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USC names football team captains for 2023 season

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinney•08/19/23•

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USC QB Caleb Williams
Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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.

The two newcomers to the captain role are not surprising. Monheim moved to left tackle ahead of fall camp and is seen as one of the veteran leaders of the offense. Position coach Josh Henson praised his consistency multiple times this offseason and that’s true of Monheim on and off the field.

Cobb, like Lee last year, needed no time to assert himself after coming over as a transfer. He said he didn’t look to take a vocal leadership role early on, but just put his head down and got to work. Cobb worked as a starter at middle linebacker all spring and was the team’s defensive player representative at Pac-12 Media Day this summer.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz