How USC plans to use DE Korey Foreman early in season

LOS ANGELES — Few existent freshmen are acceptable successful Week 1 to play each drawback of their archetypal crippled successful college. The cardinal is to find a relation successful which they tin get immoderate aboriginal occurrence earlier they are prepared for a larger role.

That’s the lawsuit adjacent for the No. 1 enlistee successful the country. USC antiaircraft extremity Korey Foreman is inactive learning arsenic the Trojans attack their play opener against San Jose State adjacent weekend. But the coaching unit does consciousness similar Foreman volition beryllium acceptable to lend successful his ain way.

“He’s inactive learning the defence connected basal downs, archetypal and 2nd down, but I cognize helium tin bash 1 thing,” caput manager Clay Helton said connected Tuesday. “He tin unreserved the passer connected 3rd down.”

This has been evident passim camp, erstwhile Foreman has breached done disconnected the borderline to harass quarterbacks regularly. Even erstwhile tied up successful blocks, the existent freshman from Centennial High successful Corona is savvy capable to get his arms up and artifact passes astatine the enactment of scrimmage.

That’s the casual portion for Foreman, what comes people to him, though helium continues to hone those skills with extracurricular linebacker Drake Jackson and his antiaircraft linemates. But determination are inactive parts of the assemblage crippled wherever Foreman is adjusting.

He’s embracing the demands of USC’s spot and conditioning program. He’s reduced his assemblage abdominous from 13 to 10% since arriving connected field this summer. Foreman is presently listed astatine 10 pounds beneath his extremity value of 275 pounds, a people that’s been hard to execute retired of the gates.

“My value is similar fluctuating, trying to spot the champion I tin to conscionable maintain. That means trying to devour much and conscionable bash the champion I tin to enactment connected my cardio. Because 95% percent of the clip I’m retired present moving out, everything I enactment into my assemblage is going,” helium said Wednesday with a small laugh.

But that hasn’t stopped Foreman from being effectual successful practices. Where helium needs to amended earlier he’s acceptable for a larger relation is successful his cognition of the playbook.

He feels similar he’s improved successful that country arsenic campy has progressed. As he’s had much repetitions successful practice, determination is little disorder astir what is asked of him erstwhile a play telephone comes.

But there’s inactive much to learn, which is wherefore helium spends astir of the clip erstwhile he’s not connected the tract adjacent to presumption manager Vic So’oto going implicit the play calls and watching his position.

“Now that we’re done with campy and been capable to usage immoderate of those plays, the bulk of those plays passim campy and spot however they are, my assignments and everything else, it’s looking a batch better,” Foreman said. “I’m conscionable trying to crisp it each down.”

It’s a communal concern for different existent freshmen connected the roster. Linebacker Raesjon Davis is successful a akin boat. But USC inactive wants to find ways to get these young players progressive aboriginal successful the play to hole for semipermanent roles.

“They person to play. They’re going to play. What benignant of relation connected defense? It depends,” antiaircraft coordinator Todd Orlando said. “Most of the clip what you extremity up seeing is erstwhile you get into Game 6 oregon 7 those guys, erstwhile they get a mates games nether their loop they truly commencement to instrumentality off, truthful you person to play them early.”