Trojan Update 6/28

OL Jeff Byers, the projected starting LG, will miss the 2005 season because his hip did not heal properly following offseason surgery. He will require another operation in mid-July in his home state of Colorado. Byers suffered a torn labrum in his hip against Notre Dame last year and missed the Orange Bowl. He underwent arthroscopic surgery after the season. He was expected to participate in spring drills but after a few practices Byers continued to be frustrated by the injury. Byers' will receive a medical redshirt and be a sophomore in 2006. Coach Carroll said Taitusi Lutui will compete with Drew Radovich during fall camp for the starting LG spot in Byers' absence.

WR Dwayne Jarrett has been nursing a thigh injury this summer but is expected to be ready for fall camp.

2005 Pac-10 Prediction

My Pac-10 prediction for the upcoming season:

1) USC (11-1) - BCS Bowl most likely Rose or Fiesta
2) Arizona State, California, or Oregon (all 8-3) - Holiday Bowl, Sun Bowl, and Insight Bowl
5) UCLA (7-4) - Las Vegas Bowl
6) Washington State (6-5) - Emerald Bowl or Poinsettia Bowl
7) Arizona and Washington (both 5-6)
9) Oregon State (4-7)
10) Stanford (2-9)

Offensive MVP: Matt Leinart, QB, USC and/or Reggie Bush, RB, USC
Defensive MVP: Will Derting, LB, Washington State or Spencer Havner, LB, UCLA

Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Joseph Ayoob, QB, California or James Finley, WR, Oregon
Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Desmond Bishop, LB, California or Aaron Miller, DB, Oregon State

Offensive Freshman of the Year: Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon or Patrick Turner, WR, USC
Defensive Freshman of the Year: Rey Maualuga, LB, USC or Ekom Udofia, DL, Stanford

Trojan Update 6/27

The 2005 USC Media Guide is now available online at usctrojans.com and will be available in hard copy in early August.

Suprises to the depth chart listed in the media guide - 1) Jeff Schweiger is listed as a starting DE over Frostee Rucker, in fact Rucker is listed behind Schweiger, Rashaad Goodrum and Chris Barrett at that position; 2) Reggie Bush, Desmond Reed and Michael Coleman are still listed above LenDale White at TB; 3) the starting LG is either Jeff Byers or Drew Radovich, Taitusi Lutui is listed only as the back-up RT to Winston Justice; 4) Whitney Lewis is listed as a back-up FL which may be a sign that he will be eligible to play this season.

CB Mozique McCurtis (JC Transfer from Grossmont College) was officially admitted and will join the team in August.

USC has refused to grant QB Rocky Hinds a release. Coach Carroll has refused to comment on the situation. The L.A. Daily News reports that Hinds may have been in contact with UNLV before receiving permission from USC to do so (a violation of NCAA rules). The Trojans have also reportedly "forbidden" CB Eric Wright from transferring to UNLV. Hinds and Wright can appeal the decision but I'm not sure how the process works.

Incoming players jersey assignments:
# 1 = WR Patrick Turner
# 4 = S Kevin Ellison (WR Whitney Lewis also wears # 4)
# 6 = QB Mark Sanchez
# 7 = CB Cary Harris
# 9 = CB Mozique McCurtis (DE Chris Barrett has switched to # 91)
# 10 = LB Brian Cushing (QB John David Booty also wears # 10)
# 15 = CB Kevin Thomas
# 17 = PK Troy Van Blarcom
# 26 = S Will Harris
# 27 = RB Michael Coleman
# 43 = LB Kaluka Maiava
# 52 = LB Luthur Brown
# 58 = LB Rey Maualuga
# 76 = OT Nick Howell
# 84 = DE Kyle Moore
# 85 = TE Charles Brown
# 94 = DT Walker Lee Ashley
# 99 = DT Averell Spicer

Future USC non-conference opponents: 2006 (at Arkansas, NEBRASKA, NOTRE DAME); 2007 (TBA HOME GAME, at Nebraska, at Notre Dame); 2008 (at Colorado State in Mile High Stadium, OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME); 2009 (TBA HOME GAME, at Ohio State, at Notre Dame). Keep in mind that the Pac-10 begins playing 9 conference games in 2006.

