Franklin's return delights D-line

Erik McKinney WeAreSC.com

Defensive line coach Jethro Franklin is back at USC and has his position group playing at an extremely high level.

Heading into spring practices, the Trojans were preparing for the most highly anticipated quarterback battle in six years. Finally, Trojan fans would get a clear look at Aaron Corp, Mitch Mustain, Matt Barkley and Garrett Green as the quarterbacking quartet attempted to grab the reigns of the Trojan offense.

Apparently, however, the Trojan defense wasn’t as eager as the rest of us to get a good look at the quarterbacks. Or, perhaps, they were even more excited, as they’ve spent the better part of spring ball examining each signal caller up close, although usually from behind, as the yellow jersey scampers away from danger and another sack.

Under new/old defensive line coach Jethro Franklin, the Trojan front four, or front eight, depending on rotations, has been tremendous thus far. Needing to replace four NFL draft picks in two seasons (Sedrick Ellis and Lawrence Jackson in 2008, Fili Moala and Kyle Moore in 2009), and doing so with just one available senior sounded like a difficult task heading into the 2009 season. But it seems as if Franklin has lit a fire under this young group as they’ve looked very good over the first handful of practices, even showing signs of being downright dominant.

It’s not as if positive results under Franklin’s tutelage are uncommon. In 2005, during Franklin’s previous stint at USC, the Trojans boasted a defensive line of Frostee Rucker, Sedrick Ellis, LaJuan Ramsey and Lawrence Jackson. Those four players totaled 22 sacks in 2005 (led by Jackson’s ten) and all four of them wound up selected in the NFL draft.

Only Averell Spicer remains from Franklin’s 2005 defensive line (he was a true freshman that year), but Franklin said he’s easily settled back into the routine at USC.

“The faces change, but that’s about it,” he said. “Everything else is going as smoothly as ever. The way coach Carroll runs things is actually better for me. The expectation level here is still great. It’s all good.”

Outside of the tremendous amount of special teams work this spring, perhaps no position group’s daily workouts have been more noticeably altered from last season than the defensive line. Nobody is going to knock what former Trojan coach Nick Holt did with the defensive line, but the teaching going on through spring’s first seven practices with the big boys up front is undeniable and, for the younger players at the position, mostly unprecedented.

With only three upperclassmen along the line (senior Spicer, along with juniors Christian Tupou and Everson Griffen), the Trojans must find production from some of their younger players, such as Armond Armstead, Jurrell Casey, Malik Jackson and Nick Perry.

But make no mistake, Griffen is the one guy who needs a breakout year if the defensive line is going to carry its weight this season. No player in the Trojans’ front seven brings as much athleticism and potential as Griffen. But even with 4.5 sacks last season, it feels as if the true junior has never lived up to his tremendous hype coming into USC. And with so many young defensive ends making their way up the depth chart now, Griffen could be facing a make-or-break season in 2009. Luckily for the Trojans, it seems as if Franklin’s arrival has helped Griffen position himself squarely in the “make” column.

“Everson and Jethro are hitting it off,” USC head coach Pete Carroll said recently after a Trojan practice where Griffen recorded several sacks. “Everson saw his level of play from last year and wants to improve on it. He wasn’t happy about it at all and we were very frank about making sure he understood why Clay (Matthews) played so much last season. Obviously Clay was a very good player, but Everson opened the door for him. So he’s very determined to grow up and play like a really big-time player.”

Franklin seems excited about getting to work with a player of Griffen’s caliber as well.

“He’s still a college football player,” Franklin said. “Regardless of what people thought, he still has a chance to do a lot of great things. It’s a process, and he still has two years to improve and get better. He’s right on course.”

But with Griffen, getting him to buy into his potential has always seemed a struggle. At least, until Franklin showed up.

“Jethro is a relief,” Griffen said. “He helps out so much. We’re so thankful for him right now.”

Not only did Griffen praise his position coach for making sure the unit was consistently firing on all cylinders at 100 percent, he added that there was a different approach to practices this season.

“We’re working stuff we’ve never worked on before this year,” Griffen said. “He’s helping us with our footwork, technique, hand positioning, pass-rush moves, everything. It’s looking good. It’s looking real good.”

With Griffen leading the way from his weakside defensive end position, the defensive line has been dominant at times this spring. The offensive line has shuffled players in and out of their regular positions a bit, but it’s not as if their counterparts have arrived intact either.

Armstead moved from defensive tackle to strongside defensive end (a move that looks like it will stick), and Spicer has moved to the vacated defensive tackle spot. But even with that movement, the defensive line (a starting unit that features, Armstead, Spicer, Casey and Griffen) has looked tremendous this spring, posting multiple-sack outings during virtually every team session. Additionally, guys like Perry as well as Da’John Harris, Derek Simmons and Wes Horton have shown flashes already this season.

“The defensive line is playing very quick,” Carroll said. “There’s quickness across the board and it’s showing up. They’re finding their cracks and Jethro has these guys going.”

Franklin is downplaying the production thus far, saying it’s too early to get a true read on the group.

“There’s a lot of youth and a lot of athletic ability,” he said. “We have to continue to grow and learn and develop. We have a lot to accomplish, no doubt, but we have the right people to get it done.

Obviously production during spring ball means little to nothing as far as the season goes, but even in this short amount of time, it’s impossible not to notice the impact that Franklin has had on an immensely important position though just seven spring ball practices.