LOS ANGELES ---Josh Shaw is beginning to show his versatility in the defensive backfield for USC.
For the second consecutive day, the transfer from Florida lined up at cornerback after spending the beginning of camp at safety.
The opportunity arose with cornerbacks Anthony Brown out and Torin Harris leaving Friday's scrimmage with an undisclosed injury. Neither practiced on Saturday morning when the Trojans kicked off their first of two-a-days.
Shaw is a tall, physical presence at corner and has performed well in limited action. He showed his ability to be physical when lined up against Robert Woods on Saturday morning, successfully taking him off of his route.
Upon transferring to USC, Shaw has repeatedly said he'll play where the coaches wanted him. Despite his success on the outside, after being thrown into the spot because of injury, head coach Lane Kiffin would much rather not have to keep Shaw out there out of need.
"I hope that we don't get to that point," Kiffin said after the Trojans' scrimmage on Friday. "Nothing against Josh, we want Josh to play safety and special teams.
"(He's) another exciting guy to have with some experience."
Although Shaw's stay at corner will likely be short lived, the 6'1" defensive back represents a new breed of cornerback the Trojans are grooming ---big.
6'2" Freshman Devian Shelton has impressed during camp and looked good during the scrimmage as well, playing more reps than expected out of necessity.
Kiffin is pleased by the progress of not only Shelton but also 6'0" freshman cornerback Kevon Seymour.
"I think they're very physical," Kiffin said of the freshmen corners. "I think, even when they're not supposed to be tackling, they've thrown themselves in there. We're excited about both of them. And they're long too. We're real short at corner and have been for a couple of years. So, if those guys can come and play for us, with that length, it'd be great."
