Lane Kiffin Era: A Wait and See for USC

“Can’t wait for Spring practice!”  That’s been the lament all winter long among college football fans everywhere.  Well, spring is here, and so are the sounds of whistles popping off and pads banging against pads.

Perhaps nowhere across the land has Spring practice been more anticipated than at USC, which had been the team to beat in the Pac-10 for seven consecutive seasons under Pete Carroll.

But last year, the Pac-10 title left Southern California for the Pacific Northwest, and so did Pete Carroll along with a sizable portion of his staff.

Except for a few rainy days, you can hardly tell the difference between winter and spring in Southern California.  But that is not the case for the 2010 USC Trojans.

With Carroll gone and the Kiffins and Co. in, there are more than just a few clouds hanging over Trojan football this spring.

First off, there is still the NCAA’s decision on their investigations of alleged violations.  At this point, no one knows if there will be sanctions or their degree of severity.

USC could lose a national title and have to vacate victories during the Reggie Bush era.  But that is in the past and has no effect on the 2010 Trojans.  The NCAA, however, could also decide to impose sanctions on the present program.

No one has any idea if the university will lose scholarships, if the team will be ineligible to compete in bowl games or if their regular season games will be televised.  All that we really know for sure is that USC will play 13 games beginning on Sept. 2 in Hawaii.

Although that Sept. 2 game is five months away, Spring practice starts in just three days, and USC fans are ecstatic despite the clouds hanging over the team and all the unanswered questions.

Nowhere but perhaps in the SEC are there a more exuberant fans base than at USC.  However, that exuberance can quickly sour as we saw last season with two of the worst defeats not only in the Pete Carroll era but also in the history of USC football.

Nevertheless, with the coming of spring, fan enthusiasm is once again in full bloom and deservedly so.  But I must caution against anticipating any sort of overnight revival of USC’s dominance in the Pac-10 or a resurgence as a national power.

Although he has not officially named an offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin has assembled a very credible staff.  But that staff faces many challenges not only this spring but going into the fall.

On offense, the Trojans have lost their No. 1 wide receiver, Damian Williams, the No. 1 tight end, Anthony McCoy, their only 1,000-yard rusher, Joe McKnight, and their top offensive lineman, Jeff Byers, along with Alex Parsons and Charles Brown. 

Except for running back Allan Bradford, none of their replacements really stood out last season.  In fact, the only returning starter on offense who has stood out the past few seasons is fullback Stanley Havili. 

Quarterback Matt Barkley had a good season as far as overall passing yards are concerned but threw nearly as many interceptions as he did touchdowns and took far too many sacks.

So, replacing all those starters will not be an enviable task for Kiffin.  Along with his new quarterback coach, Clay Helton, Kiffin must decide if Barkley’s tendencies that got him into trouble can be corrected soon enough, or if senior Mitch Mustain is finally ready to step in at quarterback.

The task on defense is equally as daunting.  Kiffin’s father, Monte Kiffin, and secondary coach, Willie Mack Garza must replace all their starting defensive backs including USC’s top safety, Taylor Mays. 

A former starter, cornerback Shareece Wright, who was academically ineligible last season, should be available.  But the rest of the positions are up for grabs.  There are quite a few possibilities but no standouts.

Returning defensive line coach, Ed Orgeron will have a slightly easier task as he only needs to replace one starter, defensive end Everson Griffen. 

Linebacker coach Joe Barry from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have all three starters returning: Malcolm Smith, Michael Morgan, and Chris Galippo. 

But injuries and inexperience hobbled all three last season, and no one knows if any of them can step up their play in 2010.

However, there are two things that Kiffin has going in his favor.  The first is the cohesiveness of the staff he has assembled.  The Kiffins, Ed Orgeron, and Willie Mack Garza along with strength and conditioning coach Aaron Ausmus worked together last year at Tennessee. 

Joe Barry worked with Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay, and Lane Kiffin worked with his running backs coach Todd McNair when Kiffin was an assistant at USC.  McNair and passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach, John Morton, are the only two holdovers from Pete Carroll’s staff.

Quarterback coach Clay Helton spent ten seasons at Memphis, the last three as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.  John Baxter, special teams coordinator, comes to USC after 13 seasons with Fresno State, where his special teams gained national prominence.

The other thing that Kiffin has in his favor is the recruiting class that he and his staff managed to put together.  The Class of 2010 at USC is among the best in the nation.  Some experts have even ranked it No. 1.

Two of those recruits, Kyle Prater and Dillon Baxter, are already enrolled and will take part in Spring practice.  The rest, including newly signed offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson, will be coming in for Fall camp.

Just how many of these new recruits can step in and fill immediate needs is the key question.  If nothing else, they should be able to compete and push the returning players to either put out or sit down.

There are, however, just too many questions for USC fans to anticipate a Pac-10 title or even a National Championship like they did when Pete Carroll was on a roll.  We really need to give this staff some time and some space.

Sure, be enthusiastic but don’t anticipate.  If you do, it could be a very disappointing season for you.  It is important not to get down on Kiffin and his staff as they need time to find their way. 

Maybe a year, maybe two years.  Can you live with that?  I sure hope so. 

Don’t go off half-cocked expecting an immediate 11-or 12-win season or get all frustrated if the Trojans don’t go undefeated. 

I cannot say don’t second guess Kiffin and his staff because there will always be second-guessing.  It’s the nature of almost every sports fan but particularly college football fans and especially here at Bleacher Report. 

By the looks of it, Kiffin is on the right track with what he has done so far in the off-season.  Spring practice will tell us a little bit more about his staff and this year’s version of the USC Trojans.  But I’m not looking ahead to any better record than what Kiffin had last year at Tennessee even though the SEC is much stronger than the Pac-10.

Kiffin needs time to grow into his position as head coach of the USC Trojans, and USC fans need to give him that time.  Although the cupboard isn’t exactly bare, it isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with prospects for the 2011 NFL Draft either.