Offseason Update #15

   Unfortunately, their hasn't been any big changes for USC football, so I decided to dedicate this blog to my football career. I've been playing football for seven years. I played for the Valley Cowboys for two years, the West Valley Eagles for four years, and the Valley Bengals for one year. All of these years of playing football were a blast, but it started getting a lot more fun when I started to score. I started to score in my fifth season of playing. In my fifth season I started to get the ball a lot more, and scored a touchdown every once and a while. From my fifth season on I have scored at least once every two games. I've even had games were I've scored three times in one game! My opponents often judge me by my size and put this idea in their heads that they won't have to worry about me because I'm too small to make an impact in the game. They usually change their idea of me after about a quarter of the game. My positions are running back and linebacker/safety. At the beginning of my career I was put in the game for about four plays (the minimum amount of plays a player has to play), but now I play just about the whole game. I'm truly blessed to have the set of skills that I have, I hope to be able to keep those skills for the rest of my career. Hopefully, I will succeed in High School to be able to get scholarships to many Division One universities!

Offseason Update #14 (NFL Draft)

    The lives of four former USC players changed in a big way in the last few days. Those four players were Su'a Cravens, Max Tuerk, Cody Kessler, and Antwaun Woods. All of those players were picked up by an NFL team in the NFL Draft except for Antwaun Woods. Unfortunately, Antwaun Woods was picked up by the Tennessee Titans after the NFL Draft. On the other hand, Su'a Cravens was picked up by the Washington Redskins in the second round, Max Tuerk was picked up by the San Diego Chargers in the third round, and Cody Kessler was picked up by the Cleveland Browns in the third round. Sadly, Su'a Cravens was supposed to be picked up in the first round, but he fell back to the second round. All of the above players have worked just about their whole lives to make it to their dream job of playing in the NFL, and to be able to see all of that hard work pay off is truly a beautiful thing to witness. Luckily, Antwaun Woods (fun fact: Taft High School alumni) was picked up by the Titans after going undrafted. Unfortunately, many USC players that entered the NFL Draft didn't get drafted, so hopefully a team will pick them up as an undrafted free agent soon. Hopefully, all of the USC players that did get picked up by NFL teams will perform to the highest of their abilities!

Offseason Update #13 (Quarterback Battle)

   Unfortunately, head coach Clay Helton hasn't decided who is going to be the starting quarterback for this upcoming season. Although, it gives the coaching staff more time to make sure that they make the right decision, it holds the team back because the receivers can't get used to their starting quarterback. Clay Helton decided to make his decision in the fall because their isn't an obvious winner in the quarterback battle. The battle is between redshirt junior Max Browne and redshirt freshman Sam Darnold. Max Browne is a pocket passer, while Sam Darnold is a dual threat player that also has a good amount of arm strength. According to Clay Helton's post spring practice interviews, both quarterbacks showed amazing skill throughout the spring. I personally feel that Max Browne is the man for the job because he was second string to former quarterback Cody Kessler which he probably learned a lot from, so not only is he experienced but he has also shown his accuracy and arm strength throughout the spring. I truly hope that Clay Helton makes his decision soon because the first team offense needs to get used to the playing style of the starting quaterback, and figure out his tendencies. Hopefully, Clay Helton makes the right decision to lead the Trojans to an amazing championship season. I hope to see you guys next week to talk about why I think this upcoming season can be a great one for the Trojans.

Offseason Update #12 (Spring Game)

      Finally their is big news for USC football! That big news is the Trojans Spring Game that took place on Saturday, April 16. I was able to go with my two brothers! It was really fun to see all of the players playing football for the first time since last season. A spring game isn't like a normal game. It's just the USC offense playing against the USC defense for the whole game. Throughout the game the coaches make changes to perfect their offense and defense. It's pretty fun to watch the spring game because it's basically like watching the Trojans practice. It's also a great atmosphere because it's filled with Trojan fans, students, and chances to win prizes such as t-shirts. From what I saw, I feel that we truly have an offensive weapon which is JuJu Smith-Schuster. He is an absolute beast on the field. He made both of his touchdowns look very easy. With his combination of size and speed, he is destined to be a Heisman candidate this season. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Adoree' Jackson because he missed all of Spring practice to pursue his Olympic dreams in the long jump. Although, I did get to see quarterbacks Max Browne, Sam Darnold, and Jalen Greene. It seemed evident to me that Max Browne is going to end up being the starting quarterback due to his experience and arm strength. The spring game was an overall good time and hope to go again next year. Hopefully, the Trojans will keep playing as they did on Saturday so that they can have a successful season.

