USC's New Spring Line

Offensive linemen don't get a lot of credit on SportsCenter. Often, the only time you'll hear their name is if they screwup. The glamour positions in college football -- quarterback, tailback, receiver -- get most of the attention.

That's held true after the first few practices of USC's spring camp. Fans are going ga-ga for units in which the Trojans' cup runneth over. But whenever one of these big-name talents makes a play, they owe a lot to their line.

The Trojans will have to replace a lot of talent up front. Sam Baker, Chilo Rachal, Drew Radovich, Matt Spanos, Alatini Malu and Will Collins have moved on, with Baker leaving the biggest void. A three-time All-American, "Sam owned that left tackle spot for a really long time," said offensive line coach Pat Ruel. "He's going to be missed." Still, this is USC and there are at least three guys competing for playing time in that spot.

Yesterday, head coach Pete Carroll gave the unit high marks. "I'm most impressed with what's going on with the offensive line .... They're ahead of where we would think they would be at this point. They're doing a nice job."

The leadership role within the group is filled by left guard Jeff Byers, who will start his second year in USC's MBA program this fall. Besides being a standout in the classroom, Byers was highly regarded on the football field before joining the Trojans. He received multiple honors as the best high school player in America. Now, as the only senior in the unit, he's had to step it up even more. "Normally he's real quiet, but [now] he's more outspoken and helping the young guys," observed tailback Stafon Johnson.

Another position that USC has confidence in is center, with Kris O'Dowd the clear front-runner. He turned a lot of heads last year as a freshman when he filled in for an injured Spanos. He might have started all year if it weren't for an injury of his own.

"Kris O'Dowd's coming along really well, making all the calls at center," said quarterback Mark Sanchez. "I think he's getting more confident and being more vocal. I try to remind him before practice, 'Hey! Be loud man! You're the man. Say whatever you want. Even if it's the wrong call, just say it loud!' I think the guys are really starting to respect him. He got some experience last year but he had a long break so he's still trying to get back into the swing of things, but I think he's doing a great job."

Also keep an eye on Alex Parsons. He impressed a lot of people the past week and Ruel called him the most versatile of USC's linemen because "he can play center, he can play guard, he can even play a little tackle ... he knows what he's doing with those spots." He also gets high marks in the press corps for being a fun guy to talk to.

Speaking of versatility, that's something Ruel values highly. "I like the offensive linemen to be very interchangeable ... it's not about being comfortable, it's about being a little uncomfortable. You have to learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. Most guys have to learn that switching positions and sliding over to a spot is helpful to them."

Ruel concedes that moving things around can hurt continuity right now, "but in the long run it's going to be exactly what we need."

Sanchez echoed that sentiment. "It's just tough to find five guys that mesh really well. I think we're still sorting that out, but as a whole, the O-line is doing really well."

Much like some other position battles, don't expect everything to be set in stone when the Trojans wrap up spring practice in mid-April.

"The freshmen are going to have a pretty good opportunity to come in and compete," said Ruel, "but I fully expect this line to make a name for themselves and make it hard on these freshmen coming in. But the reason we recruited those guys is because we needed some help and they're good players. All they're going to do is make our group stronger. The more competition we get, the better off we'll be."

Of course, if you go to one of USC's open practices it's not always easy to tell who's benefiting from that competition. Running backs might show an explosive first step. Receivers might demonstrate good hands. What stands out about offensive linemen? Ruel had some advice.

"Look to see who I'm yelling at. He's not doing good."

Comments

[Tony]

Strange not to see Chilo Rachal listed among USC linemen who are moving on.

[Adam Rose]

Not an intentional omission! I just inserted his name in the list.