2017 Fall Camp #11: Notes

The Trojans focused mostly on special teams during a short practice on Friday afternoon.

For the second consecutive day, USC head coach Clay Helton was happy to report no new injuries.

The Trojans have two key position battles on special teams, placekicker and returner. Michael Brown (pictured below) or Chase McGrath will be the next kicker, but neither player has any college experience. "They are both young players," said special teams coordinator John Baxter. "They are not what they are going to be in three years. I'm impressed with both of them."

While the kicking battle made news this week after an inaccurate practice by both candidates, Baxter is not concerned. However, he also makes no guarantees because he has never seen either player in the cauldron of a live game in the Coliseum. "We just want a swing that repeats itself. Well, it repeats itself all the time out here, but we don't know what happens when pressure gets added," Baxter said. "I'd love to predict the future but I am not too good at it."

Brown was the favorite to win the job as a scholarship kicker who was redshirted last season, but he's being pushed by McGrath. "He's coming out and doing great every day," Brown said about McGrath. "Every competition on this team is tight. We're full of great players, so you never really have a secure job."

Brown is focused on his own game and improving every day. "It's easy when you're out here by yourself, but once you've got a live snap, live rush, everything else is going on," Brown explained. "It's just muscle memory, it's consistency, taking every rep, whether I'm out here on a weekend by myself or I'm out here with the whole team. It's treating each kick the same and with the same focus and effort."

Baxter on Brown: "I like the fact that he is a really composed athlete. You can't tell if he made his last kick or he missed his last kick. He's pretty consistent every day."

The race to replace Adoree' Jackson in the return game is similar. Baxter likes the talent, but, "We are pretty untested there too." He did say that Ajene Harris, Velus Jones Jr. and Jack Jones have emerged from the pack of candidates. "There's a name Jones on the depth chart and they keep asking me which one it is. And I said, 'I'll tell you guys when I figure it out,'" Baxter joked. "There will be a Jones back there."

In terms of coverage units, Baxter expects several freshmen to contribute immediately. "This freshman class is amazingly good," he praised. "If we keep putting recruiting classes together like this one that came in, the future is very bright. They are awesome."

Yesterday, Dominic Davis switched from tailback to cornerback. "I came to the conclusion to switch on my own," said Davis. "I prayed a lot. It has been on my mind for a while, probably for about a year now. I talked to my position coach and he was all for it. He was positive."

Davis is blessed with blazing speed which is important at corner. Plus, he's seen a positive example in Ajene Harris of a player that switched from offense to defense. "Ajene loves being on defense," Davis said. "He doesn't second guess his decision at all and I don't think I will. He is very happy to be on the defensive side of the ball, there is a lot of opportunity there.

Players Mentioned