Offseason Update #11

 Unfortunately, the USC defense has lost another member. That member is senior Scott Felix (DE). He has been ruled ineligible to play his last season at USC by the NCAA. He has been ruled ineligible due to testing positive for a banned substance. He tested positive late in the 2015 season, and had his appeal on April first. Unfortunately, the NCAA decided to rule him ineligible due to the banned substance. Scott Felix tweeted about the whole scenario. Scott Felix said that he took an over the counter supplement without talking to his medical staff. He thought that his research on the supplement would be good enough to conclude that the supplement is okay to take. Although, he won't be able to play this season, the coaching staff are going to try to let him participate in team activities. Hopefully, he has shown NFL scouts that he has what it takes to play in the NFL. I could only imagine how much it hurts him to not be able to play his final season of his college career. Hopefully, he will remain to stay active so that he can be ready to begin his NFL career.

Offseason Update #10

   With the first week of spring practice in the books, a lot of talk has arose of what the Trojans need to work on, and what their strong suits are. I'll start off with what the Trojans are strong in, which is their offense. Unfortunately, quarterback Cody Kessler is leaving, but Max Browne (RS Junior) will take his place. Max Browne is now experienced and ready to lead the Trojan's offense. The running back position is definitely filled with talent due to Justin Davis and Ronald Jones. USC is also stacked with talent in the receiver position with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darreus Rogers, Issac Whitney, and Adoree' Jackson. The offense is filled with talent to help lead the Trojans to a successful season. The defense on the other hand will definitely need some work to be great. With the departure of Antwaun Woods, Delvon Simmons, Greg Townsend, Anthony Sarao, and Su'a Cravens the USC defense will have to be rebuilt. In addition, five star defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow will miss all of the 2016 season due to an ACL tear. All of the above players had big roles in the defense, that now have to be filled. Hopefully, USC will be able to build a dominate defense like they had last season!

Offseason Update #9

  The Trojans recently had a big event for their seniors that are pursuing the NFL Draft. That event was the Trojans NFL Pro Day. The Trojans NFL Pro Day was on March 23. A pro day is a day were many NFL scouts come out to college schools and analyze all of the athletes, to decide if they want to draft them in the upcoming draft. A lot of athletes participated, but the athletes that scouts looked at the most were Su'a Cravens and Cody Kessler. Both Su'a Cravens and Cody Kessler performed greatly in front of the scouts. Su'a Craven's 40 yard dash time was 4.65, and his vertical jump was 30.5 inches. The above numbers aren't the best but are pretty good for a linebacker due to his size. Cody Kessler didn't participate in the 40 yard dash, and vertical jump because he is not a mobile quarterback, so scouts wouldn't care about his results. But, Cody Kessler did show off his amazing arm in front of the scouts by showing arm strength and touch. Hopefully, the scouts liked most of the participants, so that they can all pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL. Su'a Cravens is predicted to be drafted in the late first round, while Cody Kessler is predicted to be drafted in the seventh round. The seventh round may seem late in the draft, but quarterbacks don't usually get picked early in the draft unless they are extraordinary. Hopefully, all of the USC alumni that make it to the NFL will show their amazing skills that they progressed at USC!

