Special feature by Jonathan Horowitz, USCRipsIt staff writer
When USC quarterback Aaron Corp completed a short two-yard pass to tight end Blake Ayles in the fourth quarter of last year's season opener at Virginia, it represented a new experience for both players -- Corp's first collegiate pass, and Ayles' first collegiate catch.
However, the experience was not all that new. Before they came to USC, Corp and Ayles were teammates for three years at Orange Lutheran High School where they won a California state championship in 2006. Prior to that, they played Pop Warner football together as 13-year-olds. So even though they were wearing new jerseys and helmets, the sight of Corp throwing to Ayles had been a frequent occurrence for several years.
Corp and Ayles have a chemistry that also exists with other Trojan quarterback-receiver combinations. Quarterback Mitch Mustain and receiver Damian Williams were teammates in Pop Warner football as 10-year-olds, at Springdale High School in Arkansas, and at the University of Arkansas before transferring to USC. Incoming freshman quarterback Matt Barkley and receiver Robbie Boyer are cousins and played together at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. And USC quarterback Garrett Green used to throw to Trojan teammate Shane Horton at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., although Horton is now a linebacker at USC.
"I think for the two of us," Williams said about him and Mustain, "and the other quarterback and receiver pairings that played together -- I've seen each of those pairs throw together as well -- I think it's a lot different when you get up there and throw to a receiver you're not really familiar with. It's that trust, that bond that I know where he's going to put the ball [and] he knows when I'm coming out of my breaks.
This year's Trojan football roster USC has former teammates from 13 different high schools and two junior colleges in four different states (California, Arkansas, Florida and Utah). While college football teams unite players from all parts of the country, having high school teammates on the roster provides a degree of familiarity and continuity.
"For the younger guys," Notre Dame High School coach Kevin Rooney said, "having somebody that's been through it all, they can certainly get a lot of good advice from that person. Having this guy there to help advise them in all areas of school life and so on I'm sure is helpful."
Playing with new players all around them and in a new environment, Corp and Ayles found each other. Both of their fathers made the trip to Virginia just as they had done previously for many Orange Lutheran games.
"It was a cool experience to have that transformation happen in our first game," Ayles said. "That gives us something to build off of in these next couple years."
From years of playing together Ayles knows Corp's tendencies. Other receivers might not be as familiar.
"I know how Aaron likes to escape the pocket," Ayles said. "So I'm always going to try to be in his path, which I built through high school because I know what he's going to do. Every time he's under pressure he's going to drop out, so I might as well just get open outside. Just having a good relationship that we built over the last three, four years is definitely going to help."
Said their Orange Lutheran High School coach, Jim Kunau: "Aaron and Blake do have a good chemistry, and I think Aaron has a good feel for Blake's strengths and play-making abilities."
In their days of playing Pop Warner together with the Orange Chiefs, their roles were switched part of the time with Ayles at quarterback throwing to Corp at receiver.
Quarterback Mitch Mustain has yet to complete a pass to receiver Damian Williams at USC, but the two have connected many times over the past 10 years.
"As far as on the field, he's been a huge asset to wherever I've been, and not only just to me, but to the team," Mustain said. "He was extremely good in high school. He did a great job at Arkansas. Last year [at USC] he kind of broke out and took off as soon as he got his opportunity. He's been extremely valuable, and I see him staying that way for a long time."
Mustain and Williams' playing days also began in Pop Warner in Springdale, Ark., when Williams was a running back and Mustain was a fullback.
"That was back in the day," Williams said. "In junior high, we had two different junior highs, and he was the quarterback on one and I was the quarterback on the other.
"But he still threw me passes there, too, because I played safety as well," he joked.
At Springdale High School the two developed a rapport while working out together in the offseason. In their senior year they won the Arkansas state championship with Mustain throwing more than 20 touchdown passes to Williams during the season.
Then when Mustain and Williams played together for a year at the University of Arkansas, they connected for 42 yards on Mustain's first drive in the 2006 season opener against USC. ESPN commentator Todd Blackledge noted the chemistry between the two during the broadcast. The drive resulted in a touchdown.
