If the offseason roster churn of the USC defense was difficult for you to keep track of, you should be forgiven. It was a tumultuous winter for a group that struggled in 2021.
Leading tackler Kana’i Mauga left for the NFL Draft, as did safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, defensive end Drake Jackson and both starting cornerbacks. Starting nickelback Greg Johnson graduated. Chase Williams, Jacob Lichtenstein and Hunter Echols were among those who transferred.
There were some contributors who returned, from defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu to safety Xavion Alford. But largely, new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch and his staff spent the past few months adding to the group both via the transfer portal and with a few key high school recruits.
So as spring practices kick off this week, Grinch is tasked with finding ways to get this patchwork group to jell together, in addition to installing a new defensive scheme for the third time in his career.
“There’s a little bit of a confidence level that comes with that,” Grinch said after Thursday’s practice. “It’s easy to say we’ve made progress but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Tuipulotu is the one true stalwart returning from last year’s team. The junior lineman, who had 5½ sacks last season while moving around from inside to out depending on USC’s needs, has already impressed his new coaches in two practices, without pads.
“Very smart. Very tough. Very versatile. He’s what you want,” defensive line coach Shaun Nua said. “He’ll be everywhere. He can play everything seriously.”
Otherwise, though, the defense is largely comprised of question marks, not exclamations.
Perhaps the newcomer who arrived with the most hype is Alabama linebacker transfer Shane Lee. Lee was thrust into a starting job as a true freshman due to injuries and thrived, earning Freshman All-American honors with the Crimson Tide. But he never regained that type of role in 2020 and 2021.
Now at USC, he is expected to be the leader of the defense.
“I just try to come in and be myself,” Lee said. “I tried to come in and do what I had to do and not try to say a lot, just try to work – be a hard worker.”
Other transfers bring their own skills to the group. Former Auburn edge rusher Romello Height adds speed to the defensive end position for USC. Former Colorado corner Mekhi Blackmon is an experienced head in a group sorely lacking in that department.
Otherwise, USC’s new coaches are looking to see what they have on this side of the ball. There is some experimenting, such as moving Chris Thompson from safety to linebacker, a position lacking in depth.
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And there’s waiting and seeing, like with defensive end Korey Foreman. The former five-star recruit disappeared for much of his freshman season and missed the first two practices of spring with an injury.
“He’s got to be healthy and consistent and on the field,” Nua said. “He has talent, but we all know that’s only half the story.”
New head coach Lincoln Riley wouldn’t rule out a USC run at a Pac-12 Conference title on Tuesday. But if the Trojans are to reach that level, they will need the defense to come together quickly both in the spring and when fall camp rolls around.
“Right now, I see a whole lot of weaknesses. The strength’s gotta come,” Grinch said. “Certainly we get the pads on Saturday and we get a better chance to assess some of that stuff.”