USC Football: The 14 Most Important People in the Program Right Now
Though the recent NCAA ruling on USC's appeal didn't go the Trojans' way, at least the veil of uncertainty has been lifted for head coach Lane Kiffin and staff.
No longer drowning in the quagmire of the insufferable delays heaped upon them by college football's governing body, Kiffin can now proceed focused solely on the task ahead knowing the constraints he and the Trojans are operating under.
With that in mind, a hierarchy of importance can be established based on the reality of the situation the Trojans are in.
Some of the key individuals in this ranking are coaches, some are players, while others are not under the umbrella of either of those categories.
But all of them are needed as the Trojan football program moves forward.
So let's draw back the curtain and find out who the 14 most important Trojans are.
No. 14: Kennedy Pola (Offensive Coordinator)
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Typically, a football's offensive coordinator would occupy a much higher spot on any list of important people within a college football program, but in this case there are mitigating circumstances.
The name of that "circumstance" is Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin, while occupying the all-important role of head coach, also is a former OC and a bright mind on the offensive side of the ball.
This isn't to intimate that Pola is not important to the program because he is.
Pola is an important part of the process and has a hand in all facets of what Matt Barkley and cronies do.
He also is a critical component in Ed Orgeron and USC's recruiting machine.
But with Kiffin overseeing the entirety of the program, Pola falls somewhat on this list.
No. 13: George Uko
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How does a redshirt freshman defensive lineman make a list of important people in any football program, much less one of the magnitude of USC?
Simple. George Uko has the potential to be a monster for USC at a position that is critical to the success of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin's defense.
He is that good.
Though very young, Uko dominated the recently completed spring session and will be counted on to supply a lot of minutes on the field as he matures toward being the anchor in the Trojans' interior line.
This is not to say that defensive tackles such as DaJohn Harris and Christian Tupoa, veterans and crucial to this year's hopes, are not important.
Make no mistake about it—they are.
But George Uko is the future, and the sooner USC gets him on the field, the better for all concerned.
No. 12: Nick Perry
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Joining George Uko on this list of important people in the Trojan football program is another critical member of USC's defensive line.
If defensive end Nick Perry makes good on his promises of 2011, his impact on the Trojan defense will be enormous.
You see, Perry, who goes 6'4", 260 lbs. and runs the 40-yard dash in a ridiculous 4.55 seconds, has gone on record as saying he will accrue 15 sacks this year.
He is talented enough to make good on that promise.
However, the one thing that can stop Perry from fulfilling his pledge is also the same thing that has derailed him in the past.
The injury bug has bitten Perry before, and in order for him to excel in 2011, he will have to stay healthy.
But if he can stay on the field, he has the talent to get those 15 sacks, and if he does, then Nick Perry will have earned this spot as one of the most important people in the Trojan football program.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 11: Marc Tyler
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Running back Marc Tyler makes this list for a couple of reasons.
First, he is a talented running back who last year ran for nearly a thousand yards and as a big back can fulfill a role that Lane Kiffin emphasizes, which is running between the tackles.
He is also a senior whose experience should be crucial to his role as a leader on the team.
Unfortunately, that "leadership," or lack thereof, is the other reason he makes this list.
At a time when Marc Tyler should be focusing on being the best he can be in 2011, he will instead, at least for the foreseeable future, be planning his defense in two separate incidents where he is charged with being publicly intoxicated and another where he inappropriately touched a female.
What happens next with Tyler is now out of his control, but if he is allowed to rejoin the team, he must not falter again.
USC has enough problems without Tyler contributing to an already shaky national perception that the Trojan program is out of control.
Hopefully Tyler can rebound and make this list for the right reasons.
No. 10: Rhett Ellison
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Though fairly unheralded when he came to USC, tight end Rhett Ellison now finds himself a critical cog in the Trojans offense.
As the most experienced and reliable member of the tight end unit, Ellison is not only a valuable target for quarterback Matt Barkley but also a critical component of an offensive line that is going through a period of flux.