"Damian Williams -- you can tell he's on the same page with his quarterback," Blackledge said. "He did a nice job. Once he got forced inside, he widened himself back out to stay away from the defenders, and that gave Mustain a nice place to throw the football."
Another quarterback-receiver combination from high school, Barkley and Boyer of Mater Dei, are now roommates at USC. In addition, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Khaled Holmes blocked for Barkley at Mater Dei and could have the opportunity to do the same at USC.
Below is a list of all the current USC football players who were teammates before coming to USC. Thus while members of the Trojan football team have diverse backgrounds, some of them were actually quite familiar with one another long before they became Trojans.
Birmingham (Van Nuys, CA): WR De'Von Flournoy, DE Malik Jackson
Bullard (Fresno, CA): OT Nick Howell, TE Anthony McCoy
Colton (Colton, CA): TB Allen Bradford, CB Shareece Wright
Cottonwood (Salt Lake City, UT): FB Stanley Havili, OL John Martinez
Lincoln (Tallahassee, FL): CB T.J. Bryant, DB Jawanza Starling
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA): DT Jurrell Casey, WR Travon Patterson
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA): QB Matt Barkley, OG Khaled Holmes, WR Robbie Boyer, RB Ahmed Mokhtar
Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, CA) & El Camino JC (Torrance, CA): K Joe Houston, TE Ian Wandler
Mt. San Antonio JC (Walnut, CA): DT Hebron Fangupo, PK-P Jacob Harfman
Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, CA): S Michael Helfrich, WR J.B. Green
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA): QB Garrett Green, S Shane Horton, DE Wes Horton
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, CA): S Marshal Jones, TB Marc Tyler
Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA): TE Blake Ayles, QB Aaron Corp, OL Michael Reardon
Servite (Anaheim, CA): LB Chris Galippo, OT Matt Kalil, WR D.J. Shoemate
Springdale (Springdale, AR) & U. of Arkansas: QB Mitch Mustain, WR Damian Williams
- Special feature written by Jonathan Horowitz, USCRipsIt staff writer
When USC quarterback Aaron Corp completed a short two-yard pass to tight end Blake Ayles in the fourth quarter of last year's season opener at Virginia, it represented a new experience for both players -- Corp's first collegiate pass, and Ayles' first collegiate catch.
However, the experience was not all that new. Before they came to USC, Corp and Ayles were teammates for three years at Orange Lutheran High School where they won a California state championship in 2006. Prior to that, they played Pop Warner football together as 13-year-olds. So even though they were wearing new jerseys and helmets, the sight of Corp throwing to Ayles had been a frequent occurrence for several years.Corp and Ayles have a chemistry that also exists with other Trojan quarterback-receiver combinations. Quarterback Mitch Mustain and receiver Damian Williams were teammates in Pop Warner football as 10-year-olds, at Springdale High School in Arkansas, and at the University of Arkansas before transferring to USC. Incoming freshman quarterback Matt Barkley and receiver Robbie Boyer are cousins and played together at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif. And USC quarterback Garrett Green used to throw to Trojan teammate Shane Horton at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif., although Horton is now a linebacker at USC.
"I think for the two of us," Williams said about him and Mustain, "and the other quarterback and receiver pairings that played together -- I've seen each of those pairs throw together as well -- I think it's a lot different when you get up there and throw to a receiver you're not really familiar with. It's that trust, that bond that I know where he's going to put the ball [and] he knows when I'm coming out of my breaks.
This year's Trojan football roster USC has former teammates from 13 different high schools and two junior colleges in four different states (California, Arkansas, Florida and Utah). While college football teams unite players from all parts of the country, having high school teammates on the roster provides a degree of familiarity and continuity.
"For the younger guys," Notre Dame High School coach Kevin Rooney said, "having somebody that's been through it all, they can certainly get a lot of good advice from that person. Having this guy there to help advise them in all areas of school life and so on I'm sure is helpful."Playing with new players all around them and in a new environment, Corp and Ayles found each other. Both of their fathers made the trip to Virginia just as they had done previously for many Orange Lutheran games.
