USC Football News: USC Expert Believes These Defensive Pieces Are Key to 2023 Success

Defense will be key for where USC wants to go

The USC Trojans will be heading into the 2023 season with hopes of a better finish compared to 2022. The 2022 Trojans were a well-oiled machine, plummeting their opponent every chance they got. For those who watched the Trojans last season, know I'm talking about their offesne and not their defense. 

Their defense in 2022 was very bad, the level of bad where it's embarrassing for a team that was considered one of the best in the nation. However, that seems to be head coach Lincoln Riley's thing, fire-powering offenses who could score at will and a defense that can't stop a bloody nose. 

They knew that and have done their due diligence this past offseason in the recruiting and transfer portal. The whole defense will be key to USC's success, but Trojan's expert from Trojans Wire, Matt Zemek, believes these two position groups will be big for SC. 

However, what could become the ultimate factor for USC this season is the level of player development we get from the linebacker and secondary coaches. How the assistant coaches working under

defensive coordinator Alex Grinch

are able to bring along their players in the back seven could hold the key to USC’s season.

(via Trojans Wire)

USC did their job on the secondary in the transfer portal, snagging four-star recruit Tre'Quon Fegans from Alabama. USC also picked up linebacker Deuce Palmer from SMU in the transfer portal. 

In the recruiting aspect, USC got Louisiana four-star linebacker Tackett Curtis and four-star cornerback from Oxnard Maliki Crawford for the 2023 season. 

The season will hinge on the defense. If they are able to stop their opponent at a good rate, the offense will be able to do their thing on offense. It can't get any worse than last season, right?