Is Marqise Lee or Sammy Watkins Best WR Threat to Win 2013 Heisman?
(Randy Chambers | Bleacher Report )

As for Lee, well, nobody can even name the USC starting quarterback, and once he’s announced, most of the college football world won’t know much about him. Lee is in a rare situation, as he doesn’t have a legitimate quarterback at the moment, and there certainly aren’t any with a big name. Unless a USC quarterback has a Johnny Manziel-type season, there is no chance at a Heisman, which plays into Lee’s favor. Without any type of buzz entering the season, this award is a mountain to climb.

Looking ahead to the 2014 NFL Draft
(Kevin Gemmell | ESPN Pac-12 Blog )

USC wide receiver Marqise Lee is the highest rated Pac-12 player, checking in at No. 3 behind No. 1 Jadeveon Clowney and Teddy Bridgewater. Kiper on Lee: “That USC had several good weapons in the passing game last season didn’t stop defenses from paying extra attention to Lee, but it didn’t matter. He has the ability to separate with speed and as an effective route-runner. He’s dropped a few easy ones, but makes most routine catches and can play bigger than his size. Dangerous after the catch. He’s also physical and could’ve been a top safety if he’d chosen that direction.”

Father-daughter team aims to bring USC a national title in water polo
(Diane Pucin | LA Times)

Vavic, who has coached the USC men’s team to five straight NCAA titles, including last year when the Trojans were undefeated, is aiming for title No. 4 with the women this weekend. On Monday a Times photographer wanted Jovan and his daughter Monica, a USC sophomore who has scored 71 goals this season, to leave the pool and go over to the USC cinema building for some portrait photos. “No, here,” Jovan said on the pool deck as Monica tapped her foot. Jovan Vavic doesn’t lose many arguments but he capitulated when it was explained it would be a better picture because the pool was surrounded by construction. But Jovan had a parting shot to his 19-year-old daughter. “You’ll swim extra afterwards,” Jovan said. Even if she scowled at that “punishment,” one suspects Monica Vavic will always swim extra. Top-ranked USC (24-1) opens NCAA Championship play Friday at Harvard against eighth-seeded Pomona-Pitzer.

No. 1 USC One Stroke Back After NCAA West Regional First Round
(USCTrojans.com)

Freshman Annie Park fired a 4-under 67 to lead No. 1 USC to second place after the first day of the 2013 NCAA Championships West Regional at the Stanford (Calif.) G.C. on Thursday (May 9). USC, coming off a win at the Pac-12 Championships for its school-record tying fifth victory of the season, combined for a 6-over 290, one back of first-round leader Vanderbilt (289). The tightly bunched top 8 is rounded out by Purdue in third (291) and followed by Oregon (292), Baylor (295), Georgia and South Carolina (296) and California (297).

Tweets of Note

#USC coaches at Centennial High School paying special attention to corner John Plattenburg.

— Gerard Martinez (@gmartlive) May 10, 2013

#Wisconsin and #Wazzu have offered #USC commit Tashon Smallwood from Fresno (Calif.) Central East.

— Adam Gorney (@adamgorney) May 10, 2013

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

With the Trojans not tackling in today’s spring game, the gameplay reverted itself to something reminiscent of 7-on-7 drills. Per Rich Hammond of the OC Register, USC had 467 passing yards to a dismal negative-13 yards on the ground. With that said, it makes sense that the three stars of the game all found their success as part of the Trojans’ aerial attack.

Third Star: WR Nelson Agholor
The soon-to-be sophomore had seven catches for 116 yards and two scores during the spring game, but it was how he got those yards that made him effective. Agholor scored the first touchdown on a deep ball from Max Browne in the second quarter, as he beat his defender deep, while changing direction mid-route to stay in line for Browne and elude multiple defenders. Later in the quarter, Agholor caught a fade route from Cody Kessler and used to a Madden-esque juke move to his right to waltz into the endzone, though he was ruled down by contact when Hayes Pullard put a finger on him inside the 10-yard line as he spun.

Second Star: WR Marqise Lee
Lee grabs the second star because, well, he was the best player on the field. The Heisman candidate had eight catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns, with both scores worthy of highlight reel time. In his first pass from Kessler, Lee burned the Trojans’ secondary for a 15-yard cushion around him for Kessler to throw into. Then, in the third quarter, Lee climbed the ladder in the endzone despite being held by Anthony Brown to haul in a tremendous pass from Max Wittek. All day long, when Lee wanted to make a play he did, and it’s all worth noting that this comes with Lee still not entirely 100 percent after suffering a leg injury earlier in the spring.

First Star: QB Cody Kessler
Give Kessler the top star and MVP due to his ability to play mistake-free football and put up solid numbers despite the Trojans giving up a total of 12 sacks on the day. Kessler was 15 of 22 for 242 yards and three touchdowns, and put his passes on the money nearly every time. Unlike Wittek, Kessler’s passes were never in jeopardy of being intercepted and his comfort in the pocket seems to only improve as time progresses. He might have the best touch on the ball since Matt Leinart, as he’s able to feather the ball into the right spot both safely and routinely. Despite lacking the total arm strength of Wittek, his 70-yard touchdown pass to Lee in the first quarter showed that he can make the throws necessary to be the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

Marqise Lee became the most recent Trojan to be honored with All-American status in 2012, and today, his athletic accomplishments have been enshrined in the form of a plaque on All-American Walk, a wall that honors USC’s all-time greatest Trojans.

As a sophomore, Lee had 118 receptions for 1721 yards and 14 touchdowns en route to becoming not only a consensus Al-American, but also USC’s first ever Biletnikoff award winner. His most prolific performance came in the Trojans’ loss to Arizona where he torched the Wildcats for 345 yards and 2 touchdowns from 16 receptions.

“I have a lot of work to do, and I am going to step up to it, to make sure that I live up to being on the wall,” Lee said of his accomplishment.

Lee is expected to lead USC’s aerial assault in 2013, this time aided by young Trojans Nelson Agholor and Steven Mitchell, among others.

He and the rest of the team return to Howard Jones Field on Tuesday at 4 p.m. to resume spring camp, having had a week off for spring break. Before the break, Lee had sat out a week of practice because of having dinged his knee in USC’s first scrimmage of camp. He has since received the green light, and is expected to participate in drills today.