Wanted: Cornerbacks

USC’s struggled at cornerback in spring practices and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast said this week the Trojans might play three safeties and one cornerback at times next season.

With that in mind, USC offered two current high school juniors: Iman Marshall of Long Beach Poly and Quincy Wilson of Miami.

12 thoughts on “Wanted: Cornerbacks

  1. What Clancy needs to do is tell Kiffin he is going to take a few of Kiffin’s many WRs over to the defensive side and dare Kiffin to do anything about it. I’d look at Kiffin straight in the eyes while I’m doing the talking too. Kiffin couldn’t do crap this late in the off-season.

    • Lane Kiffin sits on the hottest seat in CFB. He understands that USC is likely to lose a lot of games without pretty good pass coverage. I doubt that Pendergast has to resort to threats. The issues are whether there is a candidate who is likely to improve things, and whether Kiffin has waited too long to make this move.

  2. This posting would be more interesting if it explained how playing three safeties and one cornerback would improve the overall pass coverage. I’m not astute enough to see why and how it would help.

    • He is alluding to the fact that the corners USC have on scholarship are terrible. It is by far the weakest position group on the team. Seymour is the best of the returning CBs and he really needs another year. Torin Harris has been a disaster in Pendergast’s man scheme, and he wasn’t much better in Monte’s soft zones either. Hawkins is too green, will get burned.

      Losing Ramesey hurt. Not having a backup plan when trying to pursue an out-of-state recruit with clear prima donna tendencies was worse. Kiffin fail big time on that.

      Unless they get better, and quickly, it is going to be avery long year.

      • I agree with you about the absence of strong CB candidates, in a scheme that requires two strong cover CBs.

        I agree that Kiffin did not involve himself sufficiently in a recruitment plan that would provide a sufficient number of strong cover CBs who had received some college training. The sanctions were part of that. In addition, there may have been limited availability of local kids. But at the end of the day, Kiffin had to foresee the problem, own it, and solve it, by hook or by crook.

        I think that Kiffin is late in finding out that the HC is responsible for all the position groups. Monte Kiffin stated at one point that Lane didn’t have interest in defense as a kid. For an HC, that is just not feasible. One reason that Lane should NOT call the plays is because he NEEDS to involve himself more in the defense. Not to intrude per se in 2013, but to deepen his own understanding. He needs it to recruit better, and he needs it to develop his own critical faculties and judgment over time.

        I didn’t think much before posting. I guess Scott means that Shaw is the best coverage DB available.

        I think that Kiffin should seriously consider which WR might transition to CB in 2013. Obviously, Lee could do it, and I believe the WR corps would still be pretty good. But Lee is leaving for the NFL after 2013 (if he has good sense), and it’s not fair to hurt him financially by asking him to switch to CB in his last season. However, what about Flournoy, Blackwell, Rogers, or even Agholor? Could any of them outshine the current CB prospects, or the safeties who would be moved? There is no point in keeping any given WR mostly on the bench, while the defense surrenders TD passes. If any of the backup WRs have the apparent ability to switch to CB and maybe start in 2013, Kiffin should make the move. In hindsight, he should have done so at the start of Spring practice.

  3. “WE” need a few more Wide outs….who needs d-backs! It’s all about putting points on the board.
    fit on torgan!

  4. Ummm… Both Iman Marshall and Quincy Wilson are current “sophomores”. If you’re gonna try to make USC seem desperate then perhaps get it right.

Comments are closed.