also help as the team transitions to Johnson running the offense.
• Fixing the line: Who is going to protect Wynn (if he does indeed win back the starting job) and make holes for White? That's a major concern heading into spring as the Utes have to replace a pair of all-conference linemen in Tony Bergstrom and John Cullen. The Utes should be set at the interior but have to adjust to a new position coach, with Tim Davis leaving for Florida after just one season and Dan Finn -- a former Utah graduate assistant who was brought on to help Davis -- taking over the whole line following a one-year stint at San Diego State.
• Work the experience: The defensive line should be one of the best in the conference, especially with the return of Star Lotulelei, who won the Morris Trophy last season as the conference's best defensive lineman. With the Kruger brothers returning to the line -- Joe at defensive end and Dave at tackle -- Derrick Shelby is the lone starter who has to be replaced. There's also some pretty good depth in the secondary that was tops in the conference last season in pass-efficiency defense.

Pac-12 blogger Ted Miller looks at two steps USC needs to take to upset the Cardinal. Stanford blogger Kevin Gemmell counters with two steps Stanford must take to avoid the upset on the road.

Ted Miller: There are two steps that USC needs to take to upset Stanford. The first is to at least approach a stalemate at the line of scrimmage. That's easier said than done. Seven previous opponents have tried, and all seven badly failed. The next step is for Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley to attack a Cardinal secondary that has shown some vulnerability at times and will be missing its leader, safety Delano Howell. Start with the line of scrimmage. Stanford faces another highly rated run defense in the Coliseum after it utterly trenched one a week ago. Before Washington gave up 446 rushing yards to the Cardinal, it ranked 17th in the nation in run defense, yielding less than 100 yards per game. Now it gives up an average of 147 yards per game. USC boasts the nation's No. 11 run defense, surrendering just 91 yards per game. How might that number look on Sunday? Forget shutting down the Stanford ground attack. But what about holding it to, say, 150 yards? Same thing on the other side of the ball. Stanford ranks third in the nation in run defense (75.6 yards per game). What if the Trojans, who showcased a suddenly potent running game at Notre Dame, can get at least, say, 125? That seems like it would be enough to slow down the Pac-12's best pass rush, which should give Barkley time to connect with Robert Woods and company. In last season's 37-35 loss at Stanford, Barkley outplayed Andrew Luck, throwing for 390 yards and three touchdowns. If he can be as efficient again Saturday, and the Trojans' lines hold their ground, USC has a chance to end the Cardinal's 15-game winning streak and national title hopes.

Kevin Gemmell: There are two steps that Stanford has to take to avoid the upset. And the first starts on offense. Trees Company, Tree Amigos, whatever you want to call them, the tight ends are the difference-makers in this game, as they have been all season for the Cardinal offense. USC has an athletic secondary, and maybe outstanding safety T.J. McDonald (6-foot-3, 34 tackles, two interceptions) can take one of the three tight ends out of a play. But what do you do when the other two are on the field at the same time? It's the formations with Coby Fleener (6-foot-6), Zach Ertz (6-6) and Levine Toilolo (6-8) that make the Cardinal so difficult to defend. And then when they motion fullback Ryan Hewitt (15 catches, 143 yards, three touchdowns) out of the backfield, the 6-4, former tight end gives Luck a fourth receiving option that towers above the rest of the USC secondary. Plus, USC has been susceptible to big games by other tight ends this season. That's a mismatch the Cardinal will likely exploit every chance they get. The second step should be fairly obvious to anyone who has watched a Stanford game this season. Defensively, it all comes down to tackling. Stanford head coach David Shaw said after Week 1 that missed tackles in the secondary is what loses games. His players haven't proven him right yet -- specifically because they have been able to make the proper adjustments mid-game. But USC is faster than any team the Cardinal have faced this season, so one or two missed tackles could quickly turn into seven or 14 points. Last week we saw the Cardinal miss several one-on-one tackles that led to big plays for Washington early in the game. The emphasis this week has been on gang tackling, wrapping up and not simply dropping the shoulder. USC's offensive skill players will just bounce right off of that. Wrap up on defense, wrap up the win.