USC spring football game preview: Breakout candidates and what to watch

LOS ANGELES — A glint sparkled in Jacobe Covington’s eye when asked about USC’s new secondary schemes Thursday, a mischievous smirk creeping from the corners of his mouth.

“We got a lil’ surprise for these other teams,” the junior cornerback said, voice building with excitement.

Elements of such surprise will reveal themselves at noon Saturday, at USC’s spring game free to the public, where loyalists will stream in in droves for a glimpse at a new-look-roster in Trojan-on-Trojan competition – and also any shreds of defensive hope after the debacle that was 2023.

USC’s reinvention this offseason has been remarkable, hiring a slew of defensive coaches with lengthy résumés, all tuning the cogs of a unit engineered by former UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.

“He knows exactly what he wants,” defensive ends coach Shaun Nua said last week. “He knows exactly what he wants.”

Lynn’s primary focus as a coordinator is the secondary, where he played at Penn State and has coached for years in the NFL. After bringing an emphasis on disguising coverages in a major UCLA defensive turnaround last year, he’s applied those same concepts at USC, to a group suddenly teeming with length and potential difference-makers. And a strong performance by USC’s back-line in Saturday’s spring game, coming off the Trojans’ Holiday Bowl win in December, would go a long way towards quashing concerns about the unit entering Big Ten Conference later this year.

“We get in the quarterback’s head,” Covington said of USC’s new scheme. “We’re going to make the quarterback think. No easy throws. He gon’ really have to put it in the right spot, make the quarterback be a quarterback.”

Including the secondary, here’s what to know and watch for at Saturday’s spring game at the Coliseum.

WHAT TO WATCH

The quarterback reps: Shouldn’t be much of a competition, really, because Miller Moss has walked around USC like he owns the place ever since Caleb Williams stepped away before the Holiday Bowl. Even after the six-touchdown miracle he pulled off against Louisville, though, head coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t named Moss the starter at any point in spring. Riley said Moss, UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava and returning third-stringer Jake Jensen will cycle reps in a half of football Saturday.

Moss is USC’s unquestioned starter, entering the Big Ten. But if Maiava – a big-armed transfer who’s approached the quarterback room with apparent humility – shows out Saturday, it could add external credibility to the QB competition Riley’s tried to foster.

Who shines on the ground: Now-sophomore RB Quinten Joyner was one of the highlights of USC’s spring game last year as a freshman, but didn’t get many touches behind MarShawn Lloyd and Austin Jones last year. Mississippi State transfer Jo’Quavious “Woody” Marks has entered to likely earn a large slice of the pie in the backfield, but Joyner continues to earn buzz – watch for him to split time with Marks on Saturday and perhaps even start.

“A lot of progress, a lot of confidence,” Riley said of Joyner this week. “I mean, hard not to imagine him being a big part of our offense this year.”

The physicality of USC’s defensive line: New defensive line coach Eric Henderson has instantly changed life around USC, from recruits to returners, improvement on USC’s defensive front sorely needed. Nua, who’s transitioned from the defensive line to working with Henderson as a defensive ends coach, said last week that this year’s scheme is different in philosophy, organization and process – “we’re going to go through people,” he emphasized.

They have beefed-up bodies, from Anthony Lucas to Jamil Muhammad to Braylan Shelby. It’ll be notable to see if the front plays with increased physicality Saturday, particularly in plugging up holes against the run.

BREAKOUT CANDIDATES

Kameryn Fountain, DE: At first glance, the 6-foot-6 freshman – perhaps USC’s crown jewel in their class of 2024 – looks quite literally like a superhero. Fountain is raw, but could make an impact off the edge for USC for years to come; look for him to get in the backfield repeatedly if he gets a good share of snaps Saturday.

“If you were to build a D-lineman,” Nua said last week, “that’s exactly how you would build it.”

Marcelles Williams, CB: The younger brother of now-graduated safety Max Williams, Williams has drawn heaps of praise in the spring and could be setting himself up for significant snaps as a true freshman come fall.

Kyron Hudson, WR: Bit odd to label a junior a breakout candidate, but Hudson – now the longest-tenured member of USC’s receiver room – has never quite had a signature game at USC even after being tabbed a starter last fall. He’s established a clear connection with Moss, and could put his stamp as the leader of the Trojans’ receiving corps Saturday.

USC SPRING FOOTBALL GAME

When: Noon Saturday

Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Admission: Free

TV/radio: Pac-12 Networks/790 KABC