Pac-10 Newcomers (Revised on 27 June)

Here's my take on the Pac-10 newcomers that are most likely to make an impact in 2005 (the list includes JC Transfers, Redshirt Freshman, and True Freshman but no place kickers or punters):

1) Joseph Ayoob, QB, California (JR) is a duel (running & passing) threat, his development will make or break Cal's 2005 season, one recruiter labels him "the white Michael Vick"
2) James Finley, WR, Oregon (JR) was rated the nation's top JUCO prospect (at any position) by at least one publication, enrolled in the spring and won a starting job during spring practice
3) Desmond Bishop, MLB, California (JR) who was recruited heavily by USC, earned a starting job in spring practice
4) Rey Maualuga, MLB, USC (FR) is likely to be USC's starting MLB as a true freshman
5) Jonathan Stewart, RB, Oregon (FR) was rated the nation's top high school RB by some publications, recruiters compare him to Adrian Peterson, he will likely move past talented RB's Terrence Whitehead and Terrell Jackson by mid-season
6) DeSean Jackson, WR, California (FR) could be a special teams star right away
7) Lavelle Hawkins, WR, California (JR) was a bigtime high school recruit that orginally signed with LSU out of high school in 2004
8) B.J. Vickers, WR, Arizona (JR) made a big impact in spring practice, he gives the Wildcats a downfield target that they've lacked in recent years
9) Worrell Williams, OLB, California (RDFR) older brother is Denver Broncos D.J. Williams, ready to start at OLB in 2005
10) Ben Olson, QB, UCLA (RDFR) was rated the nation's top QB prospect in 2002, he redshirted at BYU then spent two years on a Mormon mission, will probably back-up Drew Olson (no relation) in 2005 before becoming the starting QB in 2006
11) Nu'u Tafisi, DE, California (JR) was rated a top 20 JUCO prospect (at any position), is already listed as a starter
12) Aaron Miller, DB, Oregon State (JR) was a top rated high school CB that orginally signed with Oklahoma in 2002, should win a starting job right away
13) Michael Johnson, DB, Arizona (JR) was a top 10 JUCO prospect (at any position), will compete for a starting safety position
14) Ekom Udofia, DL, Stanford (FR) should get into the starting DT rotation early, was heavily recruited by USC and Miami, but missed the last half of his senior season in high school due to injury
15) Aleksey Lanis, OL, UCLA (FR) is the top rated Pac-10 OL recruit in 2005, he planned to attend UCLA spring practice but a miscommunication between academic counselors kept him on the sideline, he is cleared for the fall and will compete for a starting job
16) Patrick Turner, WR, USC (FR) would be higher on the list if he didn't have to play behind Steve Smith, Dwayne Jarrett and Whitney Lewis, some publications listed him as the nation's top high school WR in 2005, he could beat out Lewis and Chris McFoy to become the Trojan's # 3 WR
17) combination of Brian Cushing, LB, USC (FR) who will most likely serve as an OLB backing up senior Dallas Sartz and Luthur Brown, LB, USC (FR) who will compete with Rey Maualuga for USC's MLB spot, Brown & Cushing will play whether they come off the bench or start
18) Matt Moore, QB, Oregon State (JR) transferred from UCLA after rotating with Drew Olson during his freshman season with the Bruins, will likely win the Beavers starting QB battle
19) combination of Kevin Thomas, DB, USC (FR), Cary Harris, DB, USC (FR), and Will Harris, DB, USC (FR), at least one of these three must develop early to help add depth to a thin USC secondary
20) Johnny DuRocher, QB, Washington (SO) transferred from Oregon and had to sit out last season, will compete for UW's starting QB spot, probaby the best QB prospect on UW's roster
21) Aaron Ware, DB, UCLA (FR) will help provide depth to the Bruin secondary
22) Adrian McCovey, LB, Arizona (FR) was one of Stoops' biggest recruits this year and will compete for playing time right away
23) J.R. Hasty, RB, Washington (FR) could rotate in at RB right away
24) Walker Lee Ashley, DT, USC (FR) could get an opportunity to play if LaJuan Ramsey, Fili Moala, and Travis Tofi fail to get the job done
25) Mark Sanchez, QB, USC (FR) was considered the nation's top high school QB recruit in 2005 but will most likely redshirt behind Matt Leinart and John David Booty

