The 6’5”, 210 pound junior is the #1 ranked QB on Scouts.com and Rivals.com, choosing the Trojans over Alabama, Oklahoma, and his hometown Washington Huskies. He is a strong passer with excellent accuracy and arm strength. Almost entirely throwing from the shotgun at Skyline, he has great field vision, anticipating plays well and leading receivers with his throws. While he possesses athleticism and the ability to deliver throws on the run from both sides when flushed from the pocket, he is far from a dual-threat quarterback. Browne rarely panics with incoming pressure and seldom takes risks with his passes.

Browne is graduating high school in December 2012 and enrolling early in January 2013, similar to current USC quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley, who joined the Trojans in January 2009, was the first non-redshirt freshman quarterback to start a season opener for USC, beating out Aaron Corp and Mitch Mustain for the job. Browne talked about his own decision to enroll early, telling the LA Times, “You miss out on probably the easiest semester you’ll ever have in high school, but it’s all worth it in the end because of the football aspect.”

In 2013, he will have returning USC sophomores and former early enrollees Max Wittek and Cody Kessler to compete against. “I’m going to USC to compete, to try and mix things up. I’ve been to their quarterback meetings and practices and seen firsthand Cody Kessler, and Max Wittek. They’re great quarterbacks. There’s a reason [why] they’re at USC,” said Browne to the Seattle Times.

He officially committed to USC after a three day unofficial visit, where he was able to meet with USC’s coaching staff and spend some one-on-one time with Matt Barkley. He committed to USC early to avoid the drama of National Signing Day and focus all of his attention on his senior high school season.

Entering the second year of recruiting sanctions against the Trojans, limiting them to 15 scholarships, rather than the usual 25, the commitments have to be truly worth their scholarship. Also, enrolling early counts Browne’s scholarship towards the 2012 class, leaving the full number of scholarship space for the fall recruits of 2013.

With Max Browne being touted by some scouts as “the best high school quarterback prospect since Matt Barkley,” Lane Kiffin and USC coaching staff have not seen a drop in quality recruits; finishing in the top 10 in recruiting every year in Kiffin’s tenure thus far. Especially with the scholarship sanctions, the emphasis on quality over quantity has never been more vital, and Max Browne is great start to maintain the perennial power of USC Trojan football.

Top Ranked QB Max Browne Commits to USC is a post from: Touchdown LA

* next to each position is the depth chart as it appeared at the scrimmage. The prediction is for the opening game.

QB:  Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler

Surprise, surprise the starter is…Cody Kessler. Wait, what?  No, of course Matt Barkley has this spot in the bag but Kessler’s presence as the number two is very interesting. It has been a hard fought battle between Kessler and Wittek for the backup role. Lane Kiffin is in a particularly tough spot this season. As good as USC is predicted to be, it means we are going to be up big in some games. What that means is that Kiffin can either choose to rest his star in those games and keep him fresher for the postseason as well as get some valuable playing time in for Barkley’s future replacement. On the flip side, Kiffin can elect to keep Matt in the game in those situations so that he can pad his stats and hopefully bring a clean, well earned Heisman back to USC. I think it is definitely a lose-lose situation for Coach Kiffin since the fans will be clamoring for both a championship and a Heisman.

Prediction: Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler

RB: Curtis McNeal, DJ Morgan, Tre Madden

Another easy call was the running back spot. The entrance of Tre Madden to the mix which I talked about last week, is interesting but doesn’t look to shake up the ordering of things anytime soon. I think the way Lane Kiffin is trying to run his offense though, this ordering won’t matter too much since all three guys will get some significant playing time. Furthermore, if they can all stay healthy, we might even be able to see USC have two 1000 yard rushers. I know that is an insane prediction but a guy can hope right?

Prediction: Curtis McNeal, DJ Morgan, Tre Madden

FB: Hunter Simmons

This is actually an interesting spot since USC does have some back loaded talent at this spot. Both Soma Vainuku and true freshman Jahleel Pinner provide an interesting debate for who should get the starting spot. Soma did not play at the scrimmage due to a minor injury. It really is up in the air who will make those wholes for McNeal next season but my money would be on Vainuku if he stays healthy.

