USC Football: 5 takeaways from Trojans in spring 2018

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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Guard Chasz Wright #77 of the Penn State Nittany Lions defends against defensive end Porter Gustin #45 of the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /

2. Porter Gustin could be Pac-12’s top defensive player

Breaking his toe and playing in just four games during the 2017 season, Porter Gustin still managed to flash his brilliance at linebacker. He had just 16 total tackles, but added three tackles for loss which were all sacks. He looked like one of the top pass-rushing linebackers in the conference before his injury.

Now that he’s back, he looks healthy and the coaching staff has been raving about his potential all spring. Head coach Clay Helton listed him as a future NFL standout when talking about his star-studded defense.

Even NFL.com‘s Chase Goodbeard is extremely high on the USC linebacker heading into his final season in Los Angeles, listing him as one of the 18 defensive prospects in the 2019 class who will be NFL stars.

Gustin had 68 total tackles, 13 for loss and 5.5 sacks with four pass deflections as a sophomore in 2016, showing that he gets after the quarterback unlike anyone else and seemingly finds his way into the backfield with ease. If he can get back to that sophomore year form, he’ll be incredibly tough to stop.

USC may be home to the 2018 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

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