Observations from USC's 90-minute workout Monday evening ...
USC's defensive starters for 7-on-7s: Kevon Seymour, Chris Hawkins, John Plattenburg, Jonathan Lockett, Lamar Dawson, Su'a Cravens and Anthony Sarao. Adoree' Jackson was present but merely serving as a coach.
Cameron Smith was the first linebacker off the sideline and continued to impress. He really has a nose for the ball. He's always "there," or at least it seems that way.
Lockett stood out today. I'm beginning to see him as someone who can be part of the regular rotation. He could potentially have an important role if Sark uses AJax on offense 15-20 plays a game. Lockett is another guy who has a very good nose for the ball. He also doesn't give up big plays. He actually had a chance at a pick-six but couldn't hang onto the interception.
Porter Gustin got some more reps and made his presence felt on a couple plays. I could see him stepping right in at the rush end spot.
It also appeared as though Uchenna Nwosu took a couple reps at safety. Might have just been how the defense was set up.
***
One area Cody Kessler has really shown some improvement in is ball placement. He's hitting guys either right in the numbers or in ideal spots over the shoulders.
Kessler's night wasn't totally clean, however, as Dawson intercepted him and returned it to the house. We've seen that sequence a few times now dating back to spring.
Ricky Town had one of his better workouts. He's made some real progress since those initial winter workouts. You can especially see it in his throws to the sidelines. He's putting more on them and they've flattened out a bit. It's helped that he's gotten more reps this summer and has been able to work more with the second team.
Town had a superb throw, maybe 20 yards downfield, to Deontay Burnett in the corner.
***
Cyrus Hobbi worked with the tight ends. The good news is, he wouldn't be an initial counter again and you can never have enough scholarship-caliber players practicing with your team. The bad news is, he's not built to play tight end. I don't see him as a serious option to man that position. His old bio says 6-foot-3 but I think someone was being generous with a couple inches. Or maybe it was because he was standing next to the following two guys.
Connor Spears looks to be in good shape. Not exactly the athlete USC wants there either but he continues to prepare himself for the possibility that he'll play this fall.
I believe I've already mentioned this, but Caleb Wilson has some nice hands. Burnett does as well. Impressed to see two incoming freshmen who catch the ball as well as they do.
***
De'Quan Hampton got more reps than he previously had. He moves very well. Great size. He and Isaac Whitney are bigger targets and they provide bigger circumferences for the QB to throw to. I'm interested to see how Kessler treats that since he's not always inclined to throw into tight spaces.
I really think this receiving corps can be more dynamic than last year's. One critique with Hampton: he needs to tighten up his hands. Mind you, my impressions of him are few. But both he and Whitney seem to be a bit inconsistent in finishing plays.
***
Ykili Ross, Marvell Tell and Aca'Cedric Ware were also lightly involved.
Ware took a few handoffs as he continues to get acclimated to the offense. It's hard to say much about how the running backs look in these workouts given that both sides of the line are basically going through the motions.
Ross' athleticism just jumps out at you. This kid can play multiple positions. We hear it's a real possibility that he ends up on offense.
Tell looks physically mature, like a true safety at this level. He had a nice pass break-up near the end of the workout while defending JuJu Smith. (Greg Townsend actually raced past Roy Hemsley to sack Sam Darnold on the play, only they played on.)
***
Notable absences: Max Browne, Toa Lobendahn, Viane Talamaivao, Khaliel Rodgers, Jabari Ruffin and Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick. (I've heard that a lot of these guys are in class.)
Note: The next summer session begins July 1, so most if not all of the incoming freshmen should be participating by then.
USC's defensive starters for 7-on-7s: Kevon Seymour, Chris Hawkins, John Plattenburg, Jonathan Lockett, Lamar Dawson, Su'a Cravens and Anthony Sarao. Adoree' Jackson was present but merely serving as a coach.
Cameron Smith was the first linebacker off the sideline and continued to impress. He really has a nose for the ball. He's always "there," or at least it seems that way.
Lockett stood out today. I'm beginning to see him as someone who can be part of the regular rotation. He could potentially have an important role if Sark uses AJax on offense 15-20 plays a game. Lockett is another guy who has a very good nose for the ball. He also doesn't give up big plays. He actually had a chance at a pick-six but couldn't hang onto the interception.
Porter Gustin got some more reps and made his presence felt on a couple plays. I could see him stepping right in at the rush end spot.
It also appeared as though Uchenna Nwosu took a couple reps at safety. Might have just been how the defense was set up.
***
One area Cody Kessler has really shown some improvement in is ball placement. He's hitting guys either right in the numbers or in ideal spots over the shoulders.
Kessler's night wasn't totally clean, however, as Dawson intercepted him and returned it to the house. We've seen that sequence a few times now dating back to spring.
Ricky Town had one of his better workouts. He's made some real progress since those initial winter workouts. You can especially see it in his throws to the sidelines. He's putting more on them and they've flattened out a bit. It's helped that he's gotten more reps this summer and has been able to work more with the second team.
Town had a superb throw, maybe 20 yards downfield, to Deontay Burnett in the corner.
***
Cyrus Hobbi worked with the tight ends. The good news is, he wouldn't be an initial counter again and you can never have enough scholarship-caliber players practicing with your team. The bad news is, he's not built to play tight end. I don't see him as a serious option to man that position. His old bio says 6-foot-3 but I think someone was being generous with a couple inches. Or maybe it was because he was standing next to the following two guys.
Connor Spears looks to be in good shape. Not exactly the athlete USC wants there either but he continues to prepare himself for the possibility that he'll play this fall.
I believe I've already mentioned this, but Caleb Wilson has some nice hands. Burnett does as well. Impressed to see two incoming freshmen who catch the ball as well as they do.
***
De'Quan Hampton got more reps than he previously had. He moves very well. Great size. He and Isaac Whitney are bigger targets and they provide bigger circumferences for the QB to throw to. I'm interested to see how Kessler treats that since he's not always inclined to throw into tight spaces.
I really think this receiving corps can be more dynamic than last year's. One critique with Hampton: he needs to tighten up his hands. Mind you, my impressions of him are few. But both he and Whitney seem to be a bit inconsistent in finishing plays.
***
Ykili Ross, Marvell Tell and Aca'Cedric Ware were also lightly involved.
Ware took a few handoffs as he continues to get acclimated to the offense. It's hard to say much about how the running backs look in these workouts given that both sides of the line are basically going through the motions.
Ross' athleticism just jumps out at you. This kid can play multiple positions. We hear it's a real possibility that he ends up on offense.
Tell looks physically mature, like a true safety at this level. He had a nice pass break-up near the end of the workout while defending JuJu Smith. (Greg Townsend actually raced past Roy Hemsley to sack Sam Darnold on the play, only they played on.)
***
Notable absences: Max Browne, Toa Lobendahn, Viane Talamaivao, Khaliel Rodgers, Jabari Ruffin and Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick. (I've heard that a lot of these guys are in class.)
Note: The next summer session begins July 1, so most if not all of the incoming freshmen should be participating by then.
