USC safety Chris Hawkins and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield working out in Thousand Oaks for the NFL Draft.

The trial for the man who fatally shot former USC tailback Joe McKnight is underway in Louisiana. From the Associated Press: “Defense attorneys claim 56-year-old Ronald Gasser fired in self-defense when McKnight approached his car after a traffic confrontation in December 2016.

“Prosecutors say Gasser falsely claimed McKnight tried to lunge into Gasser’s car when it was stopped at a traffic light. They say physical evidence indicates he made no such aggressive move.”

With Keary Colbert the new tight ends coach, you have an interesting look on the staff: A wide receiver is coaching tight ends. A quarterback (Tee Martin) is coaching wide receivers. At least new quarterbacks coach Bryan Ellis is a former quarterback. His head coach at Alabama-Birmingham was Neil Callaway but we won’t focus on that.

Bill Stern was a nationally known radio broadcaster in the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. I am skeptical if these stories about 1931 and 1938 USC-Notre Dame games are true, but Stern made them interesting. Listen to the first few minutes.

Here’s an item from the Pac-12 office:

“Despite a 1-8 postseason record, the Pac-12 has produced a 22-21 (.512) bowl record over the last five years. Only one other Power 5 conference has produced a better bowl winning percentage in that span.”

Here are the returning starters of each Pac-12 team next season:

Source: Pac-12

I’m told some USC assistant coaches have been told one-year contracts will be offered for next season. This leads to speculation that all bets are off after next season. Remember, Clancy Pendergast received a multi-year deal when he was hired by Clay Hellton.

ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has released his latest first-round mock draft. Here’s the top five: 1. Browns – Josh Allen 2. Giants – Josh Rosen 3. Colts – Bradley Chubb 4. Browns – Saquon Barkley 5. Broncos – Sam Darnold.

Meanwhile, Kiper has USC defensive end Rasheem Green going to the Patriots with the 32nd pick in the first round.

Former USC wide receiver Keary Colbert is expected to be the Trojans’ tight ends coach next season, according to sources. Colbert has been an offensive quality control assistant at USC.

The tight ends were coached by John Baxter the past two seasons, so Baxter will now focus on special teams. This means two staff members have been promoted from within because Bryan Ellis was reportedly hired as the new quarterbacks coach, replacing Tyson Helton.

If USC has a top 5 recrutiing class, does it matter have many assistants recruit?