USC football linebacker depth: How big of an impact can Mason Cobb make?
With spring practice in the books, we've put out our projected USC football depth chart for the fall. But let's go deeper. Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll release position-by-position breakdowns of USC's roster.
Who is back from last season? Who's new? Who will have the biggest impact? Who's an under-the-radar player to watch? What does the future of the position look like?
We'll answer all of those questions and more.
We started our breakdowns with the quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends, wide receivers, offensive line and cornerbacks. Let's now move to the linebackers.
THE ROOM
USC enters the 2023 season with seven scholarship linebackers. The biggest addition the program made in terms of immediate impact this offseason was signing former Oklahoma State 'backer Mason Cobb during the first transfer portal window. Cobb projects as a starter along with either Shane Lee or Eric Gentry, two players who were with the Trojans last season after transferring in from Alabama and Arizona State respectively.
Behind that group is true freshman Tackett Curtis, who the staff is incredibly high on. Raesjon Davis, a former top 100 recruit, hopes to get more run after playing sparingly in his sophomore season last year. Chris Thompson Jr. and Garrison Madden both project as depth pieces.
PROJECTED LINEUP AND DEPTH CHART
1. Mason Cobb (Sr.) and Shane Lee (Sr.) OR Eric Gentry (Jr.)
2. Raesjon Davis (Jr.) and Tackett Curtis (Fr.)
3. Chris Thompson Jr. (Sr.) and Garrison Madden (R-Fr.)
Gentry had offseason ankle surgery. With a strong fall camp, he could certainly win the starting job alongside Cobb. Last season, USC had four linebackers who played more than 175 defensive snaps and two of those players have since transferred out (Ralen Goforth and Tuasivi Nomura). If defensive coordinator Alex Grinch elects to stick with a tight linebacker rotation, Davis or Curtis may have limited opportunities. The top five names on the depth chart are definitely better than they were last year though, which could lead to more players seeing the field.
2022 BY THE NUMBERS
Cobb (at Oklahoma State): Started all 12 games he played logging 863 snaps on defense. Made 96 tackles with 2 sacks, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.
Lee: Played in 13 games with 12 starts. Logged 623 defensive snaps. Made 78 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions.
Gentry: Played in 11 games with 9 starts. Logged 560 defensive snaps. Made 71 tackles with 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
Davis: Played in 3 games on defense logging 41 snaps. Made 8 tackles.
Thompson: DNP on defense
Madden: DNP on defense
WHAT TO EXPECT
PFF graded USC's tackling as the 85th best in Division 1 last season. That mark obviously doesn't fall solely on the linebackers, but the unit did struggle in that area a year ago. In total, USC had 156 missed tackles last year, ranking No. 120 in the country.
That's a key area of improvement for USC.
Adding Cobb alongside Gentry and Lee and having that trio pushed by Davis and Curtis will lead to good competition in the room, which should be beneficial. USC's linebackers should be better this fall — the room is more talented — but how much better will largely depend on health and how the unit is coached.
Cobb is a massive x-factor. If he can shore up the middle of the USC defense, the unit should improve.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE POSITION LOOK LIKE?
Curtis is USC's linebacker of the future. Earlier this offseason, head coach Lincoln Riley said of signing Curtis in the 2023 class, "if you were drafting the guy with the No. 1 pick, that’s what Tackett was for us."
Ideally, the staff hopes to pair Curtis with 2024 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa down the line. He's USC's top linebacker priority this cycle, but Notre Dame and Ohio State are also aggressively pursuing the four-star prospect.
In terms of the current roster, every 'backer outside of Lee is eligible to return next season. If Cobb and Gentry form a formidable partnership and both choose to stay in school after the season, the duo could be back in 2024.
