Several overlooked USC football players who could change the 2023 season
Last year, after USC beat Arizona in Tucson, we wrote this about USC’s backup receivers:
“It was true going into the season that of all the position groups on the USC roster, wide receiver was the deepest. That said, no one wanted to find out what would happen if the two best receivers on the Trojans were out and could not play.
“Yet, that’s exactly the scenario which greeted the Trojans Saturday evening in Tucson. Jordan Addison and Mario Williams were not able to play against the Arizona Wildcats. They are fast, they are skilled, and they make big plays, but the value of those two receivers goes beyond playmaking ability. They block. They understand the offense. They understand Caleb Williams.
“Missing one of those two guys is a notable loss. Missing both? That’s a ton of missing production and leadership. It was no guarantee that USC’s other receivers could fully compensate for their two missing superstars.
“Saturday against Arizona, they did.”
Who are the players which won’t get top-line publicity but who could play important roles on this USC team in 2023? Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya, the co-hosts of Trojan Conquest Live, offered some answers. We added a few of our own on the latest YouTube show at The Voice of College Football.
Here’s a small list of overlooked but important Trojans for the coming season:
TAHJ WASHINGTON
Tahj Washington was one of the USC receivers who came up big when Jordan Addison and Mario Williams were hurt last season. He won’t get the publicity because of Mario and because of Dorian Singer, but he’s vital to this wide receiver room.
MAX WILLIAMS
He won’t get the attention of Calen Bullock, Domani Jackson, or others in the USC secondary, but Williams will be an important reason why the secondary remains cohesive (if it can pull it off).
AUSTIN JONES
He played in the shadow of Travis Dye last year. He will likely play in the shadow of MarShawn Lloyd this year. Raleek Brown also gets a ton of attention. Austin Jones is a proven workhorse who matters a lot to the USC offense. We saw this last year when Dye got hurt.
DARWIN BARLOW
Barlow pounded out tough yards to seal the win over UCLA last year. He, like Jones, won’t get top billing, but he’s an important piece to the puzzle for the Trojans and Lincoln Riley.
SOLOMON TULIAUPUPU
The Trojans become a noticeably better team if “Solo” can make an impact on defense this season.
MICHAEL JACKSON III
There’s one more receiver who could play the kind of supporting role Tahj Washington performed last season. “Mike Jack” might mean more than any of us can currently foresee or predict.
