Reign of Troy
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Morning Briefing: Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick Excites, Josh Shaw Is a Cornerback and Other Bullets

ByAlicia de Artola|

Mar 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans tight end Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick (88) at spring practice at Howard Jones Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Three & Out:

  1. Josh Shaw is a cornerback: There we have it. From the horse’s mouth, we now know that Josh “Take One For The Team” Shaw has prepared himself to line up with the cornerbacks this season, at least once his foot is out of a walking boot. What does that mean? The coaching staff clearly has more faith in the thin safety group than the equally thin cornerback group, even with a slew of reinforcements set to arrive over the summer. It helps that a talent like Leon McQuay III is poised to step in at the position Shaw would have been competing for and that Su’a Cravens has such a tight lock on the strong safety position. Comparatively, cornerback presents far more questions marks that Shaw could more easily provide clarity for. Presumably, Shaw’s veteran presence in the unit means the focus will shift to filling just one of the two available spots instead of both.
  2. Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick: Has Steve Sarkisian found his next great hyphenated tight end? Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick was thrust into a starring role this spring with the departure of Xavier Grimble and the injuries of Randall Telfer. The duo has overshadowed him throughout his Trojan career and with both of them out of the way at the moment there could not be a better time for him to shine. Sarkisian praised his focus on Tuesday and playmaking on Thursday. As one of the players with the most to gain this spring, he will be one to keep an eye on.
  3. The 12th Man Bruins A Series: Last year we learned that the rumored series between USC and Texas A&M had been axed, presumably due to the unwritten rule that SEC schools don’t face out-of-conference opponents with a pulse SEC scheduling conflicts. Today we learned that UCLA doesn’t have pulse the Aggies have changed their mind about a potential trip to Los Angeles, opting to schedule a home-and-home with the crosstown rival Bruins during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

They said it:

"– Linebacker Hayes Pullard on his decision to return to USC for his senior season. “I promised my mom that I was going to graduate with a degree. The NFL will always be there.”"

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