Commentary # 3 - Coaching Staff/Special Teams

The biggest obstacle in the way of a Trojan "three-Pete" is a drop off in mental focus. The Trojans could easily lapse into complacency after having won 40 of their last 44 games (and 22 straight). Can the team maintain the same intensity in 2005? Do they truly desire to win another national championship and earn the title of greatest team ever? Can the Trojans win their third Heisman Trophy in four seasons?

The job of keeping the team focused falls on a revamped coaching staff. Head Coach Pete Carroll is back but Offensive Coordinator (and playcalling guru) Norm Chow is not. Carroll is anxious to prove that his system will continue to roll without Chow.

Offensive Coordinator duties now fall into the hands of Carroll protege Lane Kiffen. Kiffen is the 30-year old son of NFL coach Monte Kiffen (a Carroll mentor). He has served as the USC wide receivers coach for the past three seasons (a duty that he will continue in addition to Offensive Coordinator duties in 2005). Last year he held the title "Passing Game Coordinator" although Chow was still the man calling the plays. I'm not sold that Kiffen is ready to step-in and replace a coach like Chow but neither is Coach Carroll. That's why he rehired Steve Sarkisian as the Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks Coach (Sarkisian is just 31-years old). Sarkisian served as the Trojans QB Coach from 2001-2003 and as the Oakland Raiders QB Coach in 2004. He also played at BYU under Chow. Kiffen will call the plays from the booth but Sarkisian will be able to override the calls on the sideline. I'm also not sold that this system/combination will work (on the same level as Chow's system) but I'm willing to give it a chance. My read is that Sarkisian has the better football mind of the two. The good news is that they have Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and just about everybody else back on offense! RB Coach Todd McNair is back for his second season. New OL Coach Pat Ruel spent the last five seasons in the NFL but has 26 years experience as a college coach prior to that (he replaces Tim Davis who did an excellent job building a young Trojan OL into a dominant force). TE Coach Brennan Carroll returns for his fourth year on the Trojan staff. Graduate Assistant David Watson rounds out the Trojan offensive coaching staff (he spent last year as a Graduate Assistant at Michigan State). The Trojan offense is expected to score early and often because of its experience, talent and depth. They will also need to keep the pressure off the relatively green defense. So if there are problems early on, Kiffen and Sarkisian will be feeling the heat!

Coach Carroll is still the only head coach in the Pac-10 that also serves as an offensive or defensive coordinator (although Stoops is heavily involved with Arizona's defense and Tedford is heavily involved with California's offense). During the Trojan Huddle (spring game) Carroll seemed to be one step ahead of Kiffen & Sarkisian (save for a couple spectacular plays by Desmond Reed and Reggie Bush). Carroll's high level of energy and intensity is what seems to fuel the Trojan players and coaches. If Carroll is still hungry to win, the team will be too! Replacing four of the front seven guys on defense should hurt the dominant rushing defense that has been the staple of the past three seasons. Carroll will have to simplify his complex blitzing package with all the new personnel up front. A lack of experienced depth in the secondary will also be felt if the front seven can't get consistent pressure on opposing QBs. Another concern is the loss of DL Coach Ed Orgeron, who was a major part of the return to dominance. Jethro Franklin, who has spent the past five season with the Green Bay Packers and the nine seasons before that with Fresno State and UCLA, will take over for Orgeron. Rocky Seto (sixth season with USC) and Ken Norten Jr. (second season with USC) are back to handle the young linebacking corps while Greg Burns (fourth season with USC) also returns to coach the secondary. My read on the defensive staff is that Norten will take over as the fire-spitting coach (Orgeron's job in the past). Carroll's schemes coupled with the defensive speed should keep the Trojans among the top defenses in the country, although there will be a slight drop from the past two seasons.

