De'Von Flournoy's career stat line reads: one tackle.
The next time the USC redshirt junior wide receiver makes a catch in a game, it'll be the first. And there's a good chance that it could happen in 2012.
With Robert Woods and Marqise Lee inked as the Trojans starting wideouts, Flournoy is in the middle of one of the hottest position battles currently in spring practice -- the third wide receiver spot.
Flournoy is currently battling with sophomore George Farmer and redshirt freshman Victor Blackwell and so far this spring the elder statesmen of the Trojans receiving corp. hasn't looked anything like a player who will enter the 2012 season with no career catches.
In fact, he's emerged as a leading candidate to land the job over Blackwell, who head coach Lane Kiffin says needs to be more consistent, and Farmer, who's missed the past four practices before returning Tuesday only to leave after once again aggravating a strained hamstring.
"I feel more confident in the playbook, more confident in myself and my technique," Flournoy said. "Like I always say, I'm the oldest wideout here, so it's time for me to show out and catch up to the other guys and show that I have what it takes to be on the field with them."
His first few years on campus haven't been easy to deal with. He played in just four games as a freshman in 2009 and in 2010, as a sophomore, he was redshirted by Kiffin. Last season, he appeared in just six games and recorded the first stat of his career, a tackle on special teams against Stanford.
Now, more mature, he's able to realize how he got to where he is today after being named an All-American at wide receiver by several entities after his senior season at Lake Balboa Birmingham High School.
"Any person that comes into college, you want to play off the bat, as soon as you get here, but reality checks come fast. I wasn't in the playbook like I should be. I thought I was but I really wasn't but now coming on later, I actually understand football now," Flournoy said. "It's a difference between running a route and knowing what to do and actually understanding it. Now I understand it. I understand why Coach Kiffin redshirted me. He wanted me to be stronger, bigger and more confident in myself."
When USC scrimmaged at the Coliseum last Saturday, the Trojans were shorthanded. There were no scholarship tight ends available, no scholarship fullback, no Woods (ankle), and no Lee, who was busy winning the long jump at the 2012 Trojan Invitational, leaving the Trojans with just two scholarship wide receivers, Blackwell and Flournoy. It was Flournoy, who became the go-to target for USC quarterbacks, catching a touchdown pass from Cody Kessler and making a catch in traffic despite being surrounded by three defenders.
Flournoy followed that performance with another strong effort Tuesday.
Kiffin hopes he's seen this story before. Former Trojan wide receiver Brandon Carswell had just six catches in his first two seasons with USC before actually starting three games and making 22 catches as a junior. By the time he finished his career last season, he had 40 catches and appeared in all 25 games during his final two seasons.
"What we can hope is that we can have a Carswell story," Kiffin said. "Same type of deal, a guy under the radar, kind of move around and not really do much through the first couple of years in the program and then really be very productive.
"We kind of have a saying that was said before, 'If you stay you play.' If you have the right attitude and you stay long enough, usually you'll play regardless of how buried you are initially on the depth chart because you pass the newcomers up because you know the system. You know the stuff better so hopefully it'll be another example of that."
Flournoy knows from experience that he can't bank on the fact that he's had a couple of good practices over the last couple of weeks. The competition is just starting.
"It's a battle non-stop," Flournoy said. "Every rep, every practice is a battle for a position and if you don't approach it like that, you'll get left behind."
