2019 Recap: Head coach Clay Helton entered the year on the hot seat. The 2018 season wasn’t kind to the USC Trojans. They finished 5-7 the year before with a 4-5 record in the conference. Quarterback J.T. Daniels was named the starter to begin the season. In the season opener against Fresno State, he injured his knee which would sideline him for the rest of the year. True freshman Kedon Slovis stepped in and gave this team a spark. Their biggest win of 2019 came against the Utah Utes at home in California. I’ve seen the potential in this team. Now, can they put everything together?
Notable Losses: WR Michael Pittman, OT Austin Jackson, DT Christian Rector, LB John Houston Jr.
2020 Outlook: Utah lost much of their talent from their division title teams over the last two years. I’m picking the Trojans to win this division. If Clay Helton wants to keep himself off the hot seat in 2020, this is the time to make a run at everything. They have the pieces to do so. It starts with Slovis under center. Michael Pittman will be missed, but Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London and Kyle Ford will give USC another deep group of wide receivers. The running game needs to improve this year. The defense will also need to regroup after another down year in 2019. They will begin their season in Texas when they face Alabama. A tough challenge right out the gate.
