USC Football Pleased By "Great, Great" Transfer Portal Additions This Spring

News & notes from USC's fifth practice of spring:

Outside linebackers coach and assistant head coach for defense Roy Manning spoke to the media for the first time since August; and shared his takeaways from USC's 2022 season:
- "I think we had a ton of missed opportunities when we got to the quarterback. If you watch the film, it's not the lack of getting there, but it's finishing," Manning explained. "One of the big things we saw on film was that we weren't getting under control once we got back there. We really tried to focus these early days on footwork; long stride, short stride, shuffle, shoot, get under control as you get back there. Then, focusing on where we're attacking the quarterback."
- "A lot of opportunities, we were too high, slipping off of guys, grabbing around the waist or even higher," Manning continued. "We just have put a lot of emphasis on body position at the point of contact, and how we finish at the ball. I think it's been paying dividends. I mean, it's practice, but we've been seeing some good positive steps."
Manning also shared that USC's depth issues at rush end last season ultimately hurt the Trojans' opportunities for defensive success. The position group has added more bodies this offseason, which is a sight to behold for Manning.
- "Honestly, it's really refreshing," Manning said of the additions. "Through five practices, seeing Jamil [Muhammad], seeing young Sam Greene, Anthony Lucas, Solomon [Tuliaupupu]. These guys are taking a step, and just having more bodies. I think you can never have enough pass rushers on a team. That's what kind of separates a lot of teams is having guys who can just keep rolling in there."
The outside linebackers coach seemed especially pleased by USC's Transfer Portal addition of Jamil Muhammad, who he described as a "great, great, great get from the portal."
- "Talking to him, you knew this kid is all business. He doesn't mess around, he's very serious," Manning said of Muhammad. "He already has his academics squared away, the whole nine. It was really refreshing that now that he's here, he is exactly what he was when we first met him."
- "You want to talk about a faster learner? He's like one time and he's got in," Manning later continued. "The one thing that's interesting about him is he was recruited out of high school to be a quarterback so I knew going in he was going to be pretty sharp. He was actually a quarterback at Vanderbilt. So I know he's got some whits about it, but not really any surprises, he's been spot on."
Muhammad, who transferred from Georgia State, has had quite the journey so far in his collegiate career. He described his transfer process in his first media availability Thursday.
- "I knew it was going to be something big, I have faith in myself, in my game, my body of work, and what I did at Georgia State," Muhammad said. "Moving from quarterback and then going inside linebacker then outside linebacker. I just knew God didn't bring me this far to bring me this far. I knew something was in the writing. I was just excited to see what it was. I'll never forget, I was on the way to class when I heard from Coach Grinch. Coach Grinch hit me up via Twitter and I couldn't put it on the rest of the list. That was a great day, I was excited that we ended up connecting."
As a former signal caller himself, Muhammad shared that he's already bonded with quarterback Caleb Williams.
- "Caleb and I talk a lot about what I see from his snap count point of views, certain formations that I can get beat on certain things in practice," Muhammad explained. "He's a Heisman Trophy winner for a reason; he makes a lot of ridiculous decisions at the line, he checks a lot. For me to be able to process that and still understand what's coming, that definitely has something to do from me being a former quarterback. That's another thing that I'm grateful for, because it's allowed me to play fast."
Safety Zion Branch, who missed his freshman season due to a lower body injury, has returned to the field this spring.
- "I feel 100. I'm good to go right now. It was a long season. This whole season, this offseason, I was just training to get back and rehabbing," Branch said. "I'm feeling great right now. Good to go."
- "I mean, that was the first time I really went through something like that," Branch continued. "I really learned a lot about myself and how much I love this game."
Though Branch worked on the mental side of his game last season, he has been trying to learn as much as he can this spring from his peers. The safety also stressed that he's not locked in at one spot on the field at the moment.
- "I've been learning all of the [safety positions]. Especially not being able to play this offseason really gave me a chance to learn from each and every player we have. I really soaked up a lot of knowledge from each and every safety spot. I'm just trying to get on the field, anywhere."
The redshirt freshman also shared what it's like having his defensive coordinator as a position coach.
- "I can really get the scheme and I can get the technique," Branch said. "I love him as a coach. I love how he coaches me up each and every day. I feel like he's teaching me the football side of it, the x's and o's, and the techniques so you can't get anything better than that."