"It was a cool experience to have that transformation happen in our first game," Ayles said. "That gives us something to build off of in these next couple years."
From years of playing together Ayles knows Corp's tendencies. Other receivers might not be as familiar.
"I know how Aaron likes to escape the pocket," Ayles said. "So I'm always going to try to be in his path, which I built through high school because I know what he's going to do. Every time he's under pressure he's going to drop out, so I might as well just get open outside. Just having a good relationship that we built over the last three, four years is definitely going to help."
Said their Orange Lutheran High School coach, Jim Kunau: "Aaron and Blake do have a good chemistry, and I think Aaron has a good feel for Blake's strengths and play-making abilities."
In their days of playing Pop Warner together with the Orange Chiefs, their roles were switched part of the time with Ayles at quarterback throwing to Corp at receiver.
Quarterback Mitch Mustain has yet to complete a pass to receiver Damian Williams at USC, but the two have connected many times over the past 10 years."As far as on the field, he's been a huge asset to wherever I've been, and not only just to me, but to the team," Mustain said. "He was extremely good in high school. He did a great job at Arkansas. Last year [at USC] he kind of broke out and took off as soon as he got his opportunity. He's been extremely valuable, and I see him staying that way for a long time."
Mustain and Williams' playing days also began in Pop Warner in Springdale, Ark., when Williams was a running back and Mustain was a fullback.
"That was back in the day," Williams said. "In junior high, we had two different junior highs, and he was the quarterback on one and I was the quarterback on the other.
"But he still threw me passes there, too, because I played safety as well," he joked.At Springdale High School the two developed a rapport while working out together in the offseason. In their senior year they won the Arkansas state championship with Mustain throwing more than 20 touchdown passes to Williams during the season.
Then when Mustain and Williams played together for a year at the University of Arkansas, they connected for 42 yards on Mustain's first drive in the 2006 season opener against USC. ESPN commentator Todd Blackledge noted the chemistry between the two during the broadcast. The drive resulted in a touchdown.
"Damian Williams -- you can tell he's on the same page with his quarterback," Blackledge said. "He did a nice job. Once he got forced inside, he widened himself back out to stay away from the defenders, and that gave Mustain a nice place to throw the football."
Another quarterback-receiver combination from high school, Barkley and Boyer of Mater Dei, are now roommates at USC. In addition, redshirt freshman offensive lineman Khaled Holmes blocked for Barkley at Mater Dei and could have the opportunity to do the same at USC.
Below is a list of all the current USC football players who were teammates before coming to USC. Thus while members of the Trojan football team have diverse backgrounds, some of them were actually quite familiar with one another long before they became Trojans.
FORMER TEAMMATES REUNITED ON USC'S ROSTER
Birmingham (Van Nuys, CA): WR De'Von Flournoy, DE Malik Jackson
Bullard (Fresno, CA): OT Nick Howell, TE Anthony McCoy
Colton (Colton, CA): TB Allen Bradford, CB Shareece Wright
Cottonwood (Salt Lake City, UT): FB Stanley Havili, OL John Martinez
Lincoln (Tallahassee, FL): CB T.J. Bryant, DB Jawanza Starling
Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, CA): DT Jurrell Casey, WR Travon Patterson
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA): QB Matt Barkley, OG Khaled Holmes, WR Robbie Boyer, RB Ahmed Mokhtar
Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, CA) & El Camino JC (Torrance, CA): K Joe Houston, TE Ian Wandler
Mt. San Antonio JC (Walnut, CA): DT Hebron Fangupo, PK-P Jacob Harfman
Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, CA): S Michael Helfrich, WR J.B. Green
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, CA): QB Garrett Green, S Shane Horton, DE Wes Horton
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, CA): S Marshal Jones, TB Marc Tyler
Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA): TE Blake Ayles, QB Aaron Corp, OL Michael Reardon
Servite (Anaheim, CA): LB Chris Galippo, OT Matt Kalil, WR D.J. Shoemate
Springdale (Springdale, AR) & U. of Arkansas: QB Mitch Mustain, WR Damian Williams
- Special feature written by Jonathan Horowitz, USCRipsIt staff writer
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