USC Football: 5 Players Poised for Breakout Seasons in 2012

With spring practice coming to a close, USC is still considered to be an early favorite to make a run at the national championship in 2012.

The Trojans are loaded at a number of positions with potential All-Americans Matt Barkley, T.J. McDonald, Nickell Robey, Robert Woods and Marqise Lee all returning to school this fall.

While the majority of these players are household names, USC also has quite a few talented players on its roster who aren't getting much attention but will still play an instrumental roll in the Trojans' success this season.

Let's take a look at five under-the-radar players who are poised for breakout seasons in 2012...

Isiah Wiley

It's no secret that USC has one lockdown cornerback on its roster in All-Pac-12 first teamer Nickell Robey, but what the casual fan may not know is that there is another Trojan corner, Isiah Wiley, who is pretty solid in his own right.

Wiley assumed the starting cornerback duties alongside Robey for the last six games of 2011 and did a fine job. Cornerback was an extremely thin for position for USC a year ago and Wiley served as an excellent stopgap for Monte Kiffin's defense.

This spring, Wiley has been one of the brightest stars of practice. The rising senior's best trait is his instincts which has led to a number of interceptions throughout spring ball.

At 6'0" 180 lbs, Wiley is a nice compliment to the 5'8" Robey in the defensive backfield. If spring practice has been any indication, the Trojans could have one of the more prolific cornerback duos in the conference, if not the country, come fall.

Anthony Sarao

USC's trio of starting linebackers could very well end up being one of the best in the Pac 12, but the Trojans' backups aren't too shabby either and Sarao is the class of that group.

Sarao redshirted during his first year in Los Angeles, but the New Jersey native stood out enough in practice to be named USC's Defensive Service Team Player of the Year.

While Hayes Pullard, Lamar Dawson and Dion Bailey seem to have a firm grasp on USC's three starting linebacker spots, Sarao is simply too talented to keep off the field.

With Tre Madden making the switch to tailback, it's likely that Sarao will be the first man to rotate in off the bench for Kiffin this fall.

At 6'0" 210 lbs, Sarao already looks like a force at the linebacker position and he will play a major role in the Trojans' success in 2012 and beyond.

Antwaun Woods

Like Sarao, Woods redshirted in 2011 after entering USC as a highly touted player at his position. Woods, a Los Angeles native, will compete for playing time with George Uko and J.R. Tavai at the defensive tackle spot all the way up until fall camp breaks.

Woods' main focus during his redshirt season was to get himself in shape by losing weight. After altering his eating regimen and upping his hours in the weight room, the former Taft High School star shed 25 pounds and put himself in excellent position to compete for playing time.

Woods has drawn comparisons to former USC defensive tackle Mike Patterson and the Trojans will look for him to live up to that expectation as he continues to develop as a player.

Tavai was one of the pleasant surprises of 2011 for USC, but look for his good friend and defensive linemate to step up and be a difference maker in 2012.

Buck Allen

Allen is the third redshirt freshman to appear on this list and with as thin as the USC tailback position is, he could be the player to make the biggest impact this fall.

The Trojan coaching staff experimented by switching Tre Madden from linebacker to running back earlier this spring and for the first few practices, the move appeared to be paying off.

However, a season-ending injury to Madden's knee on a non-contact play once again leaves USC's running back corp in search of depth.

Enter Buck Allen, a 6'0", 215-pound tailback who fits the mold of the "big back" USC will be looking at to replace Madden.

Between Allen, Curtis McNeal and D.J. Morgan, Lane Kiffin has only three scholarship running backs to work with, which means Allen's role will inevitably increase.

McNeal demonstrated a year ago he is more than capable of shouldering the majority of the carries and Morgan has the speed and elusiveness to be a nice compliment. But the Trojans are still lacking a big back and Allen is the man they will turn to for production.

George Farmer

USC's crop of wideouts are loaded with All-American candidates Robert Woods and Marqise Lee anchoring the position. However, Lane Kiffin has shown a propensity to give a number of different wide receivers looks and Farmer appears to be the most capable of stepping up.

The original intention of the coaching staff was to redshirt Farmer in 2011, but Kiffin opted to play the young star in the backfield midway through the year due to a lack of running back production.

Farmer has since made the switch back to his natural position of wide receiver and he dazzled at the beginning of spring practice before being limited by a hamstring injury.

Farmer possesses top-flight speed and athleticism and if he's fully healthy by fall camp, it will be tough to keep him off the field.

It's very possible that Farmer could be the next great Serra High School wide receiver at USC and he is poised to make a tremendous impact in 2012.