Southern California at Arizona State

When the USC coaches relay a passing play to quarterback Matt Barkley, his eyes have to light up. How could they not? The Trojans have a stockpile of athletes at wide receiver this season that should give defenses fits.

Senior Ronald Johnson leads the group with his easygoing demeanor and bright smile.

The senior from Muskegon, Michigan is fast, but he isn’t necessarily a speed demon. He's listed at 6-foot, but his strong route running and sharp cuts have him seemingly open at all times. "RoJo," as he is affectionately known, has also developed a strong relationship with Barkley during the offseason, a connection that has been evident in pre-season practice.

Johnson has also benefitted from going up against defensive back Shareece Wright, who many believe will be one of the elite cornerbacks in the nation this year, in practice every day. In the spring, Johnson said he plans to vie not only for All-American candidacy but an end of the year trip to New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation as well.

Unfortunately, RoJo probably will not be making the cross-country trip as a Heisman finalist. He will be asked to replace Damian Williams as the Trojans ‘go-to guy,’ but the breadth of the Trojans offensive arsenal will keep him from putting up the gaudy statistics needed to get consideration for college football’s most prestigious individual award.

That offensive arsenal includes a couple of freshman receivers, highlighted by the surprising 6-foot-1 Robert Woods.

Woods, the burner from Serra High School was expected to be a dynamic receiver…just not this soon. He constantly has his nose in the playbook off-the-field and is making plays every day in practice.

His impressive training camp performances put the pressure on incumbent No. 2 receiver Brice Butler until Woods ultimately overcame Butler and claimed the starting role for the season opener against Hawaii.

But don’t count Butler out.

After the final pre-season depth chart was released Saturday without his name in the starting lineup, Butler responded by catching three touchdown passes in a scrimmage the following day.

The redshirt sophomore caught 20 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns last year. He has all the tools to be a terrific receiver, with the speed to go by defenders and a 6-foot-4 frame that enables him to go up and catch balls over smaller defensive backs. He just has to show that he can consistently produce.

Senior David Ausberry has also struggled with consistency throughout his career.

One of the most highly-touted wide receivers to come out of California in recent years, Ausberry was rated higher than a number of players who are currently in the NFL, including Knowshon Moreno and former Trojan wideout Damian Williams. However, Ausberry’s production has never equaled the hype (44 career catches for 448 yards and three touchdowns), and he was sidelined for almost half the season last year with a stress fracture in his leg.

After experimenting with playing him at tight end in the spring, Lane Kiffin and the new coaching staff returned Ausberry to the wide receiver position, and he has flourished.  The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder will be a big target in the red zone and has made a number of tough catches in practice, including a one-handed grab despite tight coverage by Wright in a recent practice that elicited Patrick Hall to exclaim, “That was tight as cheese!” after the play.

Kiffin expected to have another big target in 6-foot-5 freshman Kyle Prater -- one of the breakout players during spring practice -- but nagging injuries have hampered the five-star recruit from Illinois, and he is likely to be redshirted this season.

Another five-star freshman, Markeith Ambles, is currently buried on the depth chart.

Ambles is still catching up to the speed of the collegiate game and doesn’t yet possess the crisp route running and precision to get him in the lineup. While he still is a bit raw and often looks like a high school receiver, Ambles has shown flashes of the talent that will ultimately be on display as he matures.

Local product De’Von Flournoy was nearly forgotten amidst the hype of the three freshmen, but he burst back onto the practice scene after recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the first half of fall camp. The slender sophomore has a burst, enabling big play potential, which he displayed in a scrimmage on Aug. 21 when he made a one-handed grab over a cornerback and took it to the end zone for a 58-yard score.

Despite rumors that he would transfer, junior Brandon Carswell is back. He figures to be in the mix after starting three games last season and hauling in five catches for 21 yards.

Rounding out the receiving corps are walk-ons Robbie Boyer, Scott Stephens, Drew Ness, Steve Blackhart and Walter Calistro, but expect to see a variety of playmakers split out wide this season, including explosive freshman Dillon Baxter and veteran running back C.J. Gable.

Also, look for converted wide receiver Jordan Cameron and fellow tight end Rhett Ellison to motion out to open up opposing defenses.

With as many choices as Barkley has this season, choosing which weapon to use might be the toughest thