Two USC Trojans Among Breakout Players to Watch in 2022
The countdowns and pre-season lists continue as we prepare for the 2022 college football season. Recently, PFF put out its list of breakout players to watch, which consists of 30 players who could emerge as stars this fall. Two USC Trojans are on the list. And they are two Trojans who could be vital to USC’s success on a certain side of the ball this season.
The Former No. 1 Recruit
USC rush end Korey Foreman makes the list for PFF. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Foreman makes plenty of sense as a selection. He has all the tools and was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2021 class.
Foreman had a slow start to his USC career in terms of making noise on a national scale. But it wasn’t all that surprising in retrospect, considering the disjointed finish to his high school career and injuries he battled at USC.
Foreman finished his freshman season having played in 11 games, with 11 tackles, including 2.5 sacks.
USC will be without Drake Jackson this season and the hope was that Foreman would become the next great Trojan pass rusher. The good news for Foreman is that hopefully some of the pressure of last season is off. It’ll never fully go away as a five-star recruit, and especially the guy tabbed at No. 1 overall. But Foreman doesn’t have to do it all this season, considering the offseason addition of Romello Height.
If anything, Height will head into fall camp with the upper hand at the position and it’s Foreman who will need to earn playing time. But for USC, there might not be a guy more capable of singlehandedly changing the performance of the defense more than Foreman. If he turns into a pass rushing terror this season — and he has every single physical tool to make that possible — this defense could improve dramatically from last season.
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Spending last season and this offseason getting comfortable at this level appears to have been a significant factor for Foreman. Now proving it on the field is the next step.
The Ballhawk
USC safety Calen Bullock is the other Trojan on the list. Bullock had very little time to get settled as a true freshman in 2021. He was thrust into the starting lineup for the opening game and eventually started six of the 12 games. Bullock finished the season with 39 tackles and two interceptions. He was named USC’s Co-Defensive Perimeter Player of the Year.
Bullock is a likely starter for USC at safety this season and there is plenty of optimism about what he can do back there. It’ll be a whole new look in the defensive backfield for the Trojans as all five players who came into the 2021 season as starters are now gone.
Bullock flashed incredible range as a deep safety from his first spring ball practices as a true freshman. He’ll need to improve his tackling this season. But he did show a willingness to hit and get involved. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him finish the 2022 season as one of USC’s most impactful defensive players.
