USC Trojans

It wouldn't be a stretch to say George Farmer has learned a thing or two about adversity in his time at USC. Forced to deal with a number of injuries -- including nagging hamstring and ankle setbacks -- not to mention a brief experiment at tailback during his freshman season, the junior wide receiver never found his groove in his first two seasons on campus, collecting a grand total of five receptions for 49 yards.

But in a spring marked by change, a new-and-improved Farmer has emerged, performing at a higher and more consistent level than ever, and it couldn’t be happening at a better time. After all, Robert Woods is off to the NFL, and USC coach Lane Kiffin and the Trojans’ offense need capable receivers opposite 2012 Biletnikoff Award winner Marqise Lee.

With so much at stake, Farmer is fully aware of the opportunity that lies in front of him.

“This is a big spring for me -- very big,” Farmer said following Saturday’s scrimmage, where his 47-yard reception was one of the day’s highlights.

But Farmer isn’t showing any signs of cracking under the pressure. On the contrary, he seems to be thriving under it.

“George is making plays,” Kiffin said. “We need him to make the hard plays -- down the field, to go up and get the ball and take it away and be physical. We know how fast he is, we know he can run by people, but you have to make those plays, and he’s doing that.”

Of course, it’s not as if Farmer’s play is coming as a complete surprise. Hailing from Gardena (Calif.) Serra, where he played alongside Woods and Lee, he had 65 receptions for 1,514 yards and 21 total touchdowns in his senior year. He arrived at USC in 2011 with arguably more fanfare than either of his high school teammates.

The reason for the sudden turnaround in his level of play is anything but a mystery -- he's the healthiest he's been in what seems like forever.

“I feel great,” said Farmer, a former standout prep sprinter who will compete for the USC track and field team later this spring. “I feel a lot more fluid, my legs are back up under me and I feel like I’m just back to my normal speed. I’m playing fast again. It feels really good to be out here competing with my brothers on the field.”

A thickly built athlete with a 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame, Farmer has come to understand that unlike some players who can just roll out of bed ready to play, he needs to take extra precautions. As such, in addition to working hard this offseason to push his body to the limits, he also made sure that he spent plenty of time in the training room.

“I’m a very heavy-set type of person, and I realized that I have to stay and get rehab -- not just for the sake of rehabbing, but for injury prevention, and staying in there and preventing my injuries before they happen,” Farmer said.

Now finally close to where he wants to be physically, Farmer has been able to more fully develop the other aspects of his game, including the mental side, something USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin has noticed.

“We put him on the board, ask him questions, and he’s on it,” Martin said. “He’s very smart, he understands what to do -- it’s just getting him a lot of reps. You still have to remember that last year was really his first year of college football playing at wide receiver. And now, in his second year … the spring time, this is where guys grow.”

And growing is something Farmer has done plenty of this March, providing at least some evidence suggesting he might be ready to step into the rotation at receiver next fall and make an impact.

But before then, there's still a lot more work to be done, and a lot more to prove on the field.

“Right now I’m just focused on getting out to practice, executing my assignments and doing what the coaches tell me,” Farmer said. "This is going to get me right for fall camp so I can just come out on fire, and we can just move forward from there. Right now, though, the only thing that I’m focused on is spring ball.”

The Trojans continued their prep work for the Sun Bowl on Friday with a midday practice in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets. After the workout, USC head coach Lane Kiffin once again emphasized just how important the Dec. 31 matchup with Georgia Tech is as the team looks to build momentum heading into the offseason.

“We just want to finish really strong and win our last game and springboard us off into a great offseason ... sign a great recruiting class and get ready for spring ball,” Kiffin said. “We’re not looking backwards. We’re looking forward, and we can’t change the past -- it is what it is. We have to accept what our record was and where that puts us. We’ve had two years of sitting around and not having bowls, not being able to practice and not being able to play football. So, we’re excited about this opportunity.”

Wittek embraces leadership role
While Matt Barkley -- still out of action after suffering a sprained AC joint in his shoulder against UCLA -- did take in his first practice in quite awhile, it was as an observer, and as Kiffin has indicated from the start, the senior signal caller won’t even attempt to suit up and go full-speed with the team until the Trojans land in El Paso.

That has left all of the reps at quarterback with the first- and second-team offensive units to redshirt-freshmen Max Wittek and Cody Kessler, with Wittek designated as the starter if Barkley isn’t able to go.

For Wittek, the added workload with the first teamers has resulted in not just a greater comfort level in running the offense but also an expanded role as a leader, something that has come about gradually throughout the season before reaching a new level following his first start as a Trojan against Notre Dame.

“I feel like they listen to me, they look to me as a leader, and I’m prepared to lead this team into whatever game we play in,” Wittek said. “I think my preparation all season -- they’ve been able to see the way that I’ve prepared and been able to respect that in a sense. But being able to put that into a materialized thing with game play, I think, has helped a lot.”

Woods showing renewed burst
USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin has been especially impressed with the play of standout receiver Robert Woods of late, particularly during the bowl game practices.

“He was always running good during the year, but I think that he’s just running like we expected him to, you know, [like] No. 13 Robert Woods,” said Martin, referring to the jersey number Woods wore as a freshman. “His attitude has always been good throughout the season, but I think that Robert has reached a point of maturity to where he see’s it, he gets it.”

Pretty soon though, Martin might have a fight on his hands to keep Woods in a Trojans’ uniform. Currently awaiting feedback from his NFL draft evaluation request, Woods is pondering a jump to the pros.

“I’ve definitely been recruiting my tail off to keep Robert,” Martin said. “I know he has a big decision. ... I know a lot of people like him on the next level, but my job here is to try to keep all of the good players here.”

Regardless of whether Woods decides to opt for the draft or to remain at USC, however, Martin said he will back him in his ultimate decision.

“I definitely will support Robert in whatever he does,” Martin said.

Martin likes what he’s seen in Rogers
Friday marked the second day that wide receiver Darreus Rogers worked out with the Trojans, wearing jersey No. 26. Originally a member of the Class of 2012, the Carson (Calif.) product was just admitted to USC recently, and he is set to begin classes in January. With two workouts under his belt now, he already has made quite an impression on Martin, both for his ability on the field, as well as his attitude off it.

"He sent me a text message last night after his first day of coming out, saying how fast things were moving, and he said, 'Coach, I want to be great. Push me. Coach me hard,' " Martin said. "And I said, 'No problem with that.' And he came out today, great attitude, he's receptive in meetings, he asks the right type of questions, and again, it's only his second day, but his retention has been good."

And while he won’t be able to travel with the team to El Paso, Martin believes the experience Rogers will have gained in three days of practice will be invaluable to his development down the line.

“Being in high school, you might come to a practice during recruiting, but you don’t know how it feels to actually go through that type of day,” Martin said. “And I think it’s a tremendous advantage to get him in here to see how it feels. So now in the spring, he’s past that.”

USC wide receivers coach Tee Martin turned down a job offer from the University of Tennessee, according to multiple reports.

Martin had been offered a job as wide receivers coach for the Volunteers on Sunday and then had flown to meet new coach Butch Jones on Monday to discuss the position.

There was a lot of fan enthusiasm in Knoxville at the prospect of Martin returning. As Tennessee's quarterback, he led the Vols to a national championship in 1998 and is considered a bright young coach.

Martin flew back to Los Angeles on Tuesday morning without having made a decision about his future plans.

“Emotionally everyone should know how I feel, but this isn't an emotional decision. It's a career decision," Martin told local8now.com before boarding his flight.

By staying with the Trojans, Martin will once again have the opportunity to coach Marqise Lee -- the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner -- along with the possibility of Robert Woods returning for his senior year.