USC Football: 5 Players Who Surprised Us, 5 Who Need to Step Up

This is a USC slideshow that has one foot in the present and one in the future.

As any Trojan fan knows, 2011 represented a year where USC surpassed all expectations and finished like the juggernaut it was not so long ago.

Conjuring up memories of the Trojans of last decade, head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff had the team rolling at the end of the season, and they are poised to be a national power once again in 2012, when they will be eligible for a postseason bowl game.

But let's take a moment and consider 2011 while keeping an eye on next season.

For the Trojans to turn in a 10-2 season this year, a bevy of players had to step up, and so they did.

In fact, while this slideshow will look at five players who surprised us this year, make no mistake about it—there were many more who could have made the list.

As for the future, the Trojans will need a few players to step up and smooth the path left rocky by graduation and/or early departures for the NFL.

Of course, some of these players are borne of an anticipation that they will be replacing guys like Matt Barkley and Matt Kalil.

Whether or not this occurs remains to be seen.

In the meantime, let's take a look at 10 players who will figure prominently in USC's future, starting with the five who will need to step up in 2012.

No. 5 Player Who Needs to Step Up in 2012: Defensive Tackle Antwaun Woods

The Trojans' defensive line in 2011 just kept getting better as the season progressed, and by the end of the year they were beasts, particularly against the run.

Unfortunately, that stalwart defensive line rotation, especially in the interior, will have to have a major face-lift in 2012.

That's because two of those monsters in the middle of the line, Christian Tupou and DaJohn Harris, will have to be replaced next year.

That will be a major undertaking to be sure.

However, the Trojans have a couple of youngsters ready to make some noise of their own, and George Uko and J.R. Tavai will be featured rocks in the 2012 revamped interior defensive line.

But they will still need help, and that is where Antwaun Woods comes into the conversation.

Woods, a 6'1", 325-lb redshirt defensive tackle from Taft High School in Los Angeles, has all of the things one looks for in either a tackle or a nose guard.

Big and surprisingly mobile, Woods can ease the pain of replacing two very valuable members of Ed Orgeron's line.

The Trojans will need Woods to do just that for the defense to keep progressing in 2012.

No. 4 Player Who Needs to Step Up in 2012: Tailback/WR George Farmer Jr.

There is some uncertainty as to where George Farmer Jr. will play in 2012.

If you ask his coach, Farmer will be a featured running back for the Trojans next year.

If you ask Farmer, though, he sees himself as yet another big-play wide receiver that USC can roll out to make life difficult for opposing defenses.

Either way, Farmer needs to take advantage of his incredible physical tools in order to become a potent tool for Kiffin next season.

Somewhat inconsistent in 2011, Farmer finally adjusted to big-time college football and forced his coach to find imaginative ways to get him on the field late in the season.

Blessed with world-class speed and a physical presence to go along with it, Farmer can be as good as he wants to be.

In 2012, the Trojans will need him to step up and take his rightful place as a major weapon next year for USC.

No. 3 Player Who Needs to Step Up in 2012: Fullback Soma Vainuku

Head coach Lane Kiffin had to reach into his bag of tricks to replace former Trojan fullback Stanley Havili in 2011.

What did he come up with?

Nothing less than a converted tight end in Rhett Ellison, and later in the season, Kiffin tabbed a linebacker, Ross Cumming, to fill the critical position in the Trojans offense.

Ever the genius, Kiffin saw something in these two players that he knew would translate to success on the field.

He was right. Both of these guys were absolute studs for USC this year.

Unfortunately, they were both seniors and will be gone when the Trojans take the field in 2012.

But the cupboard isn't bare by any means.

In fact, the guy who USC thought might be the fullback this year should be ready by the next.

Soma Vainuku, a 6'0", 245-lb battering ram, will have a year of experience under his belt as he enters his sophomore year.

Blessed with 4.6 forty speed and a pair of soft hands, the sky is the limit for young Soma.

For the Trojans to run their full complement of plays in 2012, Vainuku will have to step up big-time next year.

No. 2 Player Who Needs to Step Up in 2012: Offensive Tackle Aundrey Walker

The next two slides represent a bit of pessimism on the behalf of this writer.

Despite fervent hopes to the contrary, most people expect two very important Trojans in 2011 to take their considerable skills to the NFL next year.

The first of these is left tackle Matt Kalil, whom many expect to go as high as the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft.

If so, they will need someone to take his spot (no one could truly "replace" him, after all), and while it may just come down to shuffling players on the line, offensive line coach James Cregg's life could be made much easier if mammoth lineman Aundrey Walker steps up to take a spot.

At 6'6" and 345 svelte pounds, Walker has all of the necessary tools to be dominant at this level and beyond.

Light on his feet and learning technique easily, Walker will be the next big thing on the Trojans line.

Literally.

To make that happen, Walker will have to step up in 2012.

No. 1 Player Who Needs to Step Up in 2012: QB Scroggins, Wittek or Kessler

Needless to say, this is a slide that all Trojan fans hope is unnecessary.

In a perfect world, quarterback Matt Barkley will return for 2012 and lead the Trojans to a national championship while garnering a Heisman Trophy for his efforts.

But in reality, USC needs to prepare for life next year without its marvelous quarterback of 2011.

