LOS ANGELES – With so much attention being given to who will be Matt Barkley’s successor, one of the more underrated position battles for USC this spring is who will replace Khaled Holmes.
USC saw a sneak preview of what life would be like without Holmes last season and at times it was terrifying.
The battle to be Holmes’ successor at center has taken a turn as USC resumed spring drills this week.
When asked if he feels the job is his to lose, Marcus Martin replied with an emphatic, “Yeah!”
Martin has propelled himself into first team reps this week at center in place of Max Tuerk, who head coach Lane Kiffin says is moving back to guard – for now.
“We’re just trying to find the best five guys and put them at the best five spots,” Kiffin said. “I doubt that this is the last movement that you’ll see.”
However, before the team left for spring break, Kiffin hinted Martin had taken a leap, but wanted the film to confirm what he watched with his own eyes.
What he saw on tape was somewhat unexpected.
“It was almost surprising seeing how comfortable he was in there,” the Trojans head coach said. “Usually there’s a transition process and his was not very long. It looks like he’s been doing it for a long time.”
While Cyrus Hobbi and Tuerk have had their issues with the snap so far this spring, Martin is getting more and more comfortable.
“It’s weird because usually they say snapping the ball makes the job a little bit harder,” Martin said. “Center feels comfortable. I don’t know why I’m more natural at center than I am at guard but sometimes the coaches make position changes that are better for us than we know for ourselves.”
After once opening holes for Oregon’s De'Anthony Thomas while the two were teammates at Crenshaw High School, Martin may now be responsible for making sure all of the pass protections are in order for Barkley’s successor.
Martin, who has 20 career starts at guard, says his new position is more taxing mentally.
“Center physically is not something that’s super hard but, more or less, it’s challenging your mind on a consistent basis,” Martin said. “It’s way more mental.”
Martin considers his former teammate Holmes to be a mentor of his. If he’s able to hold on to his new position at center, he’ll be following in Holmes’ footsteps. Like Martin, Holmes began his career at guard before moving to center during his junior season.
