USC Announces Dates for 2023 Spring Ball and the Spring Game
The USC Trojans will kick off their first of 15 spring ball practices on March 4, with the spring game scheduled for April 15.
Dave Emerick, USC General Manager and Senior Associate Athletic Director for Football, posted the spring schedule on his Twitter account Friday.
USC’s first practice will be Saturday, March 4. The Trojans will then practice every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but pause between Thursday, March 9 and Tuesday, March 21 for USC’s spring break. Times for practices were not announced.
USC’s spring game is scheduled for April 15. That’s a week earlier than last year, which makes sense considering USC’s fall schedule will start a week earlier than 2023 with USC’s Week Zero game against San Jose State. Last year, USC waited to start spring ball until after spring break, which meant the 15 practices ran from March 22 through April 23.
There will likely be a different feel to USC’s spring ball session this year compared to last. In 2022, head coach Lincoln Riley was taking to Howard Jones/Brian Kennedy Field for the first time and quarterback Caleb Williams was still about nine months away from winning the Heisman Trophy with the Trojans.
Williams returns this year for his second and very likely final season with the Trojans.
Spring Additions
There will be 21 new players at USC for spring ball. Eleven transfers and 10 early enrollee freshmen will take the field with the Trojans’ returning players.
Five-star Plus+ quarterback Malachi Nelson is still recovering from surgery to his non-throwing shoulder and likely won’t be available. But fellow Five-star Plus+ prospect, wide receiver Zachariah Branch, will get plenty of attention as a potential instant-impact addition.
Wide receiver Makai Lemon, cornerback Maliki Crawford, linebacker Tackett Curtis, defensive lineman Sam Greene, running backs Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson, offensive lineman Elijah Paige and safety Christian Pierce will also participate in spring ball.
But it’s another group of transfers who will generate plenty of attention through the spring’s 15 practices. Each of the 11 enrolees should have an opportunity to grab a starting spot this fall, especially those on the defensive side.
Defensive linemen Anthony Lucas, Kyon Barrs and Jack Sullivan were much-needed additions from Texas A&M, Arizona and Purdue.
Linebacker Mason Cobb had 96 tackles at Oklahoma State in 2022.
Rush end Jamil Muhammad will help that unit as he comes over from Georgia State.
And veteran cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace, from Arizona, rounds out the defensive additions.
Running back MarShawn Lloyd will look to fill the void left by Travis Dye’s departure.
USC lost three seniors from its 2022 offensive line and adds left tackle/guard Jarrett Kingston from Washington State and right tackle Michael Tarquin from Florida.
And former Arizona State punter Eddie Czaplicki should provide a huge boost at punter and kickoff specialist.
