If It's Friday, It's Time For A USC Notes Column

Trojans looking for a left tackle

I know everyone jokes a lot about whether Clay Helton actually wants a season but maybe he doesn't after Alijah Vera-Tucker's announcement to opt out of the season.

I asked a USC coach who would start at left tackle following Vera-Tucker's announcement?

"That's a good question," he said.

The offensive line is so shaky I can imagine Pac-12 teams blitzing as much as possible to test them out early and put some pressure on Kedon Slovis.

• USC offensive line recruiting has been lacking for years, which is why the current predicament exists.
• Look at some of the elite linemen USC has lost out on: Penei Sewell chose Oregon. Jackson Carman chose Clemson. Wyatt Davis chose Ohio State.

A recruiting analyst closely connected to USC told me when Sewell was a senior, he asked to make a visit during the USC-Texas game weekend but was told there would be no visits during the season. But then another high-profile offensive line recruit tweeted a photo from the USC-Texas game, which didn't go over well with anyone denied a visit that weekend.

• Washington athletic director Jen Cohen was asked at a university board of regents meeting this week the chances for a winter or spring Pac-12 football season in 2021? Her answer: 50-50.

• If CBS Sports has JT Daniels as a first-round pick in 2021, then Slovis must be its No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

• Minnesota is eliminating track and field after this season. That's not nothing. A Big Ten school eliminating track shows how dire the financial situation is for a lot of schools.

• And now for some history (celebrity edition): 

Sometimes, I'm in awe of the events USC staged in the past. I've written previously about the DKA (Delta Kappa Alpha) professional cinematic arts fraternity founded at USC in 1936.

Photo: Daily Trojan

They used to throw an annual dinner on campus at Town and Gown and in 1968 it was like a mini-version of the Academy Awards: Jimmy Stewart, Mae West and famous director Mervyn LeRoy were honored (pictured above).

Who else was there? Raquel Welch, Greer Garson, Vera Miles, Walter Pidgeon, Andy Devine plus legendary directors George Cukor and Robert Wise.

John McKay even showed up with All-Americans O.J. Simpson, Tim Rossovich and Adrian Young. They got the loudest round of applause outside of West. 

When West was introduced, she had a full-length mirror, furry rug, bed and chandelier surrounding her on the stage. Simpson, Rossovich and Young were in front of her.

"I've been honored for many things," West said. "But this is the first time I've become a fraternity brother."

Concerts of the week

If you had $2.75, you could go see Simon and Garfunkel at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in 1968.

Or in 1973, you could go across the street to the Shrine Auditorium and hear Van Morrison for $4.50.