Time to believe the football hype

Every sunny spring here at USC brings high expectations and hype for the upcoming football season. It seems as if, year after year, the Trojans are projected to compete for the national championship several months before the season has even started. Back in 2012, the Trojans were preseason No. 1, and several experts picked them to win the championship. Well, we all know how that turned out.

This year feels different, however. The Trojans have brought in the best recruiting class since the Pete Carroll era, returned one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Cody Kessler and have tremendous talent on both sides of the ball.

Coming into spring practice, the Trojans were faced with numerous question marks. Their best player, Leonard Williams, was leaving for the NFL Draft, as was leading wide receiver Nelson Agholor.

Off-the-field issues for Bryce Dixon left the tight end position up for grabs, and many wondered whether an offensive line that gave up numerous sacks last season would grow.

On the offensive side of the ball, sophomore JuJu Smith and redshirt sophomore Steven Mitchell had tremendous spring seasons. Smith, coming off an impressive freshman campaign in which he caught 54 passes for 724 yards and five touchdowns, has slowly become one of Kessler’s favorite targets. After dealing with nagging injuries in his first two seasons, Mitchell came alive during spring practice and fought for the No. 2 spot behind Smith.

For the first time in almost a decade, the defense resembles a Carroll-era stalwart. Led by junior Su’a Cravens and sophomore wonder Adoree’ Jackson, the Trojans field one of the best secondaries in the country. Freshman Iman Marshall expects to factor into the rotation as well. Redshirt senior Antwaun Woods will start at nose tackle for the Trojans, hoping to replicate some of the success that Williams had over the past three years.

After dealing with the effects of reduced scholarships for the past four years, head coach Steve Sarkisian will finally have some depth to his team. The years of traveling with half a team and practicing without contact because of fear of injury are over. With a recruiting class of 19 players, the Trojans are set to be three-deep at every position with scholarship players, a first in almost four years.

Though the Trojans will be much deeper this season, their success will depend on the play of Kessler. He put up phenomenal numbers last season, completing 69 percent of his passes en route to 39 touchdown passes, tying a school record. If the Trojans want to make the jump to elite, however, they will need Kessler to perform better in games against top opponents. Against unranked opponents last year, Kessler threw for 2,434 yards and 32 touchdowns. Meanwhile, he threw for just 1,392 yards and seven touchdowns against ranked opponents, a clear step backward.

With another starting season and spring under his belt, Kessler figures to continue his growth as the next great USC quarterback. Though he won’t have the same weapons as Matt Barkley did in Marqise Lee and Robert Woods, Kessler will be the main benefactor of Sarkisian’s up-tempo offense. If Kessler is able to lead the Trojans to a strong season, expect his name to be in the Heisman conversation.

One key weakness that the Trojans will have to overcome is their lack of seniority. The Trojans return only six senior starters for this upcoming season, but players like Jackson, Cravens and Smith have all taken leadership roles in their underclassman years. The Trojans will have to hope that the incoming freshman class                                        can  follow suit.

Heightened expectations put more pressure on Sarkisian, as he takes the reins for his second year in charge. The Trojans started 2014 well before falling apart in losses to Utah, Arizona State and UCLA. The Trojans ended the season on a high note, though, winning the Holiday Bowl over Nebraska. With Sarkisian landing the top recruiting class in the country, however, finishing 9-4, or even 10-3, next season is not going to keep Trojan fans happy. Should the Trojans be out of the playoff race come late November, Sarkisian might find himself looking for another job.

Sarkisian is doing his best Carroll impression, opening practices to the media, praising players publicly and opening the offense up. Now it’s time to see if he can replicate the results.

The Trojans’ season doesn’t kick off for another five months, on     Sept. 5 against Arkansas State. This team is by far the most well-rounded that USC has fielded in years, combining the right amount of leadership and youth. A lot can happen in those five months, but for now the sky is the limit for this young but talented team.

Nick Barbarino is a junior majoring in business administration. His column, “Beyond the Arc,” runs Fridays.