USC Football: The Biggest Offseason Storylines for the Trojans

In 2014, the primary plot points for USC football centered around the Trojans' adjustments in the first year under a new coaching staff.

Heading into the 2015 offseason, the storylines emanating from Heritage Hall are focused on building on those first-year adjustments in pursuit of the program's first conference championship since 2008.

The Trojans won nine games and finished in the final College Football Playoff rankings. They'll also be ranked in the last Associated Press Top 25 poll of head coach Steve Sarkisian's first season.

But Sarkisian said that USC just laid a foundation this year.

"Was there more out there for us this year? Maybe. [Losing is] part of the process," he said following USC's 45-42 Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska on Dec. 27. "That's part of laying the foundation of getting better as a program."

The build for his second year at the helm begins right away, first on the recruiting trail and in a few months with spring practices.

As the offseason progresses, the storylines for 2015 will begin to take shape.

Defensive Adjustments

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In July 2013, I asked then-Washington head coach Sarkisian about the Huskies' staggering defensive improvement, moving from a 2011 season in which they allowed 35.9 points per game to giving up just 24.2 in 2012.

Sarkisian specifically credited defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and the tweaks he implemented, which included moving Shaq Thompson from the secondary to linebacker and adjusting Danny Shelton's role on the line.

Wilcox followed Sarkisian to USC this past season and made similar tweaks that produced results.

Among them was his shift of safety Su’a Cravens into a hybrid role that saw the All-Conference honoree play linebacker extensively and flourish in this role.

But USC also endured growing pains under Wilcox.

The 25.9 points per game USC surrendered were the program’s highest yield since allowing 26.7 in 2010. That average was also higher than either of Wilcox's defenses at Washington allowed.

Pressure is on the USC defense to buckle down in 2015, which effectively means the pressure is on Wilcox. He more than adequately responded when he was brought on to replace Nick Holt at Washington and must do so again to get the Trojans to a championship level.

2015 Recruiting Class

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Ronald Jones II

USC is working with a full allotment of scholarships for the first time in three years.

A torrid finish similar to last year, when Sarkisian and his staff landed a pair of 5-star commitments and a high 4-star the week of national signing day, would likely push USC to its highest-ranked signing class since finishing No. 3 in the country in 2011.

The Trojans are certainly off to promising start, landing pledges from running back Ronald Jones II, wide receiver Ykili Ross and safety Marvell Tell over the weekend. All are 4-star prospects.

Of course, the 2015 class has a high standard to meet, set by its 2014 predecessor.

What the Trojans lacked in numbers from last season’s signees, they made up for with on-field production.

Utility man Adoree' Jackson, wide receiver John "JuJu" Smith, defensive back John Plattenburg and the offensive line trio of Damien Mama, Toa Lobendahn and Viane Talamaivao all played crucial roles, while also setting the bar of Sarkisian's first USC signing class. 

"We're going to continue to recruit great players, guys with high character and guys that represent USC to the fullest," Sarkisian said. "We're going to continue to recruit those types of players."

A New Offensive Line Coach

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Sarkisian said on his last conference call of the season that he hoped to keep the same coaching staff from the 2014 season intact for 2015. That was on Dec. 28. 

Less than a week later, USC lost offensive line coach Tim Drevno. 

Drevno is reuniting with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. The two were colleagues for three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and eight in the college ranks at Stanford and San Diego.

Hiring the right replacement for Drevno may be the single biggest challenge Sarkisian faces this offseason. Drevno overcame inexperience in his unit, as well as a lack of depth, to make the offensive line arguably the team's most overachieving group. 

Drevno's work with the offensive line was not lost on others within USC's ranks, either.

"Drevno does a great job with these guys," running back Javorius "Buck" Allen said after the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27.

8 Months of Hype

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Quarterback Cody Kessler was all smiles when he made his decision to return for 2015 public, immediately following the Trojans’ 45-42 Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska.

And why wouldn’t he be? Kessler finished 2014 with a program record-tying 39 touchdown passes for the season with just five interceptions. 

Kessler set numerous other records, including becoming the only quarterback ever to throw more than four touchdowns against Notre Dame. Kessler scored six.

"I feel bad that we lost two games on the last play," Sarkisian said the day after the Notre Dame win. "Because if we didn't, then everybody's talking about voting for Cody Kessler for the Heisman Trophy."  

The quarterback may have flown under the radar in 2014, but he’ll be featured prominently in virtually every preseason Heisman projection for 2015.

With quarterback hype comes team hype. USC need look no further than 2012, when Matt Barkley opted to return for his senior campaign.

Barkley was fresh off his own 39-touchdown season when he declared he had "unfinished business." With Barkley in tow, USC garnered the No. 1 spot in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll.

With Kessler captaining a ship that has this past season's breakout freshmen back, the hype machine's gears should start turning once more.

The 2015 Trojans must stay above the excitement that is sure to build in the coming months.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com. Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports composite scores.