USC cornerback Greg Johnson, who placed his name in the NCAA transfer portal, is dressed and at Howard Jones Field for today’s practice. What he can do is limited because he is still injured. I reported yesterday Johnson met with Clay Helton and was leaning toward returning to the team. UPDATED: Johnson participated in the entire practice so his shoulder injury is apparently OK. In … Continue reading Greg Johnson Returns To Practice

Clay Helton is acting sterner at practices and with the media. That is not really how he is, obviously, but he means business. The problem is players can detect falseness. Helton himself has frequently talked about being who you are with the players. So will they respond to a harsher, meaner Helton? I think many of them have already tuned him out so the impact … Continue reading Can A Coach Change?

Today is Lynn Swann’s birthday. Let’s imagine how he might spend his dream day. Early round of golf. Lunch at Wilshire Country Club (no autographs). Late round of golf. Offend USC fans with statement proclaiming he knows better than you. Ignore interview requests from media. Wait for phone call from former teammates wishing him happy birthday (crickets chirping). Move season tickets of more long-time fans. … Continue reading Happy Birthday Lynn Swann!

How will Clay Helton‘s “Friday” depth chart work for the quarterbacks? The starting quarterback always gets the majority of the snaps in practice. That means you know who is going to start by reps unless a QB is hurt and trying to heal. Does Helton imply that a quarterback might get 20 percent of the snaps Tuesday-Thursday but then suddenly make a leap because the … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Will Clay Helton Pick A Starting QB On Fridays?

When I watch this video, all I see is desperation to find a way to keep all the season-ticket holders who did not renew their tickets. “We never ever, EVER, want to feel that way, ever again.” The Trojans and their loyal fans are on the same page going into 2019.#SpringForward | #FightOn pic.twitter.com/uCYyPlFcd9 — USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) March 6, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Continue reading USC Video Of The Night

The biggest problem with spring practice is how things get blown out of proportion. Here are some time-honored stereotypes you probably heard already: A coach is yelling so he must be doing a good job! Look at those new players (in shorts and no pads) who enrolled in January! Somebody gained 15 pounds! The defense is flying! The offense understands the system! The quarterback is … Continue reading Spring Clichés Are Flying!