2017 Fall Camp #16: Notes

On a hot afternoon, the Trojans received another frozen treat after practice when the snow cone truck pulled onto the field.

USC head coach Clay Helton reported no new injuries, and TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe is "gaining confidence" in his hip flexor and "really close" to returning.

Imatorbhebhe will complete a perfectly balanced group of tight ends. He has the unique ability to stretch the defense vertically at his size, while improving as a blocker. Tyler Petite is a talented blocker and pass catcher, and he has focused on being more of a vertical threat. Finally, Cary Angeline adds a third dimension with his basketball-frame. "We are extremely confident being one of the oldest position groups on the offense," said Petite about the tight end trio. "Seeing what we did last year has really given us a boost."

The tight ends also have an excellent rapport with Sam Darnold which could be noticeable early in the season as the quarterback builds chemistry with his receivers on the outside. However, the wideout group is not lacking in playmakers. "They have to play," OC Tee Martin explained the only thing missing from the wide receiver group. "They are talented. They have the size, the speed, they are tough guys. They just haven't played much."

Given all the young guys at wideout, WR Steven Mitchell has become even more valuable. He is now playing on the outside and projects as a starter with Michael Pittman Jr. sidelined. "He's playing better than before," said Martin about Mitchell. "He's just doing some different stuff now that you haven't seen."

Mitchell played in the slot last year because JuJu Smith-Schuster and Darreus Rogers had the outside spots locked down. But, he knows all three positions, so he is a versatile weapon when healthy, and he feels good despite his second knee surgery. "Surprisingly yes. I say surprisingly because I did have knee surgery and I did come back pretty fast," Mitchell talked about his recovery. "But I think it was good that it happened to my other knee, only because I already did it, I know what I went through. So my confidence didn't go down at all. I knew what to expect. So it helped my confidence coming back on the field. I haven't even been thinking about my knee."

The veteran is a wise head in a young room, so he could be an important player on and off the field for this team. "Even if I wasn't starting, I'm just glad to be back out here," said Mitchell. "I'm happy I had the opportunity to come back and be that leader and go with the 1s again. It builds my confidence up, which helps me. I'm just here to contribute to the offense as much as I can. We have a Heisman quarterback, great receivers, great running backs, our O-Line is unbelievable, so I have no doubt in my mind we're going to do some big things this year."

Martin expects to play six to seven receivers per game, which leaves open an opportunity for RS freshman Josh Imatorbhebhe to crack the rotation. He has put together a strong week of practice, earning two starting spots on special teams and making some big plays on the outside. Helton noticed that the light "has clicked on here over this week" for Imatorbhebhe.

Josh Imatorbhebhe will have another chance to impress on Saturday as the focus of the final scrimmage will be the inexperienced players and sorting out the second and third lines of the depth chart.

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