USC Football Stressing "Championship Habits" In Its 2023 Spring Camp

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

The Trojans added two offensive lineman via the NCAA Transfer Portal this spring: Michael Tarquin and Jarrett Kingston. Offensive line coach Josh Henson shared how both are doing just three practices in:
- "A lot of potential. They care. They're into it. They want to be good. So that's a step in the right direction," Henson said Wednesday. "Every O-line coach teaches things differently, so I've got to get them into my way of thinking and how to approach blocks and different things. But overall for the first three days, assignment-wise and effort-wise, and the things that are prerequisites to be good, those are all there. We just got to keep working on the details."
Redshirt senior Justin Dedich has taken over USC's starting center role now that longtime veteran Brett Neilon has departed for the NFL. Though Dedich was a top center prospect out of high school, his position coach shared that there is still a lot for the lineman to learn.
- "Just the movements are different. The defensive lineman's closer to you, you got to move faster, your feet got to be fast, you don't have as much time to adjust, you got to be way more precise," Henson explained.
- "If you make a mistake with the defensive line right on top of you at center, it's going to show up," Henson continued. "Then, just the identification of things. There's a lot of things going through your head at center because you're controlling it all and you're looking at all kinds of different stuff on the defense right until the snap. So just the ability to operate comfortably and at speed with all that going on and it not speeding you up too fast or slowing you down too much where you're not making the proper adjustments at the proper time. So he just needs reps, but, he's going to get there."
After overhauling USC's culture last season, head coach Lincoln Riley has only continued to raise the bar for the Trojans. Offensive lineman Jonah Monheim shared some insight on the team's mantra this year.
- "Coach Riley's message has just been, 'We did a lot of good things last year, we made a big step in improvement,'" Monheim said Wednesday. "Really, we did all that just to win games. That was a winning mentality, winning habits. We now have to build championship mentality, championship habits. Everything just has to take a step up; weight room, conditioning, field, technique, habits, film study, going to class. Everything that we do, keeping that end goal in mind."
Assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons didn't know where to begin when asked about wide receiver Zachariah Branch's unique traits:
- "Where do you want me to start?" Simmons said with a smile. "He's extremely strong for his size. He's incredibly fast for his size. He, for a short guy, is able to extend and expand his catch ranges. And, he can go zero to 100 really, really, really quick."
When asked whether wide receiver transfer Dorian Singer will play inside or outside, Simmons shared some insight on how USC wants to evolve philosophy at the position:
- "Technically, he's a guy that could do both," Simmons said. "I think that's the biggest transition that we made going forward. We got a whole bunch of guys in the receiver room that can be easily interchanged, which will just make us a better football team."
Quarterback Caleb Williams has a new role this spring: mentor. The Heisman winner is used to being the younger player on the field, but is now adjusting to this year's change.
- "This year, so far, it's been a little different with trying to help the young guy out, Malachi [Nelson], and being right behind him," Williams explained. "I normally stand right behind him, just in case. He's done a good job so far of getting everything down, but just in case he needs some help or anything like that. It also helps me, what I've been trying to [accomplish] is being the coach on the field. I'm able to be out there and Coach Riley is on the sideline."
- "Today I was on the sideline and Malachi went out there, and coach Riley was like, 'Are you gonna go help him?'" Williams continued. "I had just kind of forgotten because last year and the past couple years I haven't had to do that. It's a new role for me which is awesome and something that I'm taking on full steam."
When asked who has impressed him so far on offensive, inside linebacker Mason Cobb had high praise for a fellow transfer teammate on Wednesday:
- "MarShawn Lloyd. He's the real deal," Cobb said. "I'm telling you guys right now, he's the real deal. He's just explosive, quick, strong. He just works hard."