Tahj Washington makes a scrimmage statement

USC is coming into the 2021 season with just one wide receiver with any notable production while wearing cardinal and gold. Now, that one receiver is probably the best in the conference and one of the best in the country in Drake London. But finding a supporting cast around him was a priority for this fall camp, and that question might have been answered during Saturday’s scrimmage by the play of Tahj Washington.

Washington was the very first player head coach Clay Helton mentioned as having a standout performance and the redshirt sophomore from Marshall, Texas earned that praise.

“Tahj Washington, I thought had a hell of a day,” Helton said. “Really made plays all over the field.”

Washington first started making waves shortly after his transfer from Memphis by his play during player run practices over the summer. Quarterback Kedon Slovis raved about him, claiming he might not have a weakness as a receiver. His fall camp started off with a bang, but that momentum appeared to fade a bit through the middle part of camp and, with Gary Bryant Jr. still sidelined due to a hamstring injury, there was a growing concern about that position coming into Saturday’s second and final scrimmage of fall camp. Washington’s stellar performance during the scrimmage, where he turned multiple short passes into big gains and also made plays down the field, provided another glimpse that he can be a consistent weapon for the Trojans this fall.

“We’re trying to find those other options, other than one-five,” Helton said of London, who wears jersey No. 15. “I thought Tahj really stepped forward and did that for us and really showed himself as a guy that can be an every-down guy.”

Helton said Washington struggled in the first scrimmage and motioned to the Coliseum surrounding him when adding that playing in this stadium for the first time can do that to a player.

“His comfort level was just night and day,” Helton said. “We have to find more of those guys that are in that position.”

Washington brings that type of “oooh” speed and agility where fans launch out of their seats as soon as he beats the first tackler. He’s virtually guaranteed to have at least one instance this season that leaves blockers and tacklers strewn from sideline to sideline all over the field. And he brings some much needed experience to the wide receiver group, with 43 receptions last season as a redshirt sophomore.

The wide receiver position for the Trojans is a talented one. Again, London skews that a bit, but all the available options have flashed this fall, including Kyle Ford, who is returning from an ACL injury that cost him the 2020 season, Colorado transfer K.D. Nixon, John Jackson III and true freshmen Michael Jackson III and Joseph Manjack IV. Bryant is a known commodity and will be tossed in the mix when he’s back to full health and true freshman Kyron Ware-Hudson is just getting going after being slowed virtually all of camp with an injury.

Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has talked about wanting a rotation at wide receiver, but has also been clear that if the athletes USC typically has at the top of the receiver depth chart can carry the load, that works as well. The past couple of years, that quartet of Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Drake London did just about all of the heavy lifting. USC’s No. 5 wide receiver caught just six passes in 2019 with those four on the roster. In 2020, with Pittman gone and Bru McCoy moved up in the pecking order, USC’s No. 5 wideout (Bryant) caught just seven passes in five games.

Getting someone like Washington established will be critical to Slovis’ ability to develop consistency with his targets. Still, it looks like there could be more of a rotation out wide this year than the past two.

“I think it’s going to be by position,” Helton said when asked about rotating at receiver. “Drake is a high rep count guy, but he’s going to need air at some point in time. And then there will be maybe other positions that are 50-50 depending on who it is and how their production is going and their health and things like that. I do think it’s a little bit different than we were last year when you had really four true veterans out there. You’re probably going to have to have a little bit more rotation maybe at the other three positions.”

Helton said he could see using “a multitude of guys early” as the Trojans make their way through the season.

Slovis and London will be headliners for this USC offense, but establishing a second receiver early on could be a key to the entire season. Finding even an average running game this season will provide a significant boost to this Trojan offense, but defenses also can’t be allowed to roll coverage to London and significantly limit the USC passing game. If Washington can carry this momentum and comfort level in the offense with him through the next two weeks and into the season, the USC offense will have an explosive option ready to hit the ground running.