Sam Anno (a USC LB from 1983-86) will be in his first season as the Special Teams Coach. This is Anno's first collegiate coaching job (he has seven years experience as a high school coach). Anno's big challenge will be to settle the placekicking job during fall camp (Troy Van Blarcom or Mario Danelo). Until Van Blarcom is suited up in Cardinal & Gold, the job belongs to Danelo (who looked okay in the spring). The Trojans will miss the almost automatic touchbacks of Ryan Killeen on kickoffs. Anno gets help in the form of All-America punter Tom Malone, and kick returners Reggie Bush and Desmond Reed. Greig Carlson can also field punts. Whitney Lewis may return kicks if he is eligible to play. Sophomore Will Collins (a former walk-on) will serve as the long snapper for the second consecutive year. Anno will double as a defensive assistant to Coach Carroll.

Kiffen also takes over duties as Recruiting Coordinator (Orgeron held this position previously). Right now this isn't a tough job as all the top high school recruits have USC at the top of their lists. Dennis Slutak moves from Special Teams Assistant to Director of Football Operations (after spending a couple of weeks this spring on Ed Orgeron's new staff at Mississippi). Chris Carlisle returns for his fifth year as the Strength and Conditioning Coach.

Trojan Update 6/16

RB Chauncey Washington, who was declared academically ineligible for the second straight season, is now considering returning to USC in the fall. He obtained his official release from USC and can transfer to any school, but he said he is now thinking about returning to the Trojans. He said he hasn't ruled out the possibility of transferring to Mississippi or UNLV, although it appears less likely now. Washington will meet with Coach Carroll to discuss the situation this week. He could participate in practice this season but not in games. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Trojan Update 6/13

OL Zack Heberer (6-4, 275, 5.1) of San Pedro verbally committed to USC after Coach Carroll offered him a scholarship following the USC Linemen Camp this past weekend. Heberer was clocked running a 4.9 second 40-yard dash during the camp (he was clocked at 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the recent Nike NorCal Camp). Rivals.com says "Heberer projects as a guard or tackle in college. He had a strong showing at the Nike NorCal Camp and a dominating performance at the USC Linemen Camp. He should rank among the top three offensive linemen in the entire West region for the class of 2006." By committing to USC he is bypassing an offer from childhood favorite Oregon (he has family in the Eugene area and used to visit often as a kid).

Trojan Update 6/12

The USC coaching staff hosted skill players (QB, RB, WR, LB, DB) and lineman (OL, DL) camps for high school players grades 9-12 this weekend on campus. Many talented recruits participated including RB Stafon Johnson (6-0, 200, 4.4) of Dorsey H.S., WR Terence Austin (6-0, 175, 4.5) of Long Beach Poly, LB Allen Bradford (6-0, 220, 4.5) of Colton H.S., and CB Vincent Joseph (5-8, 180, 4.5) of Long Beach Poly. Rumors say that OL Zack Heberer (6-4, 275, 5.1) of San Pedro H.S. received a scholarship offer from Coach Carroll and verbally committed to the Trojans for 2006. Incoming freshman QB Mark Sanchez and WR Patrick Turner were on hand as spectators with WR Dwayne Jarrett and DE Lawrence Jackson.

Commentary # 2 - Offense

Offensively the Trojans should be a juggernaut! The departure of Norm Chow and his extraordinary playcalling should be the only dent in the armor. New Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffen will be on the hot seat. Assistant Heach Coach/QB Coach Steve Sarkisian should be a big help as he served under Chow as both a player and as an assistant coach. But I'll discuss the coaching situation in more depth in commentary # 3.

Matt Leinart will attempt to become the second player ever to win back-to-back Heisman Trophies. Working against him is the fact that Heisman voters rarely vote for an incumbent. To win the trophy again he'll have to guide the Trojans to another undefeated season. In the event the Trojans do lose a game (or two) he'll need to improve on his 2004 stats and hope the competition isn't tearing up the record books. The prime competition will come from Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson and USC teammate Reggie Bush (Florida QB Chris Leak, Texas QB Vince Young, and Ohio State WR Ted Ginn are also top candidates). My personal opinion is that the trophy will head eastward this year because the voters won't want to give it to a USC player for the third time in four years (sorry Reggie).