Offseason Update #8

    Since their hasn't been any recent news for USC I decided to dedicate this blog post to my experiences at USC training camps. I have been to both Camp Kiffin(two times) and Camp Sark(one time). They are the same camp, the only difference was who was head coach at the time. The training camp is the same every year, and just as fun as the year before. Since the order of the events of the camp are the same every year, I'm going to explain the order of the camp. The camp always starts off with registration. After everybody is checked in, all of the athletes head to the USC public field with volunteer football players to stretch. After everybody is warm and stretched, we begin to run the 40 yard dash, and perform the broad jump. After every athlete has ran a 40 yard dash and performed a broad jump, everybody heads to the USC practice field (where the Trojans practice) to go through a circuit of drills. The coaches and volunteer players put us into groups of about ten, and begin the circuit. The circuit drills are ran by actual football players that teach us the fundamentals of the drill, and how the drill relates to an actual game scenario. The circuit usually takes about two hours. Once the circuit is complete, we have about an hour break for lunch. Lunch is one of my favorite parts of the camp because you can talk to the players and pick their minds to become a better player. After lunch, the players take us into the film room and show us a video of all of the highlights from the season before. Once the video ends we get taken by the Strength and Conditioning Coach to the weight room. The Strength and Conditioning Coach then talks to us about the importance of weight lifting. Once he finishes his very disciplined speech, he releases us to let us explore the weight room. Next, we return to the USC Practice Field after about two hours of exploring the athletic facilities to play the famous Trojan Ball Tournament. Trojan Ball is exactly like two- touch football, except that you can throw the ball as many times as you want. So, if you catch the football, you have the choice to throw the football to one of your teammates even if he's in front of you. All of the athletes get into their teams that they were told to get into during registration. The tournament then begins! You play a minimum of three games with a chance to play more if you make it to the championship. The whole tournament usually takes about two hours. After the tournament, the camp is basically over because the only thing left to do is listen to all the coaches say thank you. Finally, after the coaches say their thank yous', everybody is an a mad dash to get to their cars so that they can get home before they get stuck in LA traffic!

Offseason Update #7

  Since there haven't been any new changes for the Trojans, I decided to dedicate this blog post to the NFL Combine. The NFL Combine takes place at a football stadium, and the top college football players that have decided to go into the NFL Draft go to show off their skills to NFL recruiters. Their are many workouts in the NFL Combine such as the 40 yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, bench press, three cone drill, and position drills. All of the above workouts help recruiters figure out who they want to draft in the upcoming NFL Draft. The NFL Combine is a very important event for players because they want to perform to the best of their abilities in front of all of the recruiters. There are a few former Trojans that are currently at the NFL Combine such as Cody Kessler, Su'a Cravens, Max Tuerk, Soma Vainuku, Tre Maden, Antwaun Woods, and Kevon Seymour. Hopefully they can show all of the recruiters their amazing skills that they developed at USC. I hope to one day be at the NFL Combine! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this Offseason Update and will come back for the next one!

Offseason Update #6

   Since there haven't been any major changes for USC, I would like to dedicate this blog post to the best players that will definitely help the Trojans out in the upcoming season. I personally feel that the two players that are going to lead the Trojans this season are going to be (WR) JuJu Smith-Schuster, and (CB/WR) Adoree' Jackson. JuJu Smith-Schuster absolutely demolished defenses last year with 89 total receptions, 1454 receiving yards, and a whopping 10 touchdowns. JuJu Smith-Schuster was an offensive weapon last year, and he's definitely going to help the Trojans win a lot of games next season. Adoree' Jackson was all around the field last season because he played both defense and offense. Adoree' Jackson had 414 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 35 tackles. In addition, Adoree' Jackson had a pick-six, one forced fumble, and two punt returns. Adoree' Jackson will definitely help the Trojans out next year. It's unbelievable how good Adoree' Jackson is for only being a sophomore. But, it's going to take a whole team next season to win games. Hoefully, you enjoyed this offseason update, and will comeback for the next one.

Offseason Update #5

                Unfortunately, there haven’t been any recent commits or large coaching changes for USC recently. So, I decided to dedicate this blog post to the retirement of Pat Haden. Pat Haden has been the USC Athletic Director since August 3, 2010. Ever since, USC has been good at just about every college sport. A lot of people don’t understand how important a good Athletic Director really is. The Athletic Director is responsible for making sure that all players have the correct paper work filled out, that all players are cleared by a doctor to play, that there is insurance for all athletic facilities, that budgets are prepared for things such as equipment and transportation, and most important of all the coaching staff. The above list is just a few things that an Athletic Director is responsible for, so Pat Haden will most definitely be missed. Hopefully, USC will make a logical decision when they decide who they’re going to hire as their new Athletic Director. I hope you guys enjoyed Offseason Update Number 5, and will return for Offseason Update Number 6.

