- The Trojans did not tackle today in an effort to preserve some bodies for Saturday's Spring Game, but Lane Kiffin was still happy with the intensity. The Spring Game will be offense vs. defense with not enough healthy players to break into two separate teams.
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On the positive side, CB Kevon Seymour returned in a limited role. He has struggled to stay healthy during his short Trojan career, but he could be an important cog in this defense that is weak at cornerback. "It's been tough to evaluate Kevon since he's been here because we see some flashes, but he's had a lot of injuries," said Kiffin. "He does have the skillset (height, weight, speed) to be a really good player, but obviously, there is a lot more to it than that."
- S Demetrius Wright also returned and practiced fully. He is dealing with a hip problem.
- Josh Shaw has been the most consistent defensive back during spring practice. While he has excelled at safety, the coaches will decide over the summer if he is more valuable to this team at cornerback. "It is a compliment just knowing that I can do both and that they have faith in me," said Shaw (pictured from last week), who will stay at safety for the rest of the week. "The main thing is that we've got to get some guys to step up on the edge."
- The secondary responded with a strong practice today after the position group called a meeting to acknowledge that their play has not been good enough.
- The defensive backs are done no favors by Marqise Lee and Nelson Agholor, who challenge their counterparts on every rep. "Every single day, we are out here playing against 9 and 15, and those guys are wow, you won't see that everywhere in the country," Shaw said. "Being able to play against them, it will be a lot slower and easier in the fall."
- On the offensive side, the Santa Ana winds put the quarterbacks to the test. "I thought they did fine with it," said Kiffin. "We missed a couple deep balls which was more on the receivers' movements and understanding how the ball was coming in."
- Kiffin is also happy with the progress of the first team offensive line (LT Aundrey Walker, LG Max Tuerk, C Marcus Martin, RG John Martinez and RT Kevin Graf). "I think they are starting to mesh," said the head coach.
- Here is his complete post-practice media session...
