USC Trojans Well Represented Among Top Returning Pac-12 Offensive Linemen
USC has a few significant holes to fill along its offensive line going into the 2023 season. Center Brett Neilon and left guard Andrew Vorhees performed at All-American levels in 2022. Left tackles Bobby Haskins and Courtland Ford are no longer on the roster as Haskins exhausted his eligibility and Ford transferred to Kentucky. But the Trojans will have three of the Pac-12’s best returning offensive linemen this fall. And that’s not a bad way to go about building a line.
Brady Vernon of Pac-12.com looked at all of the returning Pac-12 offensive linemen by their 2022 PFF grades and ranked the top 10 (plus an honorable mention). Oregon State and USC each have three linemen listed, putting the Trojans in good company and well on their way to fielding a strong group of five in front of quarterback Caleb Williams.
Jonah Monheim
PFF Number to Know: Jonah Monheim’s 85.1 pass-blocking grade ranks No. 1 out of all returning Pac-12 offensive tackles.
Monheim is set to play right tackle again for the Trojans in 2023. He brings plenty of experience there and will have a chance to build on a promising 2022 season. Monheim is the No. 3 returning offensive lineman in the conference and earned the No. 25 overall offensive line grade from PFF for the 2022 season. He started all 14 games and took the most snaps of any USC offensive linemen.
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Justin Dedich
PFF Number to Know: Justin Dedich posted a 90.0 pass-block grade in 2022, which was No. 2 among offensive guards nationally.
Dedich finished the 2022 season as the No. 12 right guard by PFF. He’ll now make the move to center, where he’ll replace Neilon, PFF’s first-team Pac-12 and second-team All-America center. Dedich’s overall 2022 PFF grade of 79.1 ranked No. 47 in the nation for all offensive linemen.
Jarrett Kingston
PFF Number to Know: Jarrett Kingston finished the 2022 season with an 80.9 pass-blocking grade, good for the No. 4 offensive tackle in the conference.
Kingston started his career with Washington State at left guard before moving out to left tackle at the end of the 2021 season and all of 2022. He shifted back inside to guard upon arriving at USC as a transfer. But he landed at right guard, filling the hole created by Dedich’s shift to center. As a left tackle, Kingston posted a 76.9 overall grade by PFF, good for a tie at No. 73 in the nation. 76.9. He now joins a talented group of USC offensive linemen and should be a key in the interior.