Greedy Vance heard all the whispers about USC as he weighed his options this offseason. A coveted corner coming from a top-flight defense at Florida State, Vance had his pick of the transfer portal. Yet here he was joining a USC unit that scraped the bottom of the FBS last year.
“There were a lot of people in my ear about the defense,” the redshirt senior said. “I just wanted to come in and be a part of the turnaround.”
If there is a turnaround in store for the Trojans defense this season, then the secondary is certainly where it will start. There may not be a deeper position on USC’s roster this fall than cornerback, where Vance has joined a room with at least six viable starting options, most of whom are capable of playing multiple positions.
Vance is likely to get the nod at nickel, while two other transfers — DeCarlos Nicholson (Mississippi State) and John Humphrey (UCLA) — are among the top three options at outside corner, along with Jacobe Covington. The safety spots are just as steady, with transfers Akili Arnold (Oregon State) and Kamari Ramsey (UCLA) rounding out an almost totally rebuilt group.
Then there’s Jaylin Smith, a versatile returning puzzle piece who, given the depth elsewhere, can fit in wherever he’s needed, a luxury USC hasn’t had in its secondary since Riley took the reins.
There are plenty of reasons to be wary of whether USC can turn things around on defense. But the secondary shouldn’t be one of them.
Here are some other takeaways from USC’s fall camp, as the season opener against Louisiana State approaches:
