“How do they get so open?”
That’s a question opposing coaches will be slamming their clipboards to the turf over as they attempt to defend the exceptionally talented receiver group at USC this fall.
How can a receiving corps remain dominant after losing a force like Michael Pittman Jr. to the NFL? It’s a difficult proposition, but one this team undoubtedly has the chops for. The receiver room features one of the most productive pass-catchers in school history in Tyler Vaughns, a projected second-round pick in next year’s draft in Amon-Ra St. Brown, a 2019 Pro Football Focus All-American third teamer in Drake London, and 247Sports' ninth-ranked recruit in the 2019 class, Bru McCoy.
The beautiful thing about this group of wideouts is that, in addition to being well-rounded receivers, each of them brings something unique to the table — which makes them nearly impossible to stop. It’ll be like watching the Avengers assemble each time they take the field. They will torment opposing defensive coordinators at every level of the field, in every facet of the passing game.
The question for this unit won’t be whether or not they can be stopped. It’ll be whether they can even be slowed down.
Here is how each of USC’s star wide receivers win their routes:
Amon-Ra St. Brown: The Tap Dancer
Amon-Ra St. Brown’s feet are special.
Not good. Not great. Special.
That’s just half of why he’s the tap dancer of USC’s receiving corps, though. Sure, he can foot-fire with the best in the country, but there’s more to it than meets the untrained eye. Tap dancing is an art that doesn’t just take quick feet, but also elite technical ability that is the product of hours upon hours of repetition.
It’s been evident that St. Brown was destined to be one of college football’s greatest route runners since he was in high school dominating 1v1s at prospect camps. Even at such a young age, he was always balanced, always intentional with his movements, always thinking three steps ahead of the man in front of him. There’s zero wasted motion, only flipping hips and stacking defensive backs in an Odell-like fashion.
Tap dancing isn’t something that people become great at overnight. The best of the best are groomed for it, starting their 10,000 hours at a young age. It’s the same with the prodigious St. Brown and route running. Born into a football family, the future early-round pick has been built to torture the ankles of any ill-advised defensive back that dares to cover him.
Tyler Vaughns: The Hooper
I know what you’re thinking: how is Tyler Vaughns the hooper if Drake London is actually on the basketball team?
Three words: style of play. Vaughns plays football like an athlete who was introduced to the court before he was introduced to the field. His movements are fluid. His breaks are smooth. He brings the swag to the USC offense. The game simply looks effortless for the veteran.
The best way to understand why Vaughns is able to win routes so often is to examine the matchup between the wide receiver and defensive back like a game of one-on-one. Many receiver coaches will even teach their players that beating a guy off the line is akin to executing a great crossover — and No. 21 has a bag like Tim Hardaway.
It’s not just at the line of scrimmage, either. Even in getting in and out of his breaks, Vaughns is like water. It’s hell for the defensive back to cover — how can you be tasked with covering a guy who gives little to no indication as to when or where he’s going to break?
On a wing and a prayer, perhaps. There’s a reason why Vaughns will likely enter the top 10 on USC’s all-time receiving yards list this season and why he will be playing football on Sundays next year.
Drake London: The Astronaut
Every quarterback needs a safety blanket, a guy who he knows he can throw to when he’s in a pinch. For Kedon Slovis, that guy is Drake London. At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, the dual-sport athlete is a matchup nightmare in the slot. He has the speed to outpace linebackers and the size to outmuscle safeties. London’s greatest asset, however, is his savviness.
I call Drake London the astronaut because the guy flat out knows how to find space. Corny jokes aside, this is an all-too important ability for a slot receiver, especially in an offense that runs the mesh concept as frequently as USC does. Catching nearly 40 balls in his first season with the Trojans, London seemed perpetually open because of his ability to identify and sit in the weak spots of zone coverages.
This is easier said than done. Coaches will try to ram it into some guys' heads: sit in the pockets, find the open grass. Many receivers just don’t get it. It takes a high football IQ to recognize potential throwing windows for the quarterback while running a route, and London has this in spades. He has both the intuition and the creativity to make the game easier for Slovis, making him invaluable to the offense this year and for seasons to come.
Bru McCoy: The Boxer
Size. Strength. Speed. Agility.
The Mater Dei product has it all. It would be easier to answer the question, “What can’t Bru McCoy do?” than it would be to define all the things he can. With that said, one aspect of McCoy’s game has stood out in the brief glimpses that we’ve seen of him in camp.
His hands.
No, not catching the ball. Everyone and their momma knows he can do that. I’m talking about how Bru McCoy is able to weaponize his hands to absolutely beat corners into submission at the point of attack.
McCoy wasn’t just a highly-touted wide receiver coming out of high school, he was also a top-tier pass rusher. This is important because it demonstrates that he knows how to use his hands. Swim moves, rip-throughs, speed-clubs, these are movements that McCoy knows as well as the back of his… well, you get the gist.
Generally, that interaction between a receiver and a defensive back would go the other way around. Defensive backs are taught to press and jam, to punch and redirect a receiver from his route. In turn, wideouts use their hands to defend themselves and push for leverage. Bru McCoy, however, flips the script and brings the fight to the defender — and because he’ll be significantly stronger than just about anyone who lines up across from him at the collegiate level, that’s a fight that he’s going to win almost every time.
Remind me not to get in a slap boxing match with this cat.