LOS ANGELES -Offensive lineman Marcus Martin has ran his fair share of laps around Howard Jones Field at USC practices recently.
Sometimes, learning can be difficult.
In Martin's case, the snap from him to the quarterback has been problematic at times.
"Shotgun," Martin said. "That's why you see me out here running all of these laps.
"(The hardest part is) just getting the shotgun and the timing down and getting it to that quarterback in that right hand."
As the Trojans continue their Sun Bowl preparations for their New Year's Eve tilt with Georgia Tech, Martin has taken up a new position as center.
It's a move he says was suggested by the coaching staff and he is open to. Martin, who made 10 starts at left guard this season, has never played center before at any level of football but he's more than willing to learn.
In trying to pick up this new craft, Martin has leaned on Trojans center Khaled Holmes.
"That's my mentor again," Martin said of Holmes. "He mentored me at left guard and now he's mentoring me at center, so it's great that he's still around and I can still have that knowledge there for me to access at all times."
Holmes was a guard when he entered USC before switching to center in the spring of 2011.
Coming out of Crenshaw High School in 2011, Martin wasn't as heralded as most that walk around Howard Jones Field in a Trojan uniform. However, he's been a starter, virtually, since the day he stepped on campus. He has 20 career starts under his belt at guard and was a Freshman All-American there last season. Playing center allows him to see the game from a completely new vantage point.
"It's real comfortable," Martin said. "It's a great opportunity. I get to see a new side of football from the center of the field. It's a little different, but it's a great opportunity and I'm having a lot of fun."
Martin has continued to get reps at left guard as well. However, he says moving to center permanently is something that he would be open to long term.
Martin could very well find himself there in a more permanent situation. During the first couple of days of bowl practice, head coach Lane Kiffin was able to get a look at players at different positions, similar to what's done during spring drills. That aspect of bowl practices is over. He says any moves made now reflect a potential change moving forward.
"Anybody that we've moved somewhere has been because we feel like that's the direction that we're going," Kiffin said.
