Travis Dye was a special leader for USC. His presence in the locker room and on the practice field was unique. Players gravitated to him and also respected his example of sacrifice and selflessness. Asking new Trojan MarShawn Lloyd to replace Travis Dye’s level of leadership is unrealistic. Dye exists in a different universe in that regard.
The real question surrounding Lloyd, relative to Dye, is if he can be the meal-ticket running back Dye was for USC until he got hurt. Will Lloyd be far and away the best and most important running back USC has, or will he merely be the best of a set of running backs USC can use, with Darwin Barlow, Austin Jones, and Quinten Joyner also making big contributions?
It’s not as though one answer is inherently better than the other. Both outcomes would be good. It might depend on the more specific details of this running back room and how it evolves this year.
Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire wrote the following about MarShawn Lloyd:
“Why You Should Know Him: MarShawn Lloyd is almost looked at as an afterthought when you consider the abundance of riches the USC offense has, but he comes to Los Angeles after a stellar season at South Carolina, and he should help propel the Trojans forward in 2023.”
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