USC hopes JUCO offensive lineman becomes a valuable depth piece

USC is hoping for a lot of upside here.

Lincoln Riley mentioned at Big Ten media days that the USC Trojans weren’t entirely finished creating their 2024 roster. Not long after that statement, the program gained a signing from a JUCO offensive lineman. Erwin Taomi came from Alaska to Southern California in search of bigger dreams. Playing for USC would certainly seem to qualify as a bigger dream.

At 6-foot-5 and 355 pounds, Taomi certainly has the size and bulk of a lineman who can become a brick wall for opposing defensive linemen. The big question is if Taomi can be light and agile enough on his feet to respond to the speed of the game and create enough quick bursts of movement which can augment his big, physical frame.

Making a move such as this also puts pressure on offensive line coach Josh Henson to develop Taomi and create a ready-to-play player who will be called upon if injuries hit the starting offensive line at USC. If Henson can succeed in that task — and if Henson can more broadly succeed in bringing along this 2024 offensive line — USC’s ceiling will become a lot higher.

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