T-Time: USC’s defense could be special

It was the news everyone expected, but no one wanted to hear: On Jan. 3, Sam Darnold announced he was leaving the Trojans for the NFL.

Adding insult to injury, the team’s next-best offensive players, wide receiver Deontay Burnett and running back Ronald Jones II, decided to leave as well just days later. They all leave gaping holes on an offense that ranked second in the Pac-12 for total yards this season.

Without their top passer, rusher and receiver, it may seem like the Trojans are doomed for next season. Many fans will expect a rebuilding year. They shouldn’t.

In 2018, the popular phrase, “Defense wins championships,” will be put to the test, as USC fields one of the most experienced and talented defensive units in the nation.

It all starts at linebacker. Perhaps lost in the shuffle of the Darnold, Jones and Burnett decisions was junior Cam Smith’s announcement that he is returning for his senior season.

Projected to be a late-first to second-round draft choice, Smith’s decision to return for another year is a major coup for the USC coaching staff. He’s anchored the defense since arriving on campus in 2015, leading the Trojans in tackles for the past two years. No one knows defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast’s system quite like Smith. In the one half he’s missed all year, Western Michigan ran all over USC. It’s hard to imagine what an entire season without him would look like.

Getting a team captain in Smith back is massive, but he’s hardly the only Trojan with experience left on the defense. Junior outside linebacker Porter Gustin also announced his intentions to come back for his senior year. He battled through toe and bicep injuries for most of 2017, but when healthy he has the potential to be a one-man wrecking crew. Over his career, he’s notched 14 sacks and 23 tackles for loss. Expect him to terrorize quarterbacks and solidify himself as a can’t-miss draft prospect in 2018.

Sophomores John Houston Jr. (84 tackles, 1 interception) and Jordan Iosefa bolster the linebacking crew after improving by leaps and bounds this season. Losing outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is a major blow, as he earned All-American buzz for his quietly excellent senior season. Still, the team may have his ideal successor in freshman Levi Jones. The lanky 6-foot-3, 220-pound Jones has the size to be an excellent pass rusher and the speed to drop back into coverage, not to mention an impressive NFL pedigree that practically predestines success.      

Pendergast possesses a rare mix of both star power and depth at the linebacker position. He might just blitz on every down. While that position is set, the secondary and defensive line both carry a few more question marks into next season.

With defensive end Rasheem Green declaring for the draft, the unit loses its primary disruptive force, but second-team all-Pac-12 teamer sophomore Christian Rector is coming back, along with junior tackle Malik Dorton. USC forced the sixth-most sacks in the country with 46 this year, and with most of the defensive line returning, that number should only increase.

As far as defensive backs go, USC brings back sophomore Jack Jones (four interceptions in 2017) and juniors Ajene Harris (five career interceptions), Iman Marshall (six career interceptions) and Marvell Tell III (85 tackles and three interceptions in 2017). A move to safety would tremendously benefit Marshall who seems to have regressed during each year of his career, as he’s struggled to avoid pass interference calls. If the transition does indeed happen, the duo of Marshall and Tell would give opposing quarterbacks’ nightmares.

The team’s offense will have plenty of question marks  regardless of who plays QB. Still , the team’s defense looks  like it’s capable of keeping the Trojans in every game on the schedule.

The 2018 team may not be as flashy, or as exciting, as recent USC rosters, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be successful. Don’t call it a rebuilding year just yet.

Trevor Denton is a sophomore majoring in broadcast and digital journalism. He is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. His column, “T-Time,” runs Wednesdays.