USC football spring practice report: Caleb Williams looks sharp

Williams has a restocked group of weapons featuring Mario Williams, Arizona transfer Dorian Singer and freshman burner Zachariah Branch

Here are observations from USC's spring football practice on Thursday:

OFFENSE

During spring football practice, USC head coach Lincoln Riley has described the competition between his own offense and defense as about “50-50.” That’s probably a generous assessment of the defensive side of the ball, which he claims he will be more involved in for the 2023 season.

The only real questions offensively are the tight end position, which USC historically hasn’t put much stock into, and the offensive line. The former isn’t a real concern, as USC has enough depth at wide receiver to overlook tight ends as pass catchers, and Riley’s offense also doesn’t heavily rely on jumbo-type sets or power handoffs.

One question that remains unanswered is what will be Raleek Brown’s role in the run game, and more curiously, the pass game. Will the shifty running back be used as a lightning-quick slot receiver more frequently in the coming season? Time will tell as the offseason progresses, but for now, there’s one major certainty.

After Thursday’s practice wrapped up, Caleb Williams and the rest of the quarterback room stood some 45 yards out from the practice field’s south goal post and took turns aiming for the crossbar. In the span of about 20 minutes, the defending Heisman Trophy winner hit his target four times, by my count. The rest of the squad, including several non-quarterbacks? Zero.

“I’m already at three!” Williams shouted to his teammates on the sideline, daring them to come contest his arm talent in some lighthearted competition.

There was never a question about Williams’ job security, but Thursday’s demonstration was a fun example of the difference between a Heisman winner and future first-overall pick, and a college backup or freshman. Even top high school recruit Malachi Nelson couldn’t recreate the captain’s feat.

Williams and the offense will be in good hands with Riley’s leadership and a restocked group of weapons featuring Mario Williams, Arizona transfer Dorian Singer and freshman burner Zachariah Branch, who’s already been turning heads through the first few spring practices.

DEFENSE

There have been a lot of great things said about the individuals in this locker room so far — high praise for the veteran leaders like safety Calen Bullock and lots of recognition for newcomers like Oklahoma State transfer Mason Cobb and Texas A&M transfer Anthony Lucas.

More notably, returning Trojans showed unwavering support for defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. “I think Coach Grinch is just a fantastic coach. I love playing for him,” safety Bryson Shaw said. “I would say his biggest strength is just his drive and motivation, I mean, he gets this group fired up every day and gets us ready to attack.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better coach; we love him,” Shaw said. “He’s the best motivator coach I’ve ever seen.”

Shaw and the rest of his unit felt like they let Grinch down with their performances in the critical games of the last season. Still, Shaw only echoed the buzzwords of recent months as directions of improvement: footwork, technique, etc… When asked about highly-demanded schematic adjustments since the disappointing end of last season, Shaw only laughed and said “we’ll stay away from the schematic stuff.”

The veterans and the coaches are all very excited about the promise that some of the young players and transfers have shown through a short spring season thus far. It’s yet to be seen if an influx of new faces and skill sets can set this team back on the right track to a championship, but it’s still very early in the offseason. If one thing is certain, the offense will be right back up there with the nation’s best again, and it will fall on the leadership of guys like Shaw and Bullock to maximize the potential of newcomers like Cobb, Lucas, and Tackett Curtis.

Grinch has only spoken with media once since his unit allowed nine yards per carry to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl loss and has made no indication of making major changes. USC has largely doubled down on the subject of run defense, citing coaching improvements and execution as the culprits for a talented squad’s shortcomings several months ago.