Prediction: Soma Vainuku

WR: Victor Blackwell, De’Von Flourney

It just goes to show you how beat up USC is right now at the WR spot that two guys who should be realistically battling for the number 4 spot are starting in a scrimmage. We all know by now that Woods is missing the rest of spring ball but also injured is George Farmer who was supposed to make his dramatic return to receiver this season. Marqis Lee was away at long jumping for USC Track and Field which left these two guys in. Unfortunately, Blackwell has apparently hurt his hand during the scrimmage but it is nothing serious that will hurt his chances of suiting up for the Cardinal and Gold next season.

Prediction: Robert Woods, Marqis Lee, George Farmer, Victor Blackwell

TE: Kevin Downey, Chandler Larsen

Welcome more severe injuries to the Trojan squad. Xavier Grimbel (turf toe), Junior Pomee (hamstring), and Randall Telfer all were unavailable for the game. This of course left two unknowns to fill the roles. Still, the real starters look to be back on the field in time for opening day and more tight end help will be coming in with the number one tight end in the country in Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick. If there are no setbacks in the recovery process, I expect this depth chart to go pretty chalk.

Prediction: Xavier Grimble, Randel Telfer, Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick

OLine: Aundrey Walker, Marcus Martin, Abe Markowitz, John Martinez, Kevin Graf

This is where things start to get a little interesting. Martin and Martinez are solid locks at the guard position having played at a very high level last season. Khaled Holmes was not available for the scrimmage but is also a lock for the center position. That just leaves the big guys on the outside. Everyone initially figured Kevin Graf as the pick to take over for the hole left by Matt Kalil on the left side of the line. Instead, it seems like the coaches are trying Walker and Graf in the reverse order with Walker playing the left tackle and Graf playing the right. This is an unexpected move but must have some reasoning behind it. My immediate guess would be simply that Graf or Walker is more comfortable on one side of the ball over the other and the coaches just want to take advantage of that.

Prediction: Aundrey Walker, Marcus Martin, Kahled Holmes, John Martinez, Kevin Graf

Peek at the USC 2012 Depth Chart: Part 1 is a post from: Touchdown LA

Sitting behind names like Dion Bailey and Hayes Pullard, outside linebacker was not a position in which Tre was going to see a lot of playing time. Though only second on the depth chart (in my estimation), Madden is still far from seeing the defensive side of the ball barring a major injury to Bailey or Pullard.

That is one of the reasons that the move to running back was first suggested. That, and his freakish speed and size. Coach Kiffin claimed that Madden ran an electronically clocked 4.5 second 40 time which is among the fastest on the team (wearesc.com). Tre is also listed at 6’ 220 pounds. For comparison’s sake Ahmad Bradshaw of the NY Giants is listed as 5’10” and 214 pounds. Madden certainly fits the mold of a Marc Tyler (5’11” and 230 pounds) that can bowl people over, but also out run and out maneuver opponents in the open field.

Now the hunter becomes the hunted.

It’s not a done deal yet. While Madden has looked surprisingly impressive in his last couple practices according to Lane Kiffin and position coach Kennedy Polamalu, they are still hesitant to pencil him into the depth chart for the fall (Yahoo Sports). Still, it isn’t like Madden is going into this blind. At Mission Viejo High School, he was the star quarterback his senior year and also played linebacker. The idea of a ball in his hand isn’t foreign to Tre but what needs to change is his footwork.

Going from linebacker to running back features a major change in the way your feet have to move during the flow of a game. Linebackers like to rely on lateral quickness and prefer to use their feet to position themselves in such a way that they can slow the game down. This is a stark contrast to the type of runner Tre is though. He wants to be downhill and hit the hole as hard as he can. The game isn’t played in gaps anymore. Now, Tre needs to get used to using his feet to weave through lanes.

What will help Tre, though, is his thirst for contact. As a linebacker, Tre was a ball-hawker who loved to hit the hole and make contact. That will serve Madden well as a running back because it will allow him to run through tackles. Considering the 3 wide offense that Kiffin is trying to transition to, the ability to put in a physical running back who can run plays up the gut without the need for a fullback is priceless.

Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves though. All of this is after only a few days of practice. Tre still has McNeal and Morgan ahead of him if he is looking for playing time. Further judgment on his transition to halfback should be reserved till after the Trojans next scrimmage. Still, Madden has shown a great deal of promise and USC fans should be rooting for a successful transition because the possibility of what Tre can add is valuable.

Until then, Madden will have to continue to work on his footwork and tucking the ball high as he goes up against his former linebacker buddies in practice. I think they are giving him more than his fair share of ribbing for that.

The Tre Madden Experiment at Running Back for USC is a post from: Touchdown LA

Last year, sophomore Robert Woods, and freshman Marqise Lee finished 13^th and 29^th in the NCAA with 2,435 receiving yards and 26 touchdown receptions between them. Going into this season with such “hype,” they may be considered the best receiver tandem in all of college football.

This year, they will have some help with the emergence of the former 5 star recruit, #1 overall wide receiver prospect in the 2011 class, George Farmer. He was moved back to wide receiver after playing his freshman year as the 3^rd string running back and will exponentially help USC spread the field.

Ironically, USC’s top 3 receivers—Woods, Lee, and Farmer—went to the same high school, and were all teammates at one time at Junípero Serra High School in Gardena, California.

While Woods, coming off of ankle surgery in the offseason has yet to return to practice, Farmer, though recently sidelined by a hamstring pull for a few days, was dubbed the MVP of the first day of practice by head coach Lane Kiffin.

“As far as the MVP of the day, it was probably George Farmer,” Kiffin said after the first day of spring practice, “to see him healthy out here, and the way that he caught the ball today, and see his confidence, is very different than last time we were with him.”

In typical one-upmanship, Marqise Lee was named MVP of practice on day two. Kiffin elaborated on his praise for Lee, saying, “He makes a couple of [spectacular catches] a day,” Kiffin said. “He’s a unique player, a great player.”

For the three Cavaliers from Serra High School, who were recruited from a whopping 11 miles away from campus, USC has been a place to shine, and this year the entire country will watch them try and win together.

The “Tailback U” persona of the University of Southern California is now relegated to the back page as the year of the “Aerial Assault” begins. Not to mention, with the decent quarterback they have throwing to them, finding their way to a reception should not be too hard.

3 Kids from Serra: Woods, Lee, and Farmer Find Success at USC is a post from: Touchdown LA

“We thought he’d be full strength by now,” said head coach Lane Kiffin after practice on March 21, who has been overseeing Woods’ progress through simple drills and running exercises on the sidelines.

Woods, not competing in full practice yet, was walking with a noticeable limp, similar to the one he had during the second half of last season, before the surgery.

“He’s kind of had a set back with it. It’s not healing as fast as we want, so our doctors recommended that we really sit him down to make sure that it heals properly. We were running him on the side so much that it wasn’t really healing,” said Kiffin.

The team’s leading receiver was expected back as soon as February, after his surgery on December 19^th, but was told by his doctor that he will most likely need another month to heal.

Woods had the ankle injury for most of last season and spoke about it after practice, saying, “I just don’t want to deal with [it] this season. This time off should be pretty good for me. I don’t want to be pushing right now with pain. It just gets worse.”

USC is in no rush to get him back to practice and jeopardize any further recovery that is needed. Obviously the goal is to have Woods healthy for the fall, but being healthy for USC’s spring game on April 14^th is definitely out of the question.

Robert Woods ruled out for Spring Practice is a post from: Touchdown LA

Hollins, the 16th-rated OLB in the Nation is UCLA-bound.

Already known as one of the Nation’s best pass rushers, Hollins selected UCLA instead of 16 other schools that had offered him, universities such as Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Stanford. Why the Bruins? He loves the coaching staff. He is excited to be a Bruin knowing full well that his future coaches have NFL experience and have what it takes to help his growth process as a player who has hopes of one day playing professionally.

The newly implemented 3-4 defense was another attractive selling point in landing Deon, who will easily fit right in due to the familiarity with his high school’s defensive scheme.

Hollins is a very athletic player who can also fall back into coverage and will be allowed to do so with the versatility of the 3-4.

