WATCH: USC Begins 2023 Fall Camp Friday (7/28)

USC began 2023 Fall Camp Friday morning at 6:30am PT. WeAreSC was there to shoot video, photos and talk to Lincoln Riley after practice.

The Trojans enter fall considered a playoff contending program in 2023 and were picked to win the Pac-12 Championship this year.

We won’t be back at practice until Wednesday at 6am.

Three Key Storylines for the USC Offensive Line in 2023

Expectations are through the roof for a USC offense that was one of the best in the nation in 2022, returns the Heisman Trophy winner and added some key pieces via the recruiting class and transfer portal. Quarterback Caleb Williams will again be the focal point, but he won’t be able to do it on his own (well, he won’t be able to do it ALL on his own). The USC offensive line is going to be a huge part of the expected offensive success for the Trojans in 2023. Here are three key storylines for that group heading into the season.

Mixing and Meshing

There are likely going to be new faces at new spots all over the offensive line for the Trojans this fall. Jonah Monheim returns at right tackle, and that’s pretty much it in terms of continuity. Justin Dedich is back but is making the full-time move to center after playing guard for almost all of last season. And Gino Quinones returns after logging two starts last season. But he’ll have his hands full in the competition to start at guard due to the arrival of some significant transfer portal additions.

Last season, Bobby Haskins was the only newcomer, stepping into a group that had played a ton of football together. This year, transfers could outnumber returners in the starting lineup. Jarrett Kingston came over from Washington State and looks locked in at one guard spot. Michael Tarquin, an arrival from Florida, immediately slotted in at left tackle. And summer arrival Emmanuel Pregnon brings his big frame and solid 2022 film over from Wyoming with a shot to play his way into the starting lineup. It’ll be interesting to see if Kingston remains at right guard (where he played this spring) or moves to left guard (where he played plenty at Washington State). Regardless, if Kingston and Pregnon wind up as the starters at guard, none of USC’s offensive linemen will be lining up next to someone with whom they’ve ever taken an in-game snap.

There is plenty of experience in the group to believe they’ll come together quickly. The schedule also should give the offensive line some time to warm up and get accustomed to each other. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly they click and whether this group can become one of the best offensive lines in the country.

WeAreSC Roundtable: Biggest Takeaway from USC Media Day

USC media day took place on Thursday, one day before the Trojans kick off the 2023 season with the first practice of fall camp. Every assistant coach and a handful of players from each position group spoke with the media on the turf practice field inside the John McKay Center. WeAreSC staffers were present and offer their biggest takeaways from the event in this WeAreSC Roundtable.

Erik McKinney

The biggest news from USC media day in terms of how the Trojans will take the field tomorrow for the first practice of fall camp came from offensive line coach Josh Henson. After Michael Tarquin spent all spring ball at left tackle and Jonah Monheim at right tackle, Henson said the two have switched sides of the line going into the fall. Tarquin spent a bulk of his time at Florida at right tackle, so there’s little worry about how he’ll fit there. Monheim has proven he can play anywhere along the line and this feels like a vote of confidence from Henson. There’s nothing permanent about the move at this point, but there’s also no reason to believe Monheim won’t hang onto that spot if he shows early on he can handle it.

The biggest overall takeaway from me is the quiet confidence the defensive players have heading into this fall camp. The ability to look back at last season combined with the work they put in this offseason and the addition of so many impactful big men along the defensive front has that entire group fired up to get going in 2023 and coming in with a ton of confidence.