By WILL BERDINE
Staff Writer
What does the wide range of promising University of Southern California (USC) football players mean for the team’s potential compared to those of other college football teams? According to the team’s website, USC’s  football team just recently pulled off a 38 to 30 win against the University of California (Cal) Bears. This is a vast improvement compared to the beginning of the season where USC would lose by seven points. They seem to be on a winning streak, which could continue or end based on this weekend’s game against UCLA.
That is not the only upward looking trend for USC football. This year is actually the first year that the USC football team can give out football scholarships after it broke some of the NCAA college football rules in previous years, according to CBS Sports. This opportunity allows USC to attract more players to join its football program.
The team also has some big impact players, some of them freshman, which is evident by the statistics recorded on the team’s website. One of the freshmen that stand out is offensive guard Damian Mama from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. The freshman is already an impact player for the Trojans on the offensive line because of his size. The 6-5, 370-pound definitely helps out the team upfront on offense by making big blocks so that the offense can run the ball and allow running backs to find open holes and gain yards. As far as the older key players go on the team, redshirt junior quarterback Cody Kessler has been considered as one of the best quarterbacks ever at USC, thanks to his great statistics, which include 238 completed passes with 2919 yards and 29 touchdowns so far this season. Another impact player for the Trojans is wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who has 1079 yards with 10 touchdowns so far. Agholor has broken records and has definitely helped the team to win games because he will very likely catch the ball and make a big play if he receives the ball. Another freshman player who definitely stands out is Adoree Jackson, who plays both wide receiver and cornerback, because he is already a starter on both offense and defense. Thanks to his talent as an athlete, Jackson has caught many passes and has also made it very hard for the wide receivers on other teams to catch the ball because of the tricky defense and pressure that he puts on them. Quarterbacks think twice before throwing to the side that Jackson is on, and he can also be a big help for the USC team to win games in the future.
The Trojans are one of the most well-rounded and talented football teams in the Pac-12 division. Their team already has plenty of depth with older key players as well as younger promising freshmen. They are also likely to recruit more promising players in the future with the return of football scholarships.