University Southern California Trojans
2018 Spring Practice #1: Notes
March 06, 2018 | Football, USC Ripsit Blog, Features
The USC football team took the field at Howard Jones today for its first practice of the spring 2018 session.
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- USC head coach Clay Helton had plenty of player news to announce. Rising sophomore RB Stephen Carr (back surgery), rising junior LB Oluwole Betiku Jr. (hip surgery), rising redshirt junior TE Daniel Imatorbhebhe (muscle strain) and rising redshirt freshman DT Marlon Tuipulotu (recovering from back surgery) will be held out of spring practice to recuperate from injuries.
- Other injuries include rising senior DB Marvell Tell III (groin), rising redshirt freshman LB Tayler Katoa (recovering from ACL), rising senior OL Toa Lobendahn (knee soreness), rising redshirt sophomore OL Frank Martin II (knee soreness) and rising redshirt sophomore RB Vavae Malepeai (hamstring).
- Helton granted offensive lineman Roy Hemsley and WR Jalen Greene permission to pursue graduate transfer opportunities this spring. DB Jamel Cook will also explore the opportunity to transfer while sitting out of spring ball to focus on academics.
- Offensive linemen Nathan Smith and Cole Smith are both medically retiring from football due to lower body injuries and will assume student coaching roles this year.
- Helton announced that rising junior DB Jack Jones will sit out spring ball to focus on academics and will be suspended for USC's season opener in 2018 for a violation of team rules.
- Rising sophomore WR Joseph Lewis IV has been indefinitely suspended from the football team and is not currently on the roster while dealing with a student conduct and legal issue.
- Helton said he sees the 15 spring practices that began today as "an educational period" more than an evaluation period, and plans to focus heavily on turnover margin and penalties.
- One of the biggest storylines of spring is the departure of QB Sam Darnold and the battle between rising redshirt sophomore Matt Fink and rising redshirt freshman Jack Sears to take over the starting job. Helton explained that the two QBs would split first team reps throughout spring ball and that the best man would play come Game 1 of 2018.
- Sears feels like he's taken huge strides since arriving at USC and is ready to compete for the starting role. "It's a completely different feel [than last year]," he said. "I was ready to go today. I feel like each day from here is just going to be a step forward ... It felt good to get some of those throws, get some of those misses out of the way now and continue to move forward because you're just going to get better from here."
- Fink, who appeared in three games last year, is enjoying the leadership role that comes with competing for the starting QB job. "It was fun for me to take on the leadership and get with the guys differently now that Sam's gone," Fink said. "It's fun because now I can get closer with the guys and whatnot."
- Rising redshirt sophomore WR Tyler Vaughns noted that Fink has eased into a leadership position. "Fink has stepped up a lot," he said. "He's been coming in and running meetings, really strong on the offensive side." Vaughns also identified rising senior DL Malik Dorton and rising senior DBs Ajene Harris and Iman Marshall as emerging leaders on this spring squad.
- USC Football alumni JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tony Burnett attended practice today.
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