Waffles, Powerade, bananas, and a five-egg scramble greet Braylan Shelby in the morning. In particular, the USC defensive end enjoys bananas and parfaits. This is only the first meal he may have up to five times a day.
Every bite is a step toward improving USC’s defense, which has been ridiculed.
In an attempt to implement defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s concept for a redesigned squad that calls for bigger bodies and more physicality up front, the Trojans put on weight during their offseason training program. The offseason schedule, according to head coach Lincoln Riley, is a “philosophical change” for the team, which will test its mettle in the real Big Ten conference come autumn.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Shelby gained 20 pounds in the offseason. “The whole defense, [we’re] just having that mentality like we’re going to go out there and we’re going to mess something up,” Shelby said. “We’re going to go unleash mayhem outside and cause havoc.” it is what we must accomplish this year, it is what we must alter, and that is why we must approach things differently this year.
The Trojans knew going into the offseason that their lack of size, particularly on the offensive and defensive fronts, was “the elephant in the room,” defensive end Jamil Muhammad said, despite the fact that they had ended the season with a bang by defeating Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
Muhammad, who led the team in sacks with 6.5 last season and recorded 10.5 tackles for loss, said, “I’ve heard here and there that I’m too small or maybe too weak.” “I took that personally, then.”
Muhammad gained nine pounds of muscle during the winter by eating four or five times a day, similar to Shelby. Muhammad is a 6-foot-1, 255-pound redshirt senior. Shelby noted how much more powerful he feels going off the edge just two days into spring practice. Muhammad was in awe of USC’s offensive lineman, even without pads on.
Muhammad remarked, “It looks different in drills.” “Translating from drills to the practice field or different team periods looks different.” So far, it looks amazing, and I’m excited to watch it develop.
The Trojans have always aimed to get bigger up front. Riley made the same statement prior to last season, when USC made significant additions to its offensive and defensive line. In addition to Muhammad, USC added Bear Alexander, who was listed at 6 feet 3 and 300 pounds the previous season, as well as defensive linemen Anthony Lucas (6-5, 265), Kyon Barrs (6-2, 290), and Bear Alexander.
However, the expedited transfers did not provide miraculous results. USC was 116th in the nation with 186.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Despite attempting to add three transfers to the starting lineup, the offensive line never clicked.
Strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie and USC’s director of sports nutrition, Rachel Suba, went back to the drawing board with instructions from Riley to bulk up. The emphasis on nutrition, rest and recovery was the biggest change for the offseason program, Muhammad said.
“The weights are going to be the same wherever you are around the country, for the most part,” the former Georgia State transfer said while sipping a protein shake right after practice. “It’s really all about the buy-in. I used to have an old coach who used to say everybody does the same thing for about two hours, it’s just what you do with the other 22. I think that’s what we got better as a team.”
The strength staff diligently weighed every player every day. If anyone missed, there was extra conditioning. Watching the numbers tick up steadily became fun, Shelby said.
The defensive line collectively added 340 pounds, Riley said on USC’s “Trojans Live” radio show this week. Freshman defensive lineman Elijah Hughes made one of the biggest jumps, weighing in on USC’s spring roster at 285 pounds, 15 pounds heavier than last year when he flashed his potential with six tackles in eight games off the bench . Alexander added 13 pounds, according to USC’s official roster, and Lucas jumped by 10.
The edict of size doesn’t just stop in the weight room with the current players. Stretching the goal in the coach’s recruiting philosophy, the Trojans targeted lengthy defensive backs in the transfer portal such as 6-foot-2 cornerback John Humphrey, who followed Lynn from UCLA, and 6-3 DeCarlos Nicholson.
Nicholson, a transfer from Mississippi State, lined up with the No. 1 defense at cornerback in a walk-through period at practice Thursday. Jacobe Covington, who started two games last year, was the other starting cornerback as USC must replace four of its top five defensive backs from last season.
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