TrojanWire - Byron Moore

Pictures from Sunday's practice

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:03:22 -0800

During 1-on-1 drills, wideout Damian Williams makes a catch against the coverage of cornerback Kevin Thomas.

Safety Ryan MacMahon flies over a tackling bag during special teams drills.

Linebackers Chris Galippo (left) and Michael Morgan (right) push into the blocking sled with coach Ken Norton Jr. urging them on.

Aaron Corp throws downfield to tight end Blake Ayles in 7-on-7 period.

Defensive lineman Hebron Fangupo (middle, white jersey) -- all 330 pounds of him -- leaps through the line to pressure quarterback Matt Barkley.

Freshman defensive back Byron Moore blocks a field goal during special teams period.

Aaron Corp rolls out and looks downfield during team period, with defensive lineman Derek Simmons in pursuit.

All photos by Ben Malcolmson.

Spotlight on...

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:03:10 -0800

See which players had standout performances during Sunday's practice:

- Quarterback Matt Barkley turned in another exciting performance Sunday, especially on one string of plays during 7-on-7 period. First, he connected with receiver David Ausberry on a beautiful 35-yard fade to score a touchdown down the right sideline, eliciting a rousing applause from the hundreds of fans in attendance. Then, on the very next play, Barkley displayed smarts when he checked down to tailback Allen Bradford for a short pass that went for a long gain. Later, on a broken play during team period, Barkley evaded the rushing defensive linemen, rolled right and threw off his back foot to connect with tailback Curtis McNeal for a decent gain.

- Freshman defensive back Byron Moore laid out and blocked a field goal during full-squad special teams drills.

- During team period, tailback Joe McKnight turned a short screen pass into a huge play when he sliced from the right sideline all the way across the field before slipping into the open. It was his second SportsCenter-esque play in as many days.

- On back-to-back snaps in team period, tailbacks Marc Tyler and Allen Bradford broke lengthy runs up the middle -- reaching the backfield untouched thanks to massive holes forged by the offensive line. Each play went for at least 40 yards.

- Playing with the first-unit during 7-on-7 period, walk-on wideout Scott Stephens made a fantastic catch on a slant route against tough coverage from the cornerback.

Moore makes right call in USC

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:48:21 -0800

Byron Moore wanted to be a Trojan. It was his self-described dream school. Yet a late decommitment from USC made it seem like Moore's future wasn't going to be in cardinal and gold. But Moore never turned his back on USC. In fact, what he saw after decommitting reaffirmed his original decision.

2009 USC Football Junior Day: Sean Parker Quotes, Malcolm Jones Offer, Cassius Marsh's Near Commitment, and More...

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:38:04 -0800

Some thoughts on USC's Junior Day:

D.J. Morgan (above) and Dillon Baxter, both commits for 2010 class, are really making a concerted effort to try and recruit players to join the class. Baxter, who's been very involved in the program, reminds me a lot of D.J. Shoemate who also committed early and was vocal early on.

Cassius Marsh, DT from Oaks Christian, was ready to commit at Junior Day but refrained from doing so out of respect of his parents' advice to cool off and think things over. Many still expect him to be a Trojan at some point.

One of my favorite recruits of 2010, Sean Parker, took a break from the FBU camp over at the Coliseum to take in Junior Day. Lot of schools are starting to pick up on Sean and he's getting a ton of offers. The early word is he's looking to go to school out of state, but lately he's been open to staying local and is showing interest in SC. He had this nice quote:

"Just being around the players and coaches on Saturday was incredible. They have so much energy and you get fired up being around them. They have a great football program and who wouldn't want to be a part of a team like that."

One of his best friends and former teammates is '09 commit, Byron Moore, so hopefully that'll provide some pull in bringing in Sean.

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USC offered Malcolm Jones, younger brother of Marshall Jones, over the weekend. He's one of the top big backs in CA (and likely the country) for '10. Personally I think Anthony Barr out of Loyola is a better prospect. Unfortunately it doesn't look like either player will come to SC; many people have Barr as a lock to Notre Dame and Malcolm to Stanford.

