USC camp takeaways: Secondary should be strong point of revamped defense

Greedy Vance heard all the whispers about USC as he weighed his options this offseason. A coveted corner coming from a top-flight defense at Florida State, Vance had his pick of the transfer portal. Yet here he was joining a USC unit that scraped the bottom of the FBS last year.

“There were a lot of people in my ear about the defense,” the redshirt senior said. “I just wanted to come in and be a part of the turnaround.”

If there is a turnaround in store for the Trojans defense this season, then the secondary is certainly where it will start. There may not be a deeper position on USC’s roster this fall than cornerback, where Vance has joined a room with at least six viable starting options, most of whom are capable of playing multiple positions.

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Vance is likely to get the nod at nickel, while two other transfers — DeCarlos Nicholson (Mississippi State) and John Humphrey (UCLA) — are among the top three options at outside corner, along with Jacobe Covington. The safety spots are just as steady, with transfers Akili Arnold (Oregon State) and Kamari Ramsey (UCLA) rounding out an almost totally rebuilt group.

Then there’s Jaylin Smith, a versatile returning puzzle piece who, given the depth elsewhere, can fit in wherever he’s needed, a luxury USC hasn’t had in its secondary since Riley took the reins.

There are plenty of reasons to be wary of whether USC can turn things around on defense. But the secondary shouldn’t be one of them.

Here are some other takeaways from USC’s fall camp, as the season opener against Louisiana State approaches:

USC offensive lineman Jonah Monheim makes his way to the practice field.

(Michael Owen Baker / For The Times)

USC can add all the muscle mass it can muster on both fronts. But for the offensive line, bulk wasn’t the problem. Between projected starters (from left to right) Elijah Paige, Emmanuel Pregnon, Jonah Monheim, Alani Noa and Mason Murphy, USC is averaging 320 pounds per lineman.

It’s what comes after those five on the depth chart that should be cause for concern. If either tackle were to miss time, USC would either have to shift Monheim out to left tackle or trust raw redshirt freshman Tobias Raymond in a critical role.

The interior isn’t exactly flush with proven options, either. Redshirt senior Gino Quinones can fill in at either guard or center … but beyond him, USC’s other options — Amos Talalele and Micah Banuelos — have only appeared in a single game each, for a few snaps each.

This is a big season for offensive line coach Josh Henson. And he’ll spend most of it crossing his fingers his line stays healthy.

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Marks is the ideal complement to a quarterback such as Miller Moss, who can get the ball out quick. He’s a proven receiver, with 214 college receptions to his name, more than nearly all of USC’s young receiver room combined.

But Marks has also never had more than 121 carries in a season. That’s fewer than Austin Jones had as the second option, behind Travis Dye, in USC’s 2022 offense.

Enter Joyner, who’s earned praise all camp for his progress. Riley assured he’s “firmly in the mix” for carries, while Marks says the redshirt freshman has really honed in on the finer points of the position.

“From pass protection, to catching the ball out of the backfield, and in the meeting room,” Marks added, “he’s impressed me a lot.”

He’s not the only one. By season’s end, don’t be surprised if the backfield looks a lot more even than you might’ve expected.

USC wide receiver Zachariah Branch warms up before a game against Washington in November.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Last season, Branch became the first freshman All-American ever to grace the field at USC — a tremendous distinction, given the Trojans football history — and yet, somehow it still feels like he enters this season oddly underrated.

USC has a wealth of young, exciting talent at wideout, all seemingly primed for big seasons, and understandably, it’s more fun at this point to talk about how Ja’Kobi Lane or Makai Lemon might be USC’s breakout star at the position. But while Branch has already broken out, it seems we’ve only scratched the surface of what he’s capable of.

Coaches have challenged him to be a more complete receiver, and Riley said he’s taken that challenge “head-on”. Moss made it clear earlier in camp that USC would manufacture unique ways to get him the ball, even if no one is willing to share specifics on how.

Branch has been working on his running mechanics as a track athlete and how he could be even quicker and harder to bring down on the football field. That should be a scary thought for Big Ten defenses.

USC defensive lineman Anthony Lucas runs through drills at practice.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

One look at Anthony Lucas, when he arrived at USC in early 2023, was enough to understand the buzz coming out of College Station, Texas. He is, after all, a massive physical specimen, with all the athletic tools to become a dominant defensive lineman.

Those tools have yet to translate in his short tenure as a Trojan. But once again, the buzz at USC through camp is that Lucas is finally living up to that potential. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said this week that Lucas had been “tremendous” since summer.

“He has a lot of ability,” Lynn said. “He can rush the passer, he can stop the run, you can move him inside. He’s surprisingly athletic off the ball in space. He’s a guy that you can really do just about everything with him, and the more he’s able to do the more that’s going to unlock for other guys on the field. So him taking that next step is huge.”

USC desperately needs someone on the defensive line to step up alongside Bear Alexander. On the interior, coaches and players keep banging the drum for Wyoming defensive tackle Gavin Meyer, who arrived after spring but has quickly asserted himself as a contributor.