USC Football Spring Game 2017: 5 things to watch for

4 of 5

Mar 7, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Deontay Burnett (80) carries the ball during spring practice at Howard Jones Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Who steps up at wide receiver?

USC had a prolific offense for the last eight games of the season, helping them get as far as they did after such a disastrous start. It started with Sam Darnold, but he had other pieces helping him. In particular, that’s wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and his 914 receiving yards for 10 touchdowns.

However, Smith-Schuster left for the 2017 NFL Draft. No. 2 wideout, Darreus Rogers also graduated, leaving a sizeable gap at the top of the depth chart.

So, heading into this spring game, we should find out who’s going to be Darnold’s top targets. This probably starts with Deontay Burnett, who put up 622 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore. He may automatically get the No. 1 receiver spot based on experience and production alone, as none of the other returning pass-catchers had more than 250 yards.

The player to watch for will be freshman wide receiver, Joseph Lewis. 247Sports.com ranked him as the No. 4 overall at his position from the 2017 recruiting class, so there will be some expectations for the Los Angeles, CA native. That may not include a long look in the regular season, or even the spring game, but any opportunity he receives in this will be positive toward his development.

Home/College Football