"USC football summer workouts voluntary, but it doesn't feel that way"

"It's 7:30 a.m. on a Friday and the USC football team is working out like it's the week before the Rose Bowl.

There are enough Trojans here to fill two full offensive and defensive units and then some, so players rotate in and out during full-speed, no-contact situational scrimmages. On the sidelines, student managers hold up large signs with pictures that form a code calling for the next play.

The NCAA has rules that limit a team's practice time, so coaches can't be present and these workouts are theoretically voluntary. So instructions are barked from players to players.

This scene isn't unique to USC. Many of the nation's top programs have well-attended voluntary summer workouts. But it is something new to USC, where under former coach Lane Kiffin attendance at these sessions was relatively sparse and nowhere close to the same intensity.

Even though USC coaches are not allowed to take part in the practices or even receive reports about them, first-year Coach Steve Sarkisian made it a point to emphasize the importance of these voluntary sessions when he had the team together for spring practice. With a new coaching staff bringing in new strategies and philosophies, there was a sense of urgency.

The only guidance the players receive is from the school's strength and conditioning staff, which is allowed to work with team members for eight hours a week. That allotment includes twice-weekly 6 a.m. runs. "After that, it's on them to get themselves organized for the player-run practices," said Ivan Lewis, a USC strength and conditioning coach. "As soon as we leave, they are ready to rock and roll."

Kessler has been pleased with the results. "A lot more people are showing up and it's a lot more organized in the sense of guys not sitting down or messing around," he said. "This year, I feel like our workouts have been great."

The Trojans have been convening twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. An unofficial count last Friday found 64 Trojans on the field for voluntary work in preparation for the opening of training camp Aug. 4."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/la-sp-usc-football-20140722-story.html

What a cool week to be a Trojan, man.