Deon plans to visit UCLA for the first time with his family in mid-April. Per Hollins, coach Jeff Ulbrich plans to stop recruiting the position knowing that the Bruins have got their man. Knowing that Ulbrich could easily find another player to take Deon’s spot, he committed. Still Hollins plans to take all of his trips including stops at: Washington, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Boise State, and Oregon.

For now, he remains solid to the blue and gold of UCLA. Last season he totaled 70 tackles, 22 for a loss with 15 sacks for Marshall High School of Missouri City, Texas. He earned First Team All-District honors last season.

Hollins is a player with a high ceiling who could see his stock soar in the coming months. Still great news for the Bruins who have now received four commitments for the Class of 2013 and still have yet to begin spring practice.

Another Four-Star Pledge for Bruins is a post from: Touchdown LA

Since his decision to return for his senior season and attend to some “unfinished business,” Barkley, fresh from a PAC-12, and school record breaking season of 3528 yards, 39 TDs and 7 INTs, called himself “almost a coach on the field,” and has continued to mature and develop into an offensive, and team leader.

USC will be ranked, presumably, in the top 5 of the AP preseason poll, Barkley will be a Heisman favorite, and USC will be a favorite to win the national title. But the motto for this year has changed from “No Distractions” to “Prep not Hype,” a phrase that the players will be able to fall back on as they face a year with a high amount of pressure, scrutiny, and expectations.

“We have to have the same mentality as last year,” said Barkley, “we can’t look at [this season] unlike any other year, our preparations can’t change because of higher expectations.” A message echoed by head coach Lane Kiffin who said, “We’re not going to, all of the sudden, prepare any different, or coach our players any different, or get ready for our opponents any different. We’re going to do the same thing we always do.”

After two years of postseason ban, with two more years of sanctions on scholarships, USC is in a rare position in college football; a team sanctioned and withheld from competing fully with the powers of the country, yet still on the forefront of college football—an ability that few programs could possess.

Ending the 2011 season with a 10-2 record, a 3OT loss to the consensus favorite for the NFL Draft’s first overall pick, Stanford Cardinal’s Andrew Luck, and an impressive 38-35 win in Eugene against recent rival Oregon, USC finished the season ranked #5 in the AP Poll and was amazingly motivated for a team with a bowl ban. But now that the Trojans are “out of jail,” according to Coach Kiffin, they are free to attain their postseason aspirations.

The third year head coach said after practice, “Thinking back to two years ago and being on the same field, I think we’ve come a long ways. As you look around at our players, the way they look and how they run … I think that our guys look really good.”

The Trojans are in good hands with their “coach on the field,” Matt Barkley, and Coach Kiffin, and with mottos like “Prep not Hype” and “Unfinished Business,” USC, with the personnel and staff they have assembled, brings the program that much closer to reaching a 12th national title.

“I think a lot needs to get done every day…maybe more than normal, because we have something to prove,” Barkley said. “I think we have to have the same mentality that we did last year of wanting to prove something.”

USC Early Spring Practice Report is a post from: Touchdown LA

LSU and Alabama put on one of the most boring NCAA championships in recent memory but the trophy Alabama received is just as good as any other. The all-offense Pats looked like an unstoppable machine until they ran into the front four of NY. Even the Mavs were able to stop Miami’s Big Three with their lockdown defense (and Lebron’s fourth quarter naps).

But since when does USC like to do things the normal way? If there is anything that the whirlwind of the last three seasons has taught me is that USC football is anything but boring and normal. That’s why I take the defense wins championships adage with a grain of salt when it comes to USC.

When I first came to USC, all of the marketing materials they sent to my house or via email touted the backdrop of L.A. in which USC resides. It wasn’t till after this most recent season that I grasped the impact Tinsel Town has on the Trojans. Could there be a more perfect setting than the drama and volatility of Hollywood to serve as a metaphor for this team.

The story lends itself to a Hollywood screenplay. The disgraced hero, fallen from his pedestal atop history. The new savior, himself an underdog and downtrodden, comes in to resurrect the once storied Trojans and return them to former glory. Matt Barkley would of course be played by Ryan Gosling in this adaptation.

