USC football progress report: Amon-Ra St. Brown is set up for greatness

Amon-Ra St. Brown is all set to star for USC football in 2020.

There may come a time when USC football comes into a season without a truly elite wide receiver ready to lead the way. But this is not that time, definitely not with Amon-Ra St. Brown returning for his junior season.

St. Brown is set to be among the Trojans most integral figures for the 2020 season.

The wide receiver is up next in our series checking in on each USC Trojans player…

USC football progress report on Amon-Ra St. Brown

What USC got as a recruit:

St. Brown was among the top prospects in the class of 2018. Ranking 11th nationally, he was the second-best wide receiver available. No other player in California outranked him.

RECRUITING: Tracking USC’s 2021 commits

With two brothers who were already well-established college football players, St. Brown brought an undeniable pedigree. He also boasted the same intense dedication born from workouts with his bodybuilder father and the intellect fostered by a multilingual mother.

What he’s accomplished:

St. Brown made an impact immediately at USC. He was an honorable mention for the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year Award after leading the team with 60 receptions. That number put him in elite company as Robert Woods, Dwayne Jarrett and Mike Williams were the only other true freshman in Trojan history to top receiving charts in a season. The Mater Dei product also put up 750 yards and three touchdowns.

The 2018 campaign was just a stepping stone to bigger things in 2019. St. Brown started 12 times and caught 77 passes for 1,042 yards and six touchdowns.

What to expect in 2020:

With a 1,000-yard season already under his belt, the natural next step for St. Brown is to establish himself as one of the best receivers in the Pac-12, maybe even the country. He has all the tools as a receiver to do it. He’ll have extra opportunities as well since he will have to make up for Michael Pittman’s departure. The Air Raid offense is certainly built to get him as many targets as he can handle.

CHECK OUT: Projecting USC’s depth chart for 2020

Here are some easy predictions:

St. Brown will once again produce a 1,000-yard receiving season. He will vie for All-Pac-12 first-team honors at a minimum. He could garner All-American talk. He could contend for the Biletnikoff Award. Injury alone would derail those statements.

Where he goes from here:

Pro Football Focus ranked St. Brown fifth among receivers in next year’s NFL Draft pool. The assumption that he’ll leave after his junior season is going to stick around with more projections like that.

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Though he doesn’t have blazing speed to wow scouts at the NFL Combine, his crisp route-running, strength and ability to gain separation should make him a prospect worth targeting on Day 1 or Day 2.