The 2021 USC Trojans have a lot to look forward to. They have an incoming class that will be very active in the fall camp and most likely contributing to the season. Time will tell. This posting is about the QB talent. We have had one departure that was going to be a key figure in the #2 slot for the Trojans in Matt Fink. Matt has been a fan favorite for years and similar to Max Brown he paid his dues and had some pretty amazing games given the difficulty of being a backup. Matt chose to leave USC for a second time to hopefully find a program that he can be the starter and finish out his career. Worked out well for J.T. Daniels so far in Georgia.
Kedon Slovis is our returning QB-1. He has looked amazing in his first year then last year there were obvious (to-the-eye) physical challenges. He seemed to be guiding the ball on his medium to deep throws and almost heaving versus what we saw in his first year with that amazing touch and timing. The staff was tight lip and may have actually hurt Kedon in the short term by not taking him down in a season that had every reason to be careful given the COVID-19 influence. Going into this year all eyes will be on his shoulder strength and ball timing. I'm sure he will be anxious to see who his blindside protector will be as well. An area that I have harped on for Kedon and Harrell to focus on is his pocket time. He holds the ball way too long in my opinion and needs to trust his WR's to run efficient routes so he can stay upright. I saw way too many plays where he got under pressure after holding the ball for 3+ seconds. The O Line is only so good and it hasn't been a core strength.
Mo Hasan transferred into the program and might be the new Matt Fink. Seeing how Kedon took a few too many hits last year and in his first year, Mo will need to be ready. Mo transferred to USC via Vanderbilt. He spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons at Vanderbilt. As a junior in 2019, he started in a win against No. 21 Missouri (his only appearance of the season) and completed 7-of-11 passes (63.6%) for 120 yards and a TD, plus added 34 yards on 9 carries (3.8 avg) before suffering a season-ending concussion. As a sophomore in 2018, he completed 4-of-6 passes (66.7%) for 38 yards and also ran for 45 yards on 7 carries (6.4 avg) while appearing in 5 games. Unless one of the newbies (FR) coming in this season jumps the line via their Spring/Fall camps Mo should be #2 which I believe will get on to the field with meaningful playing time.
Isaac Ward was a walk-on in 2020 he earned 2019 All-State honorable mention and All-Region 8-5A Player of the Year honors as a senior quarterback at Clarke Central High in Athens (Ga.). As a senior, he completed 165-of-273 passes (60.4%) for 2531 yards and 33 TDs with 8 interceptions and also ran for 175 yards on 42 carries (4.2 avg) with a TD. As a 2018 junior, he hit 92-of-183 passes (50.3%) for 1,502 yards with 14 TDs and 5 interceptions and also caught a 64-yard scoring pass. He completed 6-of-13 passes (46.2%) for 37 yards with 1 TD as a 2017 sophomore.
Jaxson Dar made the 2020 Max Preps All-Utah 1st team along with the Desert news Mr. Football and All-Region as a senior QB at Corner Canyon High in Draper Utah. Jaxson was a strong recruit and had a very accurate arm in 2020 hitting on 69.6% of his passes for over 4600 yards 67 Touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. Let's also note that he ran for 1,195 yards just to keep busy. Jaxson may give Mo Hasan a run for that #2 slot.
Miller Moss may be the one. Coming out of Bishop Alemany HS in Mission Hills, CA he has the physical presence and solid stats to go up against Jaxson Dar and give the race to the top spot backing up Kedon Slovis a solid competition. Not as versatile as Jaxson but he showed very well in the camps and on the field. One to watch but most likely a red shirt coming his way so as not to waste a year of eligibility.
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