USC football news: Strength training in isolation, NFL draft ranks and more

USC football is getting creative with their strength and conditioning program, Trojan draft hopefuls rank among the best and more news for the day.

Like people from all walks of life, the world of USC football is doing what it can to get through the coronavirus shutdown in whatever way it can.

For some NFL draft hopefuls, eyes are still on the prize of a draft selection.

For media looking ahead to the 2020 season, attention still needs to be paid to projections and predictions.

As for the Trojans themselves, they’re doing what they can to keep in shape for the coming campaign.

CHECK OUT: SG Reese Dixon-Waters commits to USC

Those topics and more fill up today’s news roundup…

Strength Training in Quarantine

Devising a plan for USC football players to make it through the coronavirus quarantine without missing a step in their strength training and conditioning took some creativity. S&C coach Aaron Ausmus’ answer? Instagram.

Ausmus detailed on a recent Trojans Live appearance how he created a private Instagram account to communicate with the team, sharing motivational quotes as well as workout videos.

Those workouts may vary from player to player. After all, not all players have the same resources available to them.

A player with a home gym has one template. A player with limited equipment like barbells or dumbells or med balls available has another plan.

As for the guys who “just have a driveway, maybe a garage, some flat space or a park down the street,” there’s a plan for them too.

Ausmus sees his role as being a “solution specialist” for each player in their unique circumstances.

The biggest concern? “Idle time.”

USC’s players need to use it well if they want to be successful in 2020.

Austin Jackson and Michael Pittman in Top 50

Austin Jackson and Michae Pittman made the cut in Joel Klatt’s Top 50 prospects for the NFL Draft.

Jackson checks in at No. 34. That puts him fifth among offensive tackles.

Pittman slid in at No. 46. In a draft class full of outstanding wide receivers, he ranks ninth.

Michael Pittman+Justin Herbert?

NFL draft coverage usually focuses in on mock drafts and player profiles.

Derrik Klassen of Rotoworld approached his draft analysis from a slightly different perspective with a look at prospective quarterback and wide receiver pairings. (With two rules, the players never played together in college and could reasonably be drafted by the same team.)

Michael Pittman makes an appearance in his pairings, with Oregon’s Justin Herbert.

Pittman would upgrade the target Herbert had in Juwan Johnson in 2019.

USC football tipped as Pac-12 favorite

A panel of writers from Athlon Sports considered the question: Who is the favorite in the Pac-12 South.

Two of the five picked USC as the favorite while two picked ASU and one went with defending South champ Utah.

New ways to show off Los Angeles

USC can’t bring recruits on campus to show off the city of Los Angeles until the coronavirus shutdown ends. But that doesn’t mean they can’t bring Los Angeles to recruits.

That’s what USC’s marketing team is doing with a video shared by recruits on Twitter on Tuesday.

USC commit Jay Toia, a four-star defensive lineman, posted the video showing highlights of the Los Angeles scene, from professional sports to entertainment. That’s a pretty effective recruiting tool.