Friday, November 29

USC’s once-vaunted depth at receiver disappears. Will the Trojans regroup?

USC pass receiver Mario Williams commemorates after making a goal catch versus Washington at the Coliseum on Nov. 4. Williams revealed Friday he was getting in the NCAA transfer website. (Gina Ferazzi/ Los Angeles Times)

Dennis Simmons had actually invested the lion’s share of the last 20 years training college receivers, so it was no little thing last fall, when he recommended that USC’s getting corps was the inmost he ‘d ever coached. With a lot skill, it appeared the greatest job dealing with the group’s receivers coach would be handling all the egos included.

“Now I comprehend why Dr. Phil makes money the quantity of cash he earns money,” Simmons joked in August.

4 months later on, the depth Simmons as soon as delighted in has actually considering that vanished, leaving USC with glaring concerns at a position that recently looked like a strength.

Find out more: UCLA and USC football transfer portal tracker: Who’s in and who’s out?

USC’s 2 leading receivers, Brenden Rice and Tahj Washington, made their intents clear to state for the NFL draft over the recently after accepting welcomes to the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine video game, respectively. On Friday, Mario Williams got in the NCAA transfer website, leaving USC without 3 of its 4 beginners from last season.

Williams was the 3rd USC receiver in the previous week to get in the website, signing up with Raleek Brown and Michael Jackson III. As soon as a first-class hire, Williams followed coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, just to enjoy his production decrease throughout his time at USC. Last season, Williams was afflicted by drops however completed with 29 catches, connected for 3rd on the group.

USC pass receiver Dorian Singer makes a one-handed catch versus Nevada in September. (Wally Skalij/ Los Angeles Times)

In all, USC is now slated to lose a minimum of 65% of its production at the receiver position.

That mass exodus leaves the Trojans with just 2 upperclassmen receivers getting in the offseason, Dorian Singer and Kyron Hudson, neither of whom had the ability to develop a constant function in 2023.

Vocalist reached USC as a leading transfer last offseason from Arizona. After leading the Pac-12 in getting as a sophomore, he had just 276 backyards getting in his very first year at USC.

It might suggest USC is left next season with 2 sophomores as its leading receivers, albeit both of them luxury skills. Zachariah Branch may extremely well enter the No. 1 receiver function, after the electrical freshman ended up being the very first Trojan to be called an All-American in his very first year. Duce Robinson, on the other hand, ended up tops on the group in typical backyards per catch (20.47) and flashed lots of big-play capability as a freshman.

USC needs to include 2 more four-star receivers to the fold next week on nationwide finalizing day in Ryan Pellum (Millikan High) and Xavier Jordan (Sierra Canyon).

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