Ronald Johnson has been a standout for USC in spring practice.
(Patrick Crawley)

You can see it in the way the routes are run: quick, precise, perfectly timed. You can see it in the delivery of the ball: on time, on the numbers, easily catchable. And you can see it on the faces of defenders as they watch the red numerals of No. 83 fading into the distance. The chemistry between incumbent USC quarterback Matt Barkley and his projected No. 1 receiver, Ronald Johnson, has been undeniable this spring.

No matter the drill, the two operate in near perfect harmony. Johnson
running his route, toying with the defensive back and breaking loose at just the right moment.
Barkley coyly searching the field before finding his favorite target and delivering a neat spiral to the chest.

It's a combination that has produced countless touchdowns in spring practice scrimmages and caused more than one cornerback to shake his head in frustration.

Coach Lane Kiffin said the connection has been obvious.

"They
have really grown together throughout the spring," Kiffin said.
"They've made a couple plays now where they're not in rhythm, which is
what happens in football a lot of times. I think the rate they're
going, it's going to be a special combination."

Apart from one another, Barkley and Johnson are talented athletes capable of playing for nearly any program in the
nation. But together, they are something more: a dynamic duo capable of erasing the most disappointing USC season in recent memory.

On the field, Barkley and Johnson look like the pigskin equivalent of an eHarmony commercial--football soul mates if you will. But it wasn't a connection that happened overnight.

Johnson said he made a conscious decision to spend more time with Barkley this offseason.

"[In the] offseason I tried to hang with him as much as possible," Johnson said. "I'm gonna go hang with him and be at his side, understand what he knows, pick his mind a little bit. And we connected from there."

Barkley and Johnson play for one of the most prestigious football programs in the nation. But when they hang out, they prefer to keep it low key.

According to Johnson, the two typically hang out in Barkley's dorm room and listen to music together.

"He plays the guitar," Johnson said. "I sit there and listen and sing."

It's impossible to deny the success he and Barkley have had in practice, but Johnson is quick to point out there is plenty of work left to be done.

"We need to understand that there's a lot of great players out there," he said. "That's where we have to have our mindset at."

Humility aside, Barkley and Johnson have taken big strides this spring.

Together they will be a force to be reckoned with when the season starts.