Jaylin Smith, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound senior out of Bishop Alemany High School in California, is the “Swiss Army Knife” in D’Anton Lynn’s USC defense because of his versatility. Lincoln Riley had this to say about Smith’s role on the team in his weekly meeting with the media:
He’s a piece that gives us some versatility. We’ve worked him at some different positions throughout camp and spring [and] feel like he’s got the ability to to help us at different places. Certainly it’s been his emergence at corner I think has been a really positive thing for us so far, but I think he’s one of the pieces and we have a few in the secondary right now that we feel like give us some options. So I would imagine that you’ll see him all over the place at various times throughout the year.
He has shown that he can play every position in the secondary: he can play nickelback along with both corner and safety positions. The depth chart for Sunday’s matchup against the LSU Tigers came out his week and he was listed as a starting cornerback. The coverage and run stopping skills he honed in the safety room will make him a physical corner. Players like Smith bring skill and depth to the 2024 Trojan secondary, which appears to be a strength on the team.
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