2020 Spring Practice #1: Notes

The Trojans began their preparation for the 2020 season with their first spring practice on Wednesday.

USC head coach Clay Helton said the Trojans have taken a big step forward this offseason. "Credit to Aaron Ausmus and his staff over the last eight weeks," he said. "I've watched our kids get faster, get stronger, put weight on, put muscle on. You see these kids, they're getting huge."

USC WR Amon-Ra St. Brown will miss spring ball while recovering from sports hernia surgery. RB Markese Stepp will also miss spring ball, as will CB Isaac Taylor-Stuart and a number of other players. QB JT Daniels is not medically cleared, but Helton hopes that by the end of spring practice, he will be able to throw routes on air and participate in one-on-ones. "We're not going to rush things," said Helton.

Rising sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis said he's back to feeling 100 percent healthy after ending last season with an injury. "[Recovery was] a little longer process than I thought. Last week was when I started throwing 100, 150 balls," he explained.

Slovis got to work with two new freshmen receivers in Gary Bryant Jr. and Joshua Jackson Jr. as well as tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe, who returned to the team after taking time off due to injury. When asked about his receiving corps, Slovis described them as "special." "Those guys are superheroes," he said. "They can make a lot of plays for me."

Slovis and senior QB Matt Fink practiced behind an offensive line today that returned every player except Austin Jackson. Alijah Vera-Tucker, who started at left guard last season and earned All-Pac-12 honors, practiced at left tackle today to see if he's a good fit to replace Jackson at the position. "Left tackle, first day out, that was different. A lot different than left guard," Vera-Tucker said. "Definitely getting used to that is gonna take some time but I think we're gonna be good by the end of spring."

The Trojans brought in a group of new staff members this offseason, including a new defensive coordinator in Todd Orlando and a new safeties coach in Craig Naivar. Junior safety Isaiah Pola-Mao is excited about the additions. "The biggest thing with them is intensity, energy," he said. "That's all they bring is nonstop energy. When we get on the field, there's always juice. They're always trying to hype us up."

Physicality will be a staple of the Trojan defense in 2020, and they're setting the tone this spring. Senior safety Talanoa Hufanga said the team is already getting started. "We're trying to build a culture around running and hitting. Trying to be aggressive," he said.

As the coronavirus forces USC and other institutions to make changes, Helton apologized that fans will no longer be able to attend spring practice. "The one thing that we will always do is protect our students and our student-athletes," he said. "God bless everybody that's fighting this thing and all the people that are out there helping with it."

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