                                                 

Offseason Update #4

   Time for offseason update number four! This blog post is going to be dedicated to all of the recruits that committed to USC on National Signing Day. In case you didn't see my last blog post, National Signing Day is a day where many uncommitted high school recruits commit to the college they want to go to. National Signing Day was on February 3 this year. The Trojans got seven great commits during National Signing Day. Those seven players were Michael Pittman Jr. (WR), C.J. Pollard (DB), Matt Fink (QB), Liam Jimmons (DL), Josh Imatorbhebhe (WR), Nathan Smith (OL), Oluwole Betiku (DL). The above players are all great players, but one especially stands out. That player is five-star wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. who was ranked number 267 best player coming out of high school by ESPN. Another great player that will hopefully lead the Trojans to the playoffs next year is dual-threat quarterback Matt Fink. In my opinion, USC could really use a dual threat quarterback to change up our years of strict pocket passing quarterbacks. Hopefully, the above freshmen can learn a few things from the veterans and eventually start playing in games by their sophomore year. I hope you enjoyed this offseason update, and come back for Offseason Update Number 5.

USC Offseason Update #3

    Since their haven't been any changes for USC in the last week I have decided to talk about the Trojans potential coming into this 2016 season. With the departure of veteran quarterback Cody Kessler, Max Browne (sophomore) must step up to the plate and lead the Trojans in the season to come. Max Browne was the best quarterback recruit of his class by Rivals.com and Scout.com. Another star senior that is leaving is linebacker Su'a Cravens. He was hands down the best defensive player on the Trojans defense last year. It seemed like on every play, he was either the one making the tackle or assisting in the tackle. He will definitely be a big loss for the Trojans, he's almost irreplaceable in my opinion. S'ua had the opportunity to stay at USC for another year since he is a junior, but he decided to enter the 2016 NFL Draft instead. Their are many reasons as to why S'ua would want to leave early but I believe that he wanted to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. He will definitely be missed. Hopefully, we get a good recruit to substitute for S'ua Cravens. Thanks for reading my offseason update, I hope to see you back for offseason update number three.

Offseason Update #2

    Since their hasn't been any major changes in the coaching staff, I'm going to use this blog to talk about USC commits. In the last couple of days wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. has been very indecisive. I say that because Velus Jones Jr.first committed to USC on Thursday, January 21. Then, he de-committed from USC and committed to the University of Oklahoma on Friday, January 22. Finally, Velus Jones Jr. de-committed from the University of Oklahoma, and committed back to USC on Saturday, January 23. Hopefully, he doesn't change his mind again because he will be a great fit to the USC offense. Another commitment that we thought we had was defensive tackle Keyshon Camp. Keyshon committed to USC earlier in the offseason and de-committed to USC on Saturday, January 23. He decided that he would make his decision on National Signing Day. National Signing Day is the day where many of uncommitted college recruits decide what college they're going to. National Signing Day this year is on Wednesday, February 3. Hopefully, USC can get some good recruits on February 3. This wraps up offseason update number two, I hope that you come back for offseason update number three.

Offseason Update #1

    Since USC is currently in the offseason, I decided that I would blog about the biggest offseason updates. With the hire of Clay Helton as the official Head Coach of the Trojans on November 30, there have been a lot of coaching changes. One of the biggest coaching changes was the hire of former Wide Receivers Coach Tee Martin to Offensive Coordinator. Tee Martin replaced Clay Helton as Offensive Coordinator. Tee Martin should be a great Offensive Coordinator due to his knowledge of the Trojans offense. The biggest and smartest hire in my opinion was the hire of Clancy Pendergast as the Defensive Coordinator. Former Defensive Coordinator Justin Wilcox was fired on December 7. Clancy Pendergast was a very smart hire due to his stats that he had when he used to be a defensive coordinator in 2013. Under Clancy Pendegast's defense, the Trojans defense only allowed 21.2 points per game and led the Pac-12 in total defense. It is definitely going to be nice to have him back after former Head Coach Steve Sarkisan fired him in 2014. Hopefully these two major coaching changes will help the Trojans get to the playoffs in the season to come.