The QB position has quality but not quanity. Leinart has recovered from surgery on his throwing elbow (which forced him to miss spring practice). He is ready to go for fall camp. Leinart's leadership and cool demeanor under pressure is the best reason to think the Trojans will be in the Rose Bowl on January 4th, 2006. John David Booty directed the 1st string offense during spring drills and looked great. Booty was so good that freshman Rocky Hinds has decided to transfer (probably to UNLV). If Leinart goes down to injury Booty is ready to takeover. QB Billy Hart had one year of eligibility remaining but has decided to concentrate on baseball. That leaves incoming freshman Mark Sanchez, the nation's top rated high school passing QB in 2004, as the third string (and only other scholarship) quarterback! There is already a debate stirring among Trojan fans as to whether Booty or Sanchez will be the starter in 2006. I'd prefer to focus on 2005 (plus I haven't seen Sanchez do anything in Division I-A college football yet, so how can you rate him over Booty?). Non-scholarship QBs Michael McDonald and Tom Harwood will have to run the scout team offense as there are no other scholarship QB's to do so. Most teams would use their 4th string scholarship QB in this role.

The RB position is also stocked with talent. LenDale White started at tailback throughout 2004 but sat out spring practice with academic issues. Although White has been cleared to play this fall, he lost the starting position to Reggie Bush by not playing in the spring. White will still be the "Thunder" of "Thunder and Lightning" but I sense the coaches have a "get the ball in Reggie's hands more often" emphasis this season. Last year White had 203 rushing attempts to Bush's 143. This year I think Reggie will see more action from the tailback position. Desmond Reed has made the most of his limited playing time on offense and special teams. He was stellar anytime he was on the field last year and was the MVP of spring practice (although one could argue that Booty or Chauncey Washington deserved that honor too). Reed will probably see more playing time this year, especially on kick returns. Chauncey Washington is set to transfer after being declared academically ineligible for the second straight season. It's too bad because the coaching staff seems to feel that Washington has more natural ability than White! True freshman Michael Coleman made a splash by telling everyone that he was better than LenDale White, but after enrolling at USC early he failed to make an impression on the field in the spring. He and White almost came to blows in the locker room after a practice. Herschel Dennis will sit this season out then attempt to get back into the starting rotation in 2006 (assuming Bush heads to the NFL a year early).

David Kirtman won the starting FB job in the spring but if Brandon Hancock stays healthy he will see plenty of playing time too. The graduation of Lee Webb will hurt because Kirtman and Hancock are better receivers than blocking backs. Jody Adewale probably won’t see much playing time unless he proves to be the best blocking FB of the trio.

The offensive line is full of experience even without any senior starters. LT Sam Baker was the anchor of the line last year as a redshirt freshman. This year he should be up for All Pac-10 honors with possible All-American on the horizon. Kyle Williams, who rotated in at RT with Taitusi Lutui most of last season, will back-up Baker at LT. LG is the only position up for grabs during fall camp. The competition is between Jeff Byers, Drew Radovich, Lutui, and Alatini Malu. Byers, Radovich, Lutui and Williams are good enough to start on just about any other Division I-A team. Ryan Kalil did such a great job in his first year as the starting C that the coaches moved the highly touted Byers to guard. Matt Spanos is listed as the back-up but if Kalil were injured Byers would probably slide back over to C. Fred Matua will be in his third year as the starting RG. Matua is a quiet warrior and probably gets overlooked with so many other stars at USC. His back-up is redshirt freshman Chilo Rachal. Winston Justice returns at RT after serving a one-year suspension. He won the starting job after an intense spring battle with Lutui. Justice was considered an All-America candidate before being suspended. Lutui, last year’s starting RT, appears to be the odd man out unless he can win the starting LG spot. If he ends up on the bench he will probably see reserve playing time at LG and RT. Highly regarded freshman Thomas Herring was academically ineligible in 2004 but was able to participate in spring drills. Herring will serve as a back-up tackle but is likely to redshirt.