Nick Montana, son of famed Joe Montana, was also on hand. Lot of hype surrounding Nick off of name value alone. I personally think he's a good QB but far from being elite. Playing at Oaks Christian on a stacked team in a sub-par league tends to skew things a bit.

Some argue SC needs to take a QB this class, which is valid because there is always the possibility of Corp transferring (I doubt Mustain will transfer again) if he loses the QB battle, which would leave us 1-deep going into the 2010 season. Pete Thomas is a name that is floating around and he was on hand for Junior Day. I'm hoping SC takes the QB process slow and holds off till next year...

Lot of SC leans showed up in Dietrich Riley, Kenny Stills, Randal Telfar, and Ronald Powell. Powell looks like he'll be a lock to be rated one of the elite D-Linemen in the country. SC has been on Ronald since I first started this site. Ronald has mentioned that SC is his favorite school but lot of stuff can happen between now and signing day. Hopefully Tyron Smith (former teammate of Ronald) and the coaching staff will keep his interest level high and turn Ronald into this year's Devon Kennard minus the suspense.

Tevin McDonald, younger brother of '09 commit T.J. McDonald and son of former USC All-American safety Tim McDonald, came down from Fresno to take in the day. SC has been more selective about handing out offers this year and Tevin has yet to receive one, but can change that at the upcoming Rising Stars camp.

Really liking Pete Carroll's approach this year in taking more time to evaluate players. With all the talent in CA this year, we definitely have a shot at pulling in the top class in the nation. Obviously lot of factors will come into play, but judging from the response from Junior Day, it is definitely a great precursor to the Rising Stars camp which has been a big hit for recruits and will bring together the elite talent across the nation.

2009 USC Recruiting Dinner

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:00:57 -0800

Here are our thoughts on the guys that stood out in last nights presentation. Full bios and direct quotes from Pete Carroll after the jump.

John Martinez, OL, 4-STAR
Just a nasty, pancake blocking guard. He can get down field too (a la Jeff Byers). Highlight after highlight he would pull from his guard position, run and then just destroy someone. They want him to play center. He will be a cornerstone of a future O-line group.

Kevin Graf, OL, 4-STAR
This guy is 6'6" and 315 pounds. He looked like the green giant against his high school peers.

Matt Barkley, QB, 5-STAR
Not much needs to be said. #1 player in the country. Big arm. Can read defenses. Dedicated. His eyes were nearly popping out of his head when he spoke to the coaches following Mark Sanchez's departure.

De'Von Flournoy, WR, 4-STAR
Holy cow. Not sure if we have ever seen a highlight reel like his. There were over 20 plays. And not one that didn't go for a touchdown. Very impressive speed and sense of other players around him.

Jacob Harfman, K, 2-STAR
A little shorter than David Buehler but definitely of the same mold (a big, physical kicker). He can do it all — placekicking and punts. He was 3 for 3 over 50 yards and has kicked a 70 yarder in practice. He has incredible hangtime on his kickoffs if anyone ever does decide to take it out, they will be met with the Trojans special teams before getting to the 20. The ball just explodes off his foot.

Hebron Fangupo, DT, 4-STAR
Great penetration up the middle, even while drawing double teams on every play.

James Boyd, DE, 4-STAR
An incredible athlete that was actually the starting QB for his high school too. He is a freaking defensive end! He plays basketball too (and averages 25 points and 22 rebounds).

Devon Kennard, DE, 5-STAR
A prototypical freak defensive end. Hopefully with a more malleable attitude than Everson Griffen.

Frankie Telfort, LB, 4-STAR
He ran a 4.39. He is a cerebral player. He wants to major pre-med. He has a cool name. He has potential to be a really, really special player.

Jarvis Jones, LB, 4-STAR
A mean hitter that doesn't take any wasted steps before blowing up his opponent. Impressive.

Jawanza Starling, DB, 4-STAR
Another mean hitter. He is going to play baseball for SC too.