USC Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

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Nov 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans defensive back Adoree Jackson (2) celebrates during a NCAA football game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Finding Adoree’ Jackson’s replacement

Arguably the biggest blow to USC will be losing Adoree’ Jackson to the NFL. He emerged as one of the best defensive backs in college football in 2016 — intercepting five passes and deflecting over 10 of them. It made him someone to fear going up against, so can anyone fill these shoes?

Campus Insiders notes Bubba Bolden and Isaiah Pola-Mao being expected to compete for playing time (both are freshmen), so these two could be the answer to some of the questions in the secondary. However, we haven’t seen them step onto the field for live game action yet. This game could be their opportunity to work against a wide receiver group that’s somewhat in question, potentially developing some on-field confidence.

Some veterans remain, like Marvin Tell III and Chris Hawkins, so there is depth. Maybe the added competition helps them rise to the occasion, showing the coaching staff that they can take over or assist in replacing Jackson. It would be huge with some of the dynamic passing offenses located in the Pac-12.

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