2019 Fall Camp #1: Notes

Day 1 of USC Fall Camp is in the books!

Two Trojans were missing from the practice field today. Freshman DB Dorian Hewett has reported to camp, but he is waiting to be cleared, which should happen soon, according to head coach Clay Helton. Freshman WR Bru McCoy has been dealing with an extended illness, so he is limited to meetings for now, Helton said.

Helton commended Aaron Ausmus and the strength and conditioning staff for the work they did preparing the team this summer. "We have more energy as a team, and we're excited," sophomore WR Amon-Ra St. Brown said. "I think the energy comes from AA and his strength staff, and then our coordinators."

Sophomore safety Talanoa Hufanga felt like the Trojans practiced with a lot of energy due to the increased depth on the squad. "When you have a bunch of guys who can play and rotate, you try to bring the juice every play."

Hufanga has been fully cleared after breaking his collarbone twice in the last year. He's attacking practice with the "mentality of no fear."

Speaking of fearless, junior LT Austin Jackson (pictured) spent his summer courageously donating bone marrow to his sister who is suffering from Diamond Blackfan Anemia. It's a painful process, but he did not think twice about it. "It was no hesitation. That's my baby sister, you know?" he said. "I was thankful. It was really a blessing. It was really God sent. There's twelve criteria through blood that you match, and I matched all 12. That pretty much ensures that her body will accept the cells that I gave her."

The coaching staff is working Jackson back in slowly since he missed some time this summer for the procedure. "I kind of have to come back out here and start my life back up and make sure my team is ready for the season," Jackson said. "That's my main focus. My family told me to trust that my sister is going to be okay and they're going to take care of her, so now my job is to hold down the left side and win a championship."

Jackson is one of the emerging leaders on this team, along with St. Brown, who explained that the players are responding to last season's disappointment. "Coming off of a 5-7 season, it's natural to have an edge coming into a new season," he said. "Our whole team feels that, and we're playing with a chip on our shoulder."

St. Brown is a key piece in Graham Harrell's Air Raid offense. Much has been made of the simplicity of the scheme in terms of the playbook, but that does not mean it's predictable. "The offense is a little different," St. Brown explained. "It doesn't have that many rules in terms of set routes. There's a lot of variations for routes that you can do. [Harrell] doesn't really mind, as long as you're open and find the open grass, he's fine with it."

Given the slimmed down playbook, the offense was doing more playing and less thinking than a typical first day of training camp. "It was really a clean practice," Helton said. "That's the nature of this offense. It's an execution offense. Then if you put really good talent with it, the sky's the limit."

Defensively, the Trojans are young, particularly in the back seven, so John Houston's veteran presence at inside linebacker is key. "I'm just learning as much as I can even when teaching somebody," the redshirt senior said. "I'm trying to step up and be a real mentor in the roles that we need this year."

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