Nothing about this USC team is normal. Considering the adversity, the negative perceptions, and the stacked deck all going against USC, logic dictates anything but success. Yet, that is exactly what Lane Kiffin and his team have stumbled upon this past season going into the next. And now with that success, this odd team has also stumbled on something a little more familiar to Trojans past and present, the expectation to succeed.

Not demanding but requiring championships comes with the territory. Call it the L.A. mentality but we have always needed more from our teams. Pressure like that would break a lesser team’s backbone. Not the Trojans though. The same reason why the didn’t unravel through the rough patch is the exact same reason why they will succeed next season. Swagger.

Call it arrogance or call it confidence, either way, its hard to deny that when the football teams runs out of the tunnel before games they have a gait that can’t be described. It’s that strut of confidence that comes from a team that believes in its coach and believes in itself. In a grueling season against the best of the PAC-12, that swagger is really all you have to fall back on. When the world is against you (read NCAA) and your fans expect nothing other than a championship, only that confidence in yourself keeps you grounded.

Maybe its USC’s secret ingredient but it is very hard to deny the culture Lane Kiffin has implemented has had a huge impact on the outcome of the last two seasons. Despite the clamor when he was first announced as new coach for the Trojans I like Lane Kiffin and what he has done to the team. It is very hard to deny that Pete Carroll’s last couple teams got complacent. What Kiffin did is flip that mindset on its head and make everyone around him embrace the underdog role with a certain amount of arrogance.

What we saw last season is that the swagger is a bond between teammates thicker than injuries, adversity, and the like. It kept our team together after tough losses like the Stanford game and it pushed us forward like the fourth quarter of the Oregon game.

Every team USC has ever fielded has always been talented from top to bottom. Since USC hasn’t won every single championship since the formation of the NCAA then clearly talent isn’t the secret ingredient. The one consistency across decades of USC football is that swagger of playing for the Trojans.

Offense sells the seats, defense wins championships, but just maybe attitude builds dynasties.

At USC Attitude is King is a post from: Touchdown LA

The preparations will culminate in the annual Spring Football Game, which will take place on Saturday, May 5th at the Rose Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Admission is free for the contest. More details will be provided as they become known.

The countdown for Bruin fans now reads:

20 days until Spring Practice.
66 days until the Spring Game.
171 days until UCLA opens the season on the road against the Rice Owls.

Spring Practice Schedule for UCLA is a post from: Touchdown LA

Bunte told Scout.com: “I know I had said I wanted to wait and go through the whole process, but really today I just thought there is nothing that compared to the Bruin family and nothing that measured up to UCLA,” said Bunte. “I believe in the team and I believe in Coach (Jim) Mora and Coach (Adrian) Klemm so I called them up and committed to UCLA. I’m so excited.”

He could become the first Santa Margarita Eagle to play at UCLA since Kris Farris, a player that was an All-American for the Bruins and was the winner of the Outland Trophy in 1998, awarded to the Nation’s top interior lineman.

Standing at 6’7″ and weighs 310 lbs, Bunte started at guard in all 15 games for Santa Margarita last season and was pivotal in helping the team capture the CIF-SS Pac-5 division title and eventually the CIF State Division I Championship. He was named to the all-Trinity League and all-state underclass teams. Scout has Bunte ranked as the 23rd offensive tackle, garnering him a four-star rating.

Soon he could find himself to be a teammate of St. John Bosco tackle Nico Falah who is known to be fond of the Bruins, enough to place them as his preferred college choice at this moment in recruiting. He is ranked third nationally.

Erik is close friends to current teammate and future rival Max Tuerk, the sixth rated guard in this year’s class. Tuerk helped to solidify the Eagles line, but will bid adieu to his friend as he heads over to play for crosstown rival USC. When asked if it would tamper their relationship, Bunte replied: “Max will find out pretty soon I’m going there and we’re pretty good buds so it should be fun.”

The attention for Bunte now becomes on helping his alma mater repeat as champions of the Trinity League, Pac-5, and eventually CIF State Division I.

Bunte Coming to UCLA is a post from: Touchdown LA