USC Football 2015: Winners and Losers from Trojans' Spring Practices, Game

It's probably the only time of year that USC football fans don't care about the final score.  We're just here to get our post-winter dose of Trojans football.  We finally have something concrete to discuss, even if it is wet concrete.

While we know most of the starters for the Trojans in 2015, the spring has provided us a glimpse into how the team as a whole will shape up next fall.  Additionally, we've confirmed a few speculations while also being entertained by a few surprises.

Let's go through all of the good—and bad—about the 2015 spring practices for the Trojans by naming some winners and losers.

Winner: Cody Kessler

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

No surprise here.  Kessler is the nation's top returning quarterback in 2015.  No returner has more touchdowns passes from 2014, and none has fewer interceptions from last season either.

That all adds up to an exciting future for USC's offense in 2015.

Kessler was nothing short of solid all spring long, and he seemed to be taking the spring game for what it is: a glorified pitch-and-catch session with his receivers.  Even so, he was methodical and accurate, putting up nice stats and even managing to find Christian Tober a couple of times in the end zone to give the offense an early and insurmountable lead over the defense.

It was just a few days ago we were being told just how great the passing game was looking this spring.  We believe it now.  Kessler will be the starter, obviously.  But just how far can he go in 2015?  Based on what we saw this spring, there's no limit to his potential accomplishments.

Loser: Chad Wheeler

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Chad Wheeler suffered one of the most severe and difficult recovery injuries for an offensive lineman last fall: a torn ACL.  The injury happened in the middle of the 2014 season, so Wheeler is still in the rehab stage of recovery.  Unfortunately, that means he's been sidelined throughout the 2015 spring schedule.

In his absence, Toa Lobendahn has filled the left tackle position, and he has been performing well.  Nevertheless, a starting spot that was Wheeler's may be up for grabs.  That's going to be rough on Wheeler, who will now not only have to recover from his injury but compete to get his job back.

That's a tough break, to be sure.

Winner: JuJu Smith

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Worried about USC's ability to catch the ball this fall after the early departures of Nelson Agholor and George Farmer?  Don't be.

While losing two of the top four receivers early to the NFL is never an easy obstacle to overcome, having a guy like JuJu Smith to take up the slack makes it a heck of a lot less painful.

Smith is absolutely a beast.  He catches darn near everything thrown his way, and he has an almost unmatched ability to nearly instantly turn the ball upfield for heaps of yards after the catch.  What's more, his 215-pound frame makes him a powerful runner who can plow through defensive backs.

Smith is only getting started too.  As a sophomore, he's already developed into a leader on offense.  As he continues to mature, USC fans are going to be happy with the results.

Loser: The Defense

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We've already talked about the improving depth for USC, now that NCAA scholarship limits have been lifted on the Trojans football program.  Unfortunately, if there's one spot that the Trojans still lack a bit of depth, it's on defense.

Plenty of new talent is coming in, but most of that won't arrive until the fall.  And since we're talking about the spring, we can't ignore the defense's inability to put up anything more than token resistance against the offense in the 2015 spring game.

Sure, it's not all about the numbers, and it wasn't much more than a game of flag football.  But we still saw a group of guys who were overmatched by their own teammates on most plays, and there was a considerable drop-off in talent between the starting group and the guys down a spot or two on the depth chart.

Hopefully, things will improve dramatically this fall when some fresh, young talent steps onto campus.

Winner: Max Browne

Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press

No, Cody Kessler isn't going to be replaced by this guy (barring a serious injury), but it's a nice change of pace for the Trojans to know they have some depth of talent at the most critical position: quarterback.

And when we say "depth," we mean it.  Browne, based on his showcase this spring (including in the spring game), has proved that he has the skill set to be the starting quarterback of any college football program in the nation.  He's accurate, connecting on over 20 of his approximately 30 passes in the spring game, but he also has the ability to almost effortlessly bomb the football deep downfield.

Browne's performance impressed most everyone watching the game, and social media took notice of his afternoon, as well.

Again, with a guy like Kessler—a Davey O'Brien Award candidate and possible even a Heisman contender—leading the way, Browne will be consigned to a backup role.  But come 2016...