USC football all-time roster: Offensive starters and backups

If forced to choose the two best USC running backs of all time, one is forced to leave multiple Heisman Trophy winners off the all-time Trojan roster.

It’s simple math.

If you have a two-deep to fill out, that means only two of USC’s many Heisman-winning running backs can make the cut. Charles White, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett, Reggie Bush, and Marcus Allen have all won the Heisman as a USC running back. Guess what? Three of them have to be left off the list. That is the limitation of this roster.

We also had to make very tough choices on the offensive line. Sam Baker is undoubtedly one of the greatest offensive linemen USC has ever produced, but gosh, the 10 linemen picked in front of him had even better credentials in our eyes.

We didn’t enjoy leaving some great Trojans off this roster, but we had to. Enjoy and debate our selections in his special historical series at Trojans Wire.

Check out our other College Wire all-time lineups: Alabama | Arkansas | Auburn | Clemson | Colorado | Florida | Georgia | Iowa | LSU | Michigan | Michigan State | Nebraska | North Carolina | Notre Dame | Ohio State | Oklahoma | Oregon | Penn State | Rutgers | Tennessee | Texas | Texas A&M | USC | Wisconsin

BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 1: RYAN KALIL

Actor Will Ferrell (L) and Ryan Kalil #67 of the USC Trojans celebrate a 23-9 win over the California Golden Bears during the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Kalil’s utter dependability at center was impossible to overlook.

BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 2: BRAD BUDDE

Winning the Lombardi Award is a significant honor which has to be recognized with all-time-team-level status.

BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 3: DAVE BROWN

Dec 2, 1972; Los Angeles, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans running back Sam Cunningham (39) leaps over the pile against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Dave Brown was a starter on the 1972 USC offensive line. Long Photography-USA TODAY Sports

A centerpiece of the offensive line on what is USC’s greatest team of all time? Yep, that earns a spot on this roster for Brown.

BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 4: JEFF BREGEL

San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig (33) uses teammate guard Jeff Bregel (65) as a step as he follows a block by guard Randy Cross (51) for a first down against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter of the game in San Francisco, Nov. 21, 1988. Craig picked up a first down on the play. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Bregel is a two-time consensus All-American. That carries weight and lands him on the roster.

BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 5: ROY FOSTER

Roy Foster and the 1982 Miami Dolphins’ Super Bowl offensive line. Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

The fact that USC had Heisman running backs in 1979 and 1981 is no accident. Charles White and Marcus Allen are legends.

They also had Roy Foster blocking for them.

BACKUP TIGHT END: FRED DAVIS

Dec 1, 2007: Los Angeles, California, USA: Southern California Trojans tight end (83) Fred Davis runs onto the field after being introduced before the start of the game against the UCLA Bruins at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC won 24-7 and will advance to the Rose Bowl.
Photo By Jeff Lewis-USA TODAY Sports Copyright (c) 2007 Jeff Lewis

When we think about USC’s loaded offense in the Pete Carroll years, don’t forget about Fred Davis.

BACKUP FULLBACK: LEROY HOLT

23 Sep 1989: Running back Leroy Holt of the USC Trojans runs down the field during a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. USC won the game 42-3. Mandatory Credit: Mike Powell /Allsport

Holt is widely viewed as the best running fullback in USC history.

BACKUP WIDE RECEIVER NO. 1: ROBERT WOODS

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The dynamism of Woods as a playmaker was substantial and unforgettable.

BACKUP WIDE RECEIVER NO. 2: MIKE WILLIAMS

LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 1: Mike Williams #1 of USC scores a touchdown against Washington State in the third quarter November 1, 2003 at the Los Angeles Memorial Colesium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

Big body. Big presence. Big catches in big games. He would fit in the Big Ten.

BACKUP RUNNING BACK: O.J. SIMPSON

Oct 14, 1967; South Bend, IN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans running back O.J. Simpson in action against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium. USC defeated Notre Dame 24-7. Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

He led USC to a national championship in 1967 and took the John McKay era to the next level. He then led USC into a 1-versus-2 battle for the national title against Ohio State in the 1968 season. His cutback touchdown run against UCLA in 1967 is the most famous run in USC football history.

Is he a disgraced man and a pariah? Yes. That has zero to do with evaluating him as a college football player. He rates higher than Reggie Bush as a USC running back because he did what he did in an era when defenses were built to stop running backs more than quarterbacks.

BACKUP QUARTERBACK: CARSON PALMER

MIAMI – JANUARY 2: Quarterback Carson Palmer #3 of USC throws to Alex Holmes #81 against Iowa during the FedEx Orange Bowl at Pro Player Stadium on January 2, 2003 in Miami, Florida. The University of Southern California Trojans defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 38-17. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The quarterback who launched a dynasty. That’s it. That’s the tweet.

STARTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 1: TONY BOSELLI

LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 12: Tony Boselli #71 of the University of Southern California Trojans defends during the NCAA game against the University of Arizona Wildcats at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 12, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. The USC Trojans won 45-28. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Picking the backups for the offensive line was hard, because that was a choice between the No. 2 guys and the players who didn’t make the cut. As you go through the five starters on the offensive line, their dominance makes it easy to see why they were given the top spot on the depth chart. Boselli is one example. His dominance makes it easy to give him a starting role.

STARTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 2: RON YARY

Jan 9, 1977; Pasadena, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton (10) and tackle Ron Yary (73) in action against the Oakland Raiders during Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl. The Raiders defeated the Vikings 32-14 giving the Raiders their first Super Bowl Championship. Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

O.J. Simpson was a bona fide college football superstar, but Ron Yary blocking for him had something to do with that.

STARTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 3: BRUCE MATTHEWS

Aug 15, 1998; Vanderbilt, TN, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Oilers tackle Bruce Matthews (74) in action against the Washington Redskins during a pre-season game at Vanderbilt Stadium. USA TODAY Sports

Bruce Matthews is on the short list of the greatest offensive linemen who have ever lived.

STARTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 4: TYRON SMITH

Eagles’ Derek Barnett (96) looks for a way around Dallas’ Tyron Smith Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Cowboys 17-9.

Tyron Smith has been a player whose excellence at one of modern football’s most important and demanding positions is regularly assumed. One has to be extraordinarily excellent to attain that level of status.

STARTING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN NO. 5: RON MIX

Oct 19, 1969; Boston, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO: Boston Patriots linebacker Marty Schottenheimer (54) is hit by San Diego Chargers tackle Ron Mix (74) at Harvard Stadium.  Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

Ron Mix was a pioneer in strength training, and how football players evolved in taking care of their bodies. He revolutionized how to play his position and was ahead of his time. His contributions to USC and offensive line play are significant and unique.

STARTING TIGHT END: CHARLE YOUNG

San Francisco 49ers tight end Charle Young (86) holds on to a 14-yard Joe Montana pass as he is tackled by Cincinnati Bengals Jim LeClair and Bo Harris in the first quarter of Super Bowl XVI, Jan. 24, 1982, in Pontiac, Mich. Although the Bengals led the game in first downs, total yards and touchdowns, San Francisco won 26-21. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)

In an era which belonged to the running game, Charle Young made significant contributions to USC at the tight end spot before a hugely productive pro career in which he blossomed as a pass-catcher and helped multiple teams reach the Super Bowl.

STARTING FULLBACK: SAM CUNNINGHAM

Dec 11, 1977; Foxboro, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New England Patriots running back Sam Cunningham (39) in action against the Miami Dolphins at Foxboro Stadium. Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

The Alabama game in 1970 was iconic, but that was just the start. His central role on the great 1972 Trojans added to an already-immense legacy.

STARTING WIDE RECEIVER NO. 1: DWAYNE JARRETT

Oct 15, 2005; South Bend, IN, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver #8 Dwayne Jarrett beats Notre Dame Fighting Irish defender #22 Ambrose Wooden for a long gain to help set up the winning score at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. The Trojans defeated the Irish 34-31. Photo by Joe Robbins-USA TODAY Sports (c) 2005 by Joe Robbins

Fourth and nine, baby. Fourth and nine.

STARTING WIDE RECEIVER NO. 2: KEYSHAWN JOHNSON

Jan 1, 1996; Pasadena, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Keyshawn Johnson (3) scores on a 56-yard touchdown reception during the third quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Rose Bowl. USC defeated Northwestern 41-32. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

His dominance as a wide receiver was impossible to ignore. He was a man among boys in the 1996 Rose Bowl, as shown above.

STARTING RUNNING BACK: CHARLES WHITE

Charles White — Getty Images

USC’s toughest and most productive running back of all time, playing in an era without spread offenses and lower numbers of defenders in the tackle box. Charles White blended speed and power at a level no one — not even O.J. Simpson — managed to do. Strictly in college, no USC running back was harder to bring down or was more of a freight train than Charles White. The greatest running back at a school known for producing great running backs? White deserves the honor.

STARTING QUARTERBACK: MATT LEINART

Jan 1, 2004; Pasadena, CA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart (11) in action against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2004 Rose Bowl at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans defeated the Wolverines 28-14. Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Network

Let’s put it this way: Carson Palmer had a season in 2002. Matt Leinart had a whole career. For three straight seasons, USC could count on one man to lead one of the greatest offenses the Trojans have ever had.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire