2018 Fall Camp #4: Notes

The Trojans practiced in shells again today before putting on full pads for the first time tomorrow.

Full injury report, per USC head coach Clay Helton: OT Chuma Edoga (hip soreness), DB Je'Quari Godfrey (hip soreness), LB Levi Jones (chest swelling), LB Porter Gustin (leg).

Gustin was carted off the field following his injury for precautionary reasons and will undergo an MRI to assess the severity. "The knee seems stable, from what the doctors and [head athletic trainer] Russ Romano said," Helton said. "He was not in a lot of pain, but it felt funny to him."

Helton also announced incoming addition to the team: offensive lineman Bernard Schirmer, who previously played at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. Though Schirmer faced discipline for an on-field incident at Mt. SAC in 2016, Helton is confident in his character. "We vetted for three months, talking to administrators, coaches and counselors at Mt. SAC and also had a chance to sit down with his family this summer," Helton explained. "We learned that we were dealing with a tremendous young man, a great student and a great person. He's a guy that we had no question would be a great member of our Trojan Family." Helton expects Schirmer to join the squad at practice very soon and he will be eligible to play immediately.

Helton also announced that former Dallas Cowboys head coach Dave Campo has joined the staff as a defensive consultant. "He'll be able to look at film, not give any game plan options, but be able to tell [USC defensive coordinator] Clancy [Pendergast] what he sees," Helton said. "To have Dave here, who's not only one of the great coaches in our profession, but one of the better DB coaches in the history of the game, gives us the opportunity to garner a guy that Clancy trusts."

Pendergast said he's been pleasantly surprised with a number of players this camp, including redshirt freshman DB Greg Johnson, who picked off a long ball from Jack Sears today. "He's really shown some flashes," said Pendergast of Johnson.

The interception was the first of Fall Camp by Johnson. "It felt good," he said. "We've been practicing going up at the highest point all week long, and I just turned practice into reality and made it happen."

Alongside Johnson and his fellow cornerbacks, there's a competition to replace Chris Hawkins at safety, with sophomore Bubba Bolden and redshirt freshman Isaiah Pola-Mao appearing to be the top two contenders. Pendergast described the competition so far as a "roller coaster," explaining that nobody has shown enough consistency yet to claim the spot. "We hope to get that thing settled down within the next week, so Marvell [Tell III] has got somebody that he can work with in there for the last couple weeks before the opener," Pendergast said.

While some players are competing to secure a starting spot, LB Jordan Iosefa (pictured) is locked into one, but Pendergast has yet to determine the exact position. Iosefa has bounced between inside and outside linebacker, and Pendergast said, "He knows the defense as well as anybody in the whole crew. He gives us a lot of flexibility from a depth standpoint. When we open up against UNLV, he'll be one of our 11 starters somewhere. I just don't know exactly where."

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