Dominique Byrd is clearly the best TE on the team and is an All Pac-10 candidate. The question is – will a dependable back-up emerge from a group that includes Fred Davis, Dale Thompson, Jimmy Miller, Nick Vanderboom, and incoming freshman Charles Brown? Davis had a rocky freshman season. He was originally recruited to be a WR and his athleticism should make up for the lack of size (he’s only 215 pounds). Thompson and Miller are bigger but neither has stood out so far. Vanderboom was Byrd’s high school QB and Coach Carroll has been considering moving him back to QB to add depth. Brown will most likely redshirt.

Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett are set to star at WR. Jarrett has become a “poster boy” and college football analyst favorite but I think Smith is the better of the two when healthy (just look at his Orange Bowl performance). Senior William Buchanon had another great spring but has yet to dominate during an actual game. He will back-up Jarrett but will also have to fend off incoming freshman Patrick Turner (who was listed as the nation’s top recruit by some publications). At 6’5”, 220 pounds Turner appears to be a Mike Williams clone. Solid performer Chris McFoy is set to back-up Smith. Whitney Lewis, who was academically ineligible in 2004, has to pass his summer school classes to be eligible in 2005. If Lewis makes it out onto the field this season, I think he’ll make a huge impact. Recruiters consider Lewis to be a better athlete than Smith and Jarrett! Greig Carlson is also available as a back-up receiver.

There doesn't appear to be a defense on the schedule that will slow the Trojan offense down. Hawaii doesn't even qualify as a speed bump. Arkansas returns 8 starters on defense but no real stars. Oregon and Arizona State will be tough road games but shouldn't stop Leinart & company. Arizona's defense will pose a real test because of head coach Mike Stoops but the Wildcats don't have the athletes to stay with the Trojans for four quarters yet. Notre Dame will be a major test but the Irish only have 3 returning starters on defense. The game in South Bend might be a real offensive shootout as the Irish have 10 returning starters on offense (plus new Coach Charlie Weis). If the Trojans make it to 6-0 it all comes down to the game against California!

Trojan Update 6/8

QB Rocky Hinds announced Tuesday that he will transfer to another school. "The numbers were just not in my favor," Hinds said in a phone interview. "It was a hard decision. USC was always my dream school." He is expected to enroll at UNLV where he will have three years of eligibilty remaining, but he said he had not picked a school. "A lot of schools are in the mix — it never was just UNLV," Hinds said. "That was just a school I was looking at. I know they have a great offense there that fits me well."

"Rocky came to me and said he wants to transfer. He's a great kid, and I'm disappointed," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I was excited about him, because he had a good chance to compete for the quarterback job here in the future. But he didn't see it that way. He said he wants to go somewhere where he thinks he'll have a better opportunity to play."

Other transfer news: RB Chauncey Washington is considering Mississippi or UNLV. CB Eric Wright is considering Auburn, Miami, or Virginia Tech.

Coach Carroll said DT Gabe Long of Fullerton College will not meet the necessary academic requirements to enroll for the fall. USC is waiting to see if Compton College OL Kevin Myers will be eligible next fall.

USC's September 3rd season opener at Hawaii will kickoff at 4 pm (PDT) and be televised on ESPN2. USC's September 17th home opener against Arkansas will kickoff at 7:15 pm (PDT) and be televised on Fox Sports Net.

Pac-10 Conference Changes

The Pac-10 will add a ninth game to its conference football schedule in 2006. The change, announced on Monday, was adopted by the league's chief executive officers at their annual summer meetings in Portland, OR. The decision came in response to the NCAA's decision earlier this year to add a 12th game to the schedule. Starting in 2006, each Pac-10 team will play nine conference games and three nonconference games. Some teams will have five conference home games in a season, while others will have only four. It will mark the first time since 1977 that the league has had a full round-robin schedule, eliminating the chance that two teams that did not play could tie for the conference title and the league's automatic Bowl Championship Series bid.

The conference also voted to use instant replay on an experimental basis in football games this season in a system similar to the one used last season in the Big Ten. Instant replay will be used in all conference games and non-conference games when the visiting team agrees.

ABC extended its contract for football coverage of Pac-10 games for five years, guaranteeing that the network will carry the conference's games through 2011. The deal also puts Pac-10 games on ESPN, the first time ABC's sister cable network will carry the conference since 1994. ABC has shown Pac-10 games since 1989, including coverage of the Rose Bowl.

The Pac-10 placed Arizona State's athletic program on probation for two years for improper benefits given to former running back Loren Wade. The conference's compliance and enforcement committee commended ASU for taking steps to police itself. Arizona State won't face any restrictions under the probation. Wade was suspended indefinitely after allegations that he received help from an employee, including use of a car and her name on his utility bill so he could avoid a deposit. The employee was later fired. An internal investigation discovered discrepancies in financial aid checks to several student-athletes. The Pac-10 will forward its probation recommendation to the NCAA. In an unrelated matter, Wade was charged in the March shooting death of former ASU player Brandon Falkner at a Scottsdale nightclub. Wade is scheduled to go to trial in January.

ESPN withdrew from the college football coaches' poll Tuesday, the second major news organization to say it didn't want to be a part of the Bowl Championship Series' weekly rankings. The cable sports network said it no longer wanted its name attached to the rankings unless all ballots were made public, not just the final ones. USA Today will continue running the poll, which helps determine who plays for the national championship.

Commentary # 1 - Defense

This is the first post in a series that covers my views on the current state of 1) the Trojan defense, 2) the Trojan offense, 3) Trojan Coaching & Special Teams, 4) the Pac-10, and 5) the non-conference schedule.

DEFENSE: It's a toss up as to which is the biggest question mark on the Trojan squad this year - the new offensive play calling system or how quickly the new defensive personnel will step up.

The concern at DT & NT is inexperience. The loss of Manny Wright was a huge blow and highly touted JC transfer Gabe Long will not be admitted to USC until spring 2006. Sedrick Ellis had a great spring and looks like a lock to start at NT. LaJuan Ramsey, Fili Moala, and Travis Tofi will battle it out for the starting DT spot. Ramsey, a senior, has the most experience but has had trouble with inconsistency and injuries throughout his career. Moala, a redshirt freshman, was the 2004 Service Team Defensive Player of the Year (that's a good sign because it's an honor that Lawrence Jackson earned in 2003). Tofi will most likely serve in a back-up role for both NT and DT. Ramsey has a slight lead at the end of spring but I won't be suprised if Moala ends up as the starter. Incoming freshman Walker Lee Ashley may be a factor by midseason if the interior defensive line struggles early. I can only imagine Ekom Udofia's reaction when he found out Manny Wright was leaving. Udofia was considered to be the nation's top DL recruit and he decided to sign with Stanford over USC at the last minute (probably thinking he would see more immediate playing time at Stanford). Whatever combination of players, the Trojans won't have the dominant run defense of recent years in 2005. It will take time for the new guys to settle in, which could spell trouble against Arkansas. Coach Carroll will likely change his schemes to address the inexperience issues.

The concern at DE is depth. Lawrence Jackson is a lock to start at one of the DE spots. Frostee Rucker is a senior and a returning starter but Carroll loves rising star Jeff Schweiger. Schweiger will get plenty of playing time even if he doesn't take Rucker's starting job. There isn't much depth after those three players. Rashaad Goodrum is back but still unproven. Chris Barrett has had numerous problems with injuries and may transfer. Incoming freshmen Averell Spicer and Kyle Moore will have to step in and play early if there are any injuries to the starters. I don't see Spicer and Moore making as big an impact as Schweiger did last year though.

