USC wide receiver Robert Woods turned 20 on Tuesday.
He spent a portion of his birthday at practice. On the side and away from the action, he stood stationary while pumping his arms. He took a step and slightly turned his shoulders.
With the naked eye, it didn't look like much, but in his mind he went through another tactic to get past Pac-12 defenders this fall.
That and the advice he lends to his fellow receivers in between routes all but sums up the spring for the Biletnikoff candidate.
Woods is itching to get on the practice field.
"I'm trying to get the trainers to get me out here but they just say 'Take it safe and just be ready for September 1st,'" Woods said.
He's getting restless.
"Very restless," he said. "Sometimes I want to hop in and get a rep, especially in the one-on-ones. Some of the players were getting jammed up. I just wanted to go out there and get a rep and just pick up the spirit of the receivers."
Woods, who says his ankle is feeling better, was shut down for the spring after undergoing ankle surgery in December.
He's been forced to sit back and watch his former high school teammate, Marqise Lee, be "dominant" for the Trojans this spring.
In the process, Woods' absence has left the Trojans thinner at wide receiver. The reps that aren't going to Lee or De'Von Flournoy or Victor Blackwell have gone to walk-ons.
At times, the USC defensive backs have feasted on the wide receivers. It caused Woods to miss another facet of the game on Tuesday when the defensive backs dominated his wide receiving corp during one-on-one drills -- trash talking.
"Practice is fun, especially when offense is doing well competing against the defense and we're making big plays and talking trash to T.J. (McDonald) and Nickell (Robey)," Woods said. "I miss that the most."
The junior wide receiver says he's approaching it the same way he approached his freshman season at USC when he didn't have the luxury of going through spring drills while finishing up his senior year at Serra High School.
Woods says he expect to be able to get back on the field for summer throwing sessions in July.
