All-number greats on Trojan roster and more USC football news

Which players on the Trojan roster have the chance to be the best to have ever worn their number? Plus USC football news from around the web.

Can’t get enough USC football and basketball news? We’ve got your morning dose of all the best content from around the web concerning the men of Troy.

1st & 10:

First Word… USC’s updated 2016 roster revealed and an exciting number change for one of the Trojans most promising young defenders.

Cameron Smith will now wear No. 55, leaving his No. 35 behind.

Last year, we at Reign of Troy took on the daunting task of naming the best Trojan for each jersey number from 1-99, with Junior Seau holding the title of USC’s greatest No. 55.

As a result of the number change, Smith takes on the immense historical weight of that jersey and faces the daunting, if not impossible, task of earning a place among the greatest of those to wear that special number.

Which raised another question: Who on USC’s current roster is most likely to become the best to have ever worn their number?

When he wore No. 35, Smith had a great shot of being just the man. Scott Ross, an All-American and three-time All-Pac-10 selection, holds the current title for that jersey but Smith might have made a run at claiming top honors.

Adoree’ Jackson is a supreme talent who will be remembered in the No. 2 but he joins an elite group of deuces including Robert Woods, Steve Smith, Taylor Mays and Morley Drury.

JuJu Smith-Schuster’s No. 9 may always be associated with Marqise Lee, though he could make a case for the number title if he completes his pursuit of USC’s receiving records.

Should Max Browne win the starting quarterback job his No. 4 is a prime candidate for new glory. It’s the only one of numbers 1-14 without an All-American attached to it. Browne would have to surpass the legacy of two-time All-Pac-12 first teamer Kevin Ellison though.

By comparison, Sam Darnold’s No. 14 has featured three All-Americans — punter Tom Malone, safety Artimus Parker and 1930s guard Aaron Rosenberg.

And Ten USC Football and Basketball News Links…

1. “5 Reasons Ronald Jones II is a dark horse Heisman candidate” (Reign of Troy)JuJu Smith-Schuster and Adoree’ Jackson may grab the headlines, but we lay out the reasons Ronald Jones II is USC’s best chance to get into the Heisman conversation this season from position, to class status and more.
2. “Catch passes from the USC WRs’ point of view” (Fox Sports)USC athletics released a video of Trojan receivers catching footballs with GoPro cameras strapped to their helmets. It’s must-watch.
3. “Top 5 USC NFL draft prospects for 2017” (ESPN)Zach Banner, Justin Davis, Adoree’ Jackson, Damien Mama and JuJu Smith-Schuster feature among USC’s top draft prospects next year. Unfortunately, three of the five are juniors.
4. “Trojans still in the mix as prospects trim lists” (USCFootball.com)Shotgun Spratling runs down the wave of players who named USC among their top teams recently, including Breyon and Brandon Gaddy, Marvin Wilson and Jordan Wright, from the football side of things, as well as RaiQuan Gray for basketball.
5. “Mailbag: What should we expect from Jack Jones?” (Reign of Troy)This week’s mailbag looks at Jack Jones’ potential impact, likely wins and losses on the year, and the road to matching Alabama’s physicality.
6. “Robey serving as mentor to Seymour” (BuffaloBills.com)The Trojan Family is alive and well in Buffalo. Nickell Robey has become a mentor for rookie Kevon Seymour in the NFL just as we was when the two were at USC together.
7. “The Recruiting Game Part 1: Commitment” (CFB Huddle)Josh Webb dives deep into the world of recruiting, specifically the process of committing, in Part 1 of a three-part series. It includes USC-centric anecdotes on Lane Kiffin’s targeting of the young David Sills.
8. “J.T. Daniels talks USC, WSU offers and upcoming trips” (Scout)Even though USC has a commitment from 2018 QB Matt Corral, the Trojans offered Mater Dei 2019 quarterback J.T. Daniels. He talked to Greg Biggins about the offer, calling it an honor.
9. “4-star DT Hansard in no rush with his top 9” (Bleacher Report)Fred Hansard told Damon Sayles he intends to unofficially visit USC before the summer is over. He named the Trojans in his top 9 last week.
10. “Making five bold predictions for 2016” (CBS Sports)Ben Kercheval’s predictions don’t reference USC directly, but he expects the Pac-12 to fail to produce a 10-win team this year. He also thinks the Heisman winner won’t be a running back or a preseason favorite at quarterback. If that’s the case, USC would have several potential candidates including Max Browne, Smith-Schuster or Jackson.

Stat of the Day:

Five of the last nine Heisman winners were underclassmen.

Social Media Snapshot: