Dennis Simmons shares what stood out to him in USC scrimmage

The USC Trojans will likely have an elite offensive unit in 2023, similar to last year. Head coach Lincoln Riley typically gets the lion’s share of the praise when it comes to the Trojans’ offense.

Still, there are several individuals alongside him helping that well-oiled machine run. One of those individuals is assistant head coach, wide receivers coach, and offensive passing game coordinator Dennis Simmons.

Simmons has a lot on his plate regarding USC’s offense in terms of preparing them for the upcoming season at fall camp. Recently, at camp, the Trojans held their first scrimmage, gauging what things they excel at and what still needs work. And Simmons shared what stood out to him during the team’s first scrimmage.

“That list was actually larger than it was. There was a lot of guys that played well in the first one,” said Simmons. “Now, the challenge is coming back the next day and being able to duplicate that again on Saturday.

“Like I said, that list is that’s a long list. I mean, a lot of guys was productive and had good work in the scrimmage; during it, they played well. Of course, Zach (Branch) played well. There was a lot of things that you walked away from there, thinking Okay, we got a chance.”

Branch was a huge acquisition to Simmons’s receiver room this offseason. The Las Vegas, NV, product who played his high school football at Bishop Gorman High was a five-star plus ranked recruit according to On3’s Industry Rankings. In the 2023 recruiting class, he was the top prospect out of Nevada, the No. 1 receiver in the country, and ranked No. 4 overall.

USC names football team captains for 2023 season

USC announced its five team captains for the 2023 football season on Friday evening at the team’s Salute to Troy event. They are quarterback Caleb Williams, offensive linemen Justin Dedich and Jonah Monheim, and linebackers Shane Lee and Mason Cobb.

Williams, Dedich and Lee are returning captains. Those three, plus defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, served as captains during the 2022 season. Monheim and Cobb are unsurprising additions to the ground, which expands to five captains this season.

Williams needs no explanation for his inclusion. He’s the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and is the heartbeat of the team on the field. He’s shown captain’s leadership from the time he stepped on campus following his transfer in from Oklahoma.

Dedich takes over for the Trojans at center this year. He’s played there previously and filled in for Brett Neilon during the Cotton Bowl to close out the 2022 season. Lee is going to see a real challenge for the starting linebacker spot he manned last season. But his leadership skills on and off the field are among the best on the roster. It says something when a player who might lose his starting spot is named a team captain because of the work he does to better the team overall. Lee is among the players most responsible for helping Lincoln Riley get this USC program moving so quickly in the right direction.

On3’s Erik McKinney contributed to this article