The concern with the linebacking corps is chemistry. Dallas Sartz and Keith Rivers will anchor the OLB spots. Oscar Lua, Ryan Powdrell and Thomas Williams will all play early at MLB before giving ground to incoming freshman Rey Maualuga. Maualuga is my pick for biggest impact freshman. Senior Collin Ashton will also see playing time. Incoming freshman Brian Cushing will be groomed to take Sartz' position next season so watch for him to get significant playing time similar to how Coach Carroll played Rivers behind Grootegoed last year. Another incoming freshman, Luthur Brown, will have a shot to get in the mix too. While this unit will struggle early in 2005, USC will have the BEST LBs in the nation in 2006 and 2007!

The secondary took a huge hit with the loss of CB Eric Wright. The pressure is on Terrell Thomas to step into Wright's vacated spot. Justin Wyatt will be solid at the other corner. Then comes the major problem - no experienced depth! The nickelback may end up being back-up safety Josh Pinkard until JC transfer Mozique McCurtis or incoming freshman Cary Harris and Kevin Thomas are ready to play. McCurtis is a late addition and hasn't made it all the way through the admissions process yet. The same depth problem occurs at safety. Darnell Bing is an All-America candidate while Scott Ware will also be a force if he stays healthy. But after those two its sophomore Pinkard and two true freshmen - Kevin Ellison and Will Harris. The secondary will get an early test against Hawaii's pass happy offense (lucky Timmy Chang graduated).

Overall the offense will have to carry the day early on. I'm not worried about Hawaii because of the gap in talent. Arkansas presents a physical challange although I think USC's team speed will be too much for the Razorbacks (plus the game is at the Coliseum). But the defense better be ready to play by September 24th (at Oregon) and October 1st (at Arizona State). Both those teams will be able to put serious points on the board.

Trojan Update 6/7

High School RB Michael Goodson (6-0, 195, 4.4) of Klein, TX took an unofficial visit to USC last week with his father. After the visit he said "Right now USC leads Texas A&M which is #2, then LSU #3 and Oklahoma #4." In addition to USC, Goodson has visited the Texas schools, Oklahoma and LSU. Rivals.com has released its early top 100 ranking of high school players. Goodson is ranked # 36 (he is the # 6 RB).

Trojan Update 6/3

JUCO CB Mozique McCurtis (6-1, 220, 4.4) of Grossmont College has accepted a scholarship to USC and will enroll this week so as to be eligible to play this fall. Grossmont tore his ACL playing football during his junior year of high school (2001) and missed his entire senior season (2002). He attended Grossmont during the 2003 season but didn't play football until the 2004 season, recording 30 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions while playing as a safety. He will have three years of eligibility at USC. He chose USC over Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and San Diego State.

QB Rocky Hinds has decided to transfer to UNLV according to the L.A. Daily News. "He's strongly considering transferring, and UNLV is one of the schools coming up," Carroll said. "I want him to get all the information and get his facts straight. He's been influenced to consider it and to see what his options are." Hinds could not be reached for comment, but he's already spoken to coaches at UNLV, where former USC assistant Mike Sanford is head coach. Sources said Hinds is disenchanted after being third on the depth chart following spring practice and also worried that highly touted incoming freshman Mark Sanchez will leapfrog him in the fall. CB Eric Wright and RB Chauncey Washington are also transferring and UNLV is at the top of both of their lists of possibilities.

After months of indecision TE Erik Lorig of Rolling Hills-Peninsula (CA) has singed a letter of intent with Stanford.

Trojan Update 6/2

CB Eric Wright has withdrawn from classes at USC and will seek to continue his career elsewhere according to Coach Carroll. Wright's attorney, Carmen Trutanich, said that Eric has been in contact with other schools and hopes to continue his career at a Division I program. If he transfers to a Division I school he will have to sit out one season.

Coach Carroll will meet with QB Rocky Hinds today about the possibility of transferring.

USC's home opener against Arkansas on September 17th will begin at 7:15pm and be televised on Fox Sports West.

USC announced that there will be a ban on alcohol sales at the Coliseum during USC football games this season. USC President Steven Sample says it is a necessary step to clean up increasingly unruly behavior and make Trojan games more family friendly. The Coliseum netted more than $700,000 in beer sales at USC games in 2004 (half of its profit). Coliseum Commission President Bill Chadwick said he wants USC to help account for the lost revenue but that no agreement has been reached.