USC's Stacked 2014 Signing Class Proved Trojans Have Championship Foundation

At this time last year, many of the players in USC's 2014 signing class were ending their prep football tenures playing for city championships. 

It was no different on Nov. 22. 

"I looked up last Saturday," USC head coach Steve Sarkisian said. "We’re playing UCLA and we had three true freshman [offensive] linemen [Toa Lobendahn, Damien Mama and Viane Talamaivao], a true freshman tight end [Bryce Dixon] and a true freshman wide receiver [John "JuJu" Smith] on the field all at the same time...then you throw in [cornerback] Adoree’ [Jackson] on offense." 

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OK, so maybe this particular city championship had some higher stakes than the high school contests in which USC's freshman class was playing a season ago.

The winner gained the inside track on the Pac-12 South's berth in the conference championship game as well as bragging rights in one of the nation's most heated rivalries. 

UCLA came out on top and eliminated USC from Pac-12 title contention, but for the freshman Trojans, experience gained in 2014 is a crucial building block for something greater—much greater, as Mama described. 

"National championships," he said. "Just like every other year."

For the Trojans of the 2014 signing class, the future is about the past. 

"We look at the past teams, past players and past coaches of USC and we live up to that," Mama said. "[Offensive coordinator Clay] Helton really emphasizes that we're not just competing against a team. We're competing with the past." 

This group is rife with the kind of talent necessary to replicate the championship play of Trojans teams past.

Take Smith, who emerged as one of quarterback Cody Kessler's top targets this season. He put together one of the best debut seasons for a USC wide receiver and looks like the program's next star at the position. 

A true jack-of-all-trades, Jackson added seven receptions with two touchdowns and a kickoff returned for a touchdown to his duties as lockdown cornerback. 

Jackson broke up nine passes, forced a fumble and recorded 42 tackles. 

Meanwhile, Kessler has credited the offensive line of Mama, Lobendahn and Talamaivao for doing its part in the quarterback's 36-touchdown season.  

The offensive front paved the way for Kessler's six-touchdown performance last week in a 49-14 rout of Notre Dame, USC's big rebound from losing the city championship. 

Sarkisian said the line accepted his challenge to step up after a rough outing at UCLA, and the youngsters delivered. 

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"People don't talk about it, but we're starting three true freshmen up front. I don't know of any other team in the country that's doing that," he said. 

The fact that freshmen played starring roles in the 2014 season may not be all that surprising. Sarkisian landed the Pac-12's top-rated signing class despite having just 15 scholarships available—the result of NCAA-imposed sanctions.

Pushing the Trojans to that conference-leading ranking was Sarkisian's final flourish just before national signing day, when he gained commitments from 4-star Mama and 5-star prospects Jackson and Smith.

But this talented corps was not content relying on its prep accolades or potential to succeed in the college game. 

"Knowing we came in as a great class, we didn’t let it get to our [heads]," Mama said. "We just wanted to come in, compete and contribute to the team in any way we could."  

Mama said that mindset is reflected throughout the freshman class, including among those in less prominent roles.

"As you can see, we have Uchenna [Nwosu] and Buddha [Olajuwon Tucker], who don't get much playing time on defense but contribute on special teams," he said. "[That] is a big factor for all us, just to be able to help the team." 

USC also had defensive backs John Plattenburg, who stepped into the starting rotation midway through the season, and Jonathan Lockett provide depth down the stretch. 

With Jackson and redshirt freshman Chris Hawkins, the Trojans secondary was the youngest in the Pac-12. But next year, it will be among the most experienced. 

And as Smith noted, it's the same across much of the roster. 

"A lot of young guys and we're not very experienced," he said. "We got our first season out of the way, and next season we're going to be even stronger." 

And as the 2014 class grows stronger, so too will the Trojans. And it won't just be city championships they're after.  

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