Which means someone has to step up in a huge way for USC next year.

Whether that someone is redshirt sophomore Jesse Scroggins or either redshirt freshmen Cody Kessler or Max Wittek remains to be seen.

Any of them can do the job, and each brings his own unique talent to the table.

Scroggins probably has the strongest arm of them all, Wittek has the best pocket presence and Kessler brings those "intangibles" that his coaches love.

Make no mistake about it—any of these guys can lead the Trojans to the promised land.

Now one of them will likely have to step up and do it for the Trojans to be where they want to be in 2012.

No. 5 Player Who Surprised Us in 2011: Cornerback Isiah Wiley

The Trojans knew they had a special cornerback in Nickell Robey going into the 2011 season.

Who would play opposite Robey, however, was anyone's guess.

Torin Harris did a nice job until he hurt his shoulder and was sidelined for the rest of the year.

Next up was Anthony Brown, but he broke his leg, and all of a sudden the Trojans were in deep you know what.

Enter junior college transfer Isiah Wiley, a big (6'1", 185-lb) former safety who flashed some skills in camp but was largely an unknown.

Boy, did Wiley deliver.

Providing a big counterpart to the smaller Robey, Wiley did a great job from the moment he stepped on the field.

For his efforts, Isiah Wiley takes the No. 5 spot on this list of surprising Trojans.

No. 4 Player Who Surprised Us in 2011: Linebacker Hayes Pullard

For USC, the future looks awfully bright for the Trojans linebacker corps.

With two redshirt freshmen sandwiching a true freshman middle linebacker, the Trojans are set for the foreseeable future with that unit.

However, if you asked anyone at the beginning of the season, that optimism would have been significantly tempered to be sure.

It was because of the youth in the unit that there were so many reservations.

But that skepticism went for naught once the season started.

A large reason why was the play of redshirt freshman Hayes Pullard.

Pullard played well in the beginning of the season and took off from there.

By the time 2011 was over, he had tied Dion Bailey (more on him soon) for the team lead in tackles and was a force in opponents' backfields.

Though he was a surprise this year, Pullard won't sneak up on anyone as he moves forward in his Trojan career.

No. 3 Player Who Surprised Us in 2011: Linebacker Dion Bailey

Not to slight true freshman middle linebacker Lamar Dawson, who had a fine rookie season himself, but there was no more valuable linebacker than redshirt freshman Dion Bailey.

Bailey, who tied for the team lead in tackles despite missing a game due to a concussion, was simply dynamic for the Trojans.

Undersized at 210 lbs, Bailey used his speed and athleticism to make up for any weight deficiencies he may have had.

Going into 2012, if Bailey can put on some bulk, he will be a force to be reckoned with as the Trojans look to a very satisfying future with their linebackers.

No. 2 Player Who Surprised Us in 2011: Offensive Guard Marcus Martin

Going into 2011, there was no bigger question mark attached to the Trojans than the one regarding their offensive line.

With three brand-new starters and one player (Khalid Holmes) switching from guard to center, USC knew that this unit could be a weak link all season long.

Except for one thing.

Instead of being a weakness, the offensive line just kept getting better, and by year's end it was a strength of the team.

Allowing only eight sacks all year, the only flaw appeared to be run-blocking.

But after running back Curtis McNeal went for over a thousand yards, even those questions rang hollow.

A big reason for the unit's success was true freshman Marcus Martin.

The big (6'3", 325-lb) offensive guard surprised everyone by taking hold of the position and making it his own over some more touted freshmen such as Aundrey Walker and Cyrus Hobbi.

Nimble and surprisingly quick, Martin was dominant all year long and will only get better as he gains experience.

To be sure, Martin was a very pleasant surprise in 2011 for the Trojans.

No. 1 Player Who Surprised Us in 2011: Wide Receiver Marqise Lee

Sometimes it is just better to be lucky than good.

When Lane Kiffin and his recruiting staff waited on offering Marqise Lee a scholarship, it was first chalked up to prudence due to the limited schollies available going forward.

But in hindsight, it now looks like the proverbial "no-brainer."

Still, despite Lee's obvious athletic talent, who could have known the impact he would have on this year's team?

Providing the perfect complement to all-everything flanker Robert Woods, Lee took the Pac-12 by storm by catching 73 passes for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns.

As a true freshman. Whew.

Now, going into 2012, the Trojans possess, arguably, the finest receiving duo in the country.

Not bad for a guy the Trojans waited until the last minute to offer a scholarship to.

Conclusion

Looking back on an incredible year for the men of Troy, there is little to find fault with.

Probably the hottest team by the end of the season, USC has served notice to the college football world that it will have to be dealt with in 2012.

In addition to the five players mentioned here who surprised us, a case could easily be made for running back Curtis McNeal, offensive linemen Kevin Graf and John Martinez, safety Jawanza Starling and a host of others.

Of equal attention could be any one of a number of players that the Trojans will need next year to continue their growth as football players.

To be certain, for the Trojans to find success next year, they will have to continue to grow and mature as a team.

If we look back to a year when the Trojans started their journey back to the top of the heap in college football, 2011 will be that year.

It couldn't have been done without the players listed here who surprised us.

And it won't continue without others stepping up next year.

But it's a great start and one that Trojan fans will look back fondly on.