The USC Trojans’ offensive line is supposed to be good this year … as long as injuries don’t hit.
That’s the thin, frail branch this team will walk on in 2022. The starters up front are expected to be superb. The reality of football, though, is that injuries happen, and USC does not have a lot of depth.
Against this backdrop, Lincoln Riley felt confident enough to declare that four of the five starting positions on the 2022 offensive line are spoken for. Only one spot is still up for grabs. These six players simply cannot miss a lot of snaps in big games and big moments during the season.
Lincoln Riley essentially confirmed that Andrew Vorhees (LG), Brett Neilon (OC), Justin Dedich (RG) and Jonah Monheim (RT) have earned starting spots on USC’s offensive line.
Bobby Haskins and Courtland Ford are still battling at LT.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) August 20, 2022
One obvious question: Should USC fans be worried that Bobby Haskins, a veteran offensive lineman who transferred from Virginia, has not secured a starting spot?
Reasonable minds can disagree, but I don’t think it’s that much of a problem right now. Keep in mind that Haskins was not healthy in the spring. His process of adjusting to a new situation at USC is a little behind schedule. If Courtland Ford starts against Rice, Haskins should still get plenty of work in what is expected to be a blowout. The main thing is for Ford and Haskins to develop and improve, so that whoever starts, USC is in good shape at left tackle.
Also keep in mind that if one of the two gets injured, the other can take over starting duties.
What really matters is for the other backup offensive linemen to grow, get some work against Rice, and become decent options in case the injury bug hits.
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