As a blocker, Ellison will be needed to bolster an inexperienced O-line from his tight end position, and his inclusion at that spot will help provide stability as the rest of the line finds its identity.
But Ellison's value isn't only as a tight end.
Also important is his versatility, which at times may find him lined up at the fullback position, where once again his blocking ability can be taken advantage of.
Although his name may not be one of the first that comes to mind when thinking of important Trojans, make no mistake about it—he belongs on this list.
No. 9: Robert Woods
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Beyond the fact that wide receiver Robert Woods is one of the most dynamic young receivers in the nation is that when he is on the field, he commands the attention of defensive secondaries, which dare not leave him in single coverage in passing downs.
By virtue of his receiving that extra defensive coverage, this opens things up for the rest of the receiving corps and, with the talent that USC's skill players possess, allows quarterback Matt Barkley to exploit seams in the now open pass coverage.
When Robert Woods is on the field, the entirety of the Trojan offense benefits.
But that is not the only thing Woods brings to the table.
A valuable and dangerous kick returner, Woods is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball, and the field position that the Trojans enjoy via big returns by Woods cannot be overstated.
All of which makes Woods a very valuable player indeed.
No. 8: Pat Haden
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Some might argue that the athletic director of a major university mired knee-deep in NCAA sanctions should have a space reserved much higher on this list.
Perhaps this writer would have agreed except that Pat Haden, USC's new athletic director, doesn't appear to have much of a stomach for taking on the powers that be in college football.
Although there is validity in Haden's assertions that fighting college football's governing body would yield little in the way of results, there is also a faction that says when injustice is served, it is up to the head man to rectify it.
Apparently Haden isn't that man.
No one is contending that Haden doesn't have the best interests, as he sees them, of USC in mind, but there are those who question why he isn't standing up for the Trojans when it is obvious that there were serious flaws in the NCAA's case that might have found relief for the Trojans in a court of law.
Of course, as Haden contends, sometimes you have to just cut your losses and move on.
To battle the NCAA in a court of law would just engender ill will and probably would be a fruitless effort anyway.
Maybe so, but in the words of a wise person, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
With Haden's lack of will to stand up to college football's ogre, no truer words have ever been spoken.
No. 7: Matt Kalil
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In 2011, no unit has more concern attached to it than the Trojans' made-over offensive line.
In the O-line, only one starter returns that played at his position last year.
That lineman is left tackle Matt Kalil.
With the Trojans replacing so many players on the line, it is critical that Kalil plays and plays well.
Not only will his experience be much of the glue that holds the inexperienced line together, but he has the crucial job of protecting quarterback Matt Barkley's blind side.
Fortunately, Kalil is a very talented lineman, one who is expected to be drafted very early should he come out for the NFL draft after this year.
But for as long as he remains a Trojan, Matt Kalil will be a very important member of the USC football program.
No. 6: James Cregg
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As mentioned in prior slides, the Trojans offensive line will carry the most concern with it going into the 2011 season.
The man responsible for somehow forming a solid unit is none other than offensive line coach James Cregg.
With only the aforementioned Matt Kalil returning at his 2010 position, Cregg must deal with a position switch (Khaled Holmes to center), a true freshman at right guard (Cyrus Hobbi) and relative inexperience everywhere else.
A daunting task, to be sure, but Cregg has the know-how and personality to get it done.
If he can't, 2011 promises to be a very long year for Matt Barkley and the Trojan offense.
Which is why James Cregg is a very important Trojan indeed.
No. 5: Russ Romano
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Russ who?
Well, this little-known member of the Trojan staff may just be one of the most important.
You see, Russ Romano is the head athletic trainer at USC.
With the Trojans, already depleted depth-wise, having so many players returning from injury, Romano and his staff are sure to be busy in 2011.
It will be crucial that banged-up Trojans are made ready for the field of play in an expeditious manner this year, and it will be up to the USC training staff to accomplish this mission.
For the Trojans to be successful in 2011, they must be healthy, and this is why Russ Romano is a very important member of the USC football program.
No. 4: Monte Kiffin
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Last year Monte Kiffin was a target of disgruntled Trojan fans whose ire was raised by the defense's inability to exert its will with any consistency in 2010.
Never mind that Kiffin has long been considered both a genius and an innovator of gridiron defenses for decades.
Those who knew Kiffin said that given another year in the system, the improvement in the defense would be dramatic.
They may very well be right.
Although it is far too early to be sure, the Trojans defense certainly looked better in the spring.
The Trojans played faster in the recently completed spring session, and the "lost look" that dominated last year's play seems to be a thing of the past.
However, there is still uncertainty in some units with former middle linebacker Devon Kennard returning to defensive end and Chris Galippo taking his place on a permanent basis.
In addition, other decisions still need to be made with the other linebackers, and final depth chart decisions need to be made elsewhere.
Does this make Monte Kiffin an important member of the USC football program?
Damn right it does.
No. 3: Ed Orgeron
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Beyond the fact that Ed Orgeron is a fantastic defensive line coach, he is also responsible for an aspect of USC football that will be under tremendous stress for the next three years, that being recruiting.
With the NCAA's recent denial of the Trojan appeal to, among other things, reinstate 15 scholarships over the next three years, USC will be operating with manacles of having 40 percent of the typical allotment of scholarships removed.
How the Trojans negotiate these next three years will be largely up to the skill of Orgeron and Lane Kiffin.
Fortunately for the Trojans, Orgeron is a master recruiter with a deft eye for talent.
So in addition to Orgeron's obvious abilities as a coach, he will be crucial to USC surviving the next three years with less resources to bring in talent.
All of which makes Ed Orgeron a very important member of the football program.
No. 2: Matt Barkley
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There is little need to convince Trojan fans of how important quarterback Matt Barkley is to the USC football program.
A starter since his arrival as a true freshman, Barkley has lived up to all of his press clippings as a heralded signal caller at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA.
Blessed with an incredible arm and football savvy, Barkley needs only to find a bit more consistency to be considered one of the very best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the nation.
In 2011, Barkley will need help from the reconstituted offensive line to be at his best.
If the O-line performs well, Barkley, along with his talented crew of skill players, can take the Trojans back to the lofty heights they enjoyed not so long ago.
No. 1: Lane Kiffin
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Of course, it all begins and ends with the head honcho.
As Lane Kiffin guides the Trojans for the foreseeable future, the fortunes of this proud program will be almost completely under the auspices of his guidance.
Which is good because Kiffin knows what he is doing and, more importantly, what he is trying to achieve.
Having been there during the salad days of Pete Carroll's regime, he knows what this university is capable of in terms of football excellence.
It won't be easy though.
The NCAA has seen to that.
How Kiffin steers through the immediate three years of sanctions and the following years of restocking the Trojans will be a measure of the faith that has been placed in him by the administration, as well as the legion of USC fans who live and die with their boys every Saturday.
For the vast majority of Trojan fans, that faith has already been justified by the prep talent that Kiffin (and Orgeron and company) has attracted to USC despite the burden that the NCAA placed on USC by dragging its feet before ultimately getting the punishment of the Trojans wrong.
But no matter how much faith is placed in him, it will be up to Kiffin to get the job done.
And that makes him the most important person in the USC football program.
By far.
Conclusion
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This list is just one person's opinion of who the 14 most important people in the Trojan football program are.
Of course, there are many others who may be equally or more critical to the fortunes of USC in 2011.
To be certain, players such as T.J. McDonald, Nickell Robey and others deserve to be ranked as important people in the program, and when all is said and done, there may be no other player as important as linebacker Chris Galippo, who now assumes the anchor spot of a unit that will welcome two new starters with Devon Kennard's move back to defensive end.
All of the coaches who were left off this list are important as well.
Specifically, John Baxter, the Trojan special teams coach who will be breaking in two new kickers, probably should have had a spot on this list.
For fans of the Trojans, all of these people and others not listed are important to them, and they, like myself, are well aware of how critical they are to USC's success.
Hopefully those who didn't make the cut will play so well that they will force their way onto the next list.
That's a situation that would make Trojan fans very happy, to be sure.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
