College Football Insider Emphasizes USC Trojans' Biggest 'Weakness'

“I was concerned before we learned that the NCAA denied DJ Wingfield’s appeal for another season of eligibility. That situation is still up in the air — Wingfield has hired an attorney and will push for an injunction from the court — but USC must go forward assuming the veteran guard won’t be eligible,” Kartje wrote.

When coach Lincoln Riley was asked about Wingfield's status prior to fall camp, Riley gave the audience all that he knows, and it's not much.

"We have no specific updates on DJ right now," Riley said. "The process is ongoing right now. I wish I could comment a little bit more, but we've got to let that play out."

Wingfield remains one of the strongest players on the line at Purdue before transferring to USC and has led the offensive line for the past few seasons. Kartje believes that based on their offensive line room, changes to Wingfield's spot is doable, but will take time.

“What does that mean for a line that was already thin?” Kartje asked. “My expectation is that Tobias Raymond would shift inside to right guard, while Justin Tauanuu slots in at right tackle. But count on many combinations being tested over the next month.”

Tobias Raymond, the redshirt freshman offensive tackle, stepped into a larger leadership role with the offensive line and performed to higher standards -- earning a start in the Trojans Bowl game against Texas A&M.

"I think that was really big for me. You've got to get your first start at some point, so it was nice to get it last year rather than hopefully this year. That was my first full game of playing. It's a lot different than going in for the second half. Being in the whole game, it helped slow things down, which was nice," Raymond said after a USC spring practice.

As Raymond consistently competes for a starting role on the line, he emphasized that competing against guys older than him is hard, but pays off.

"It still feels weird to say. I feel like it went by fast. It's definitely a different role because I'm one of the older guys now, which is nice, but it's weird at times to realize that. There aren't many guys older than me now. It's always fun playing football with your guys, but when you're competing for a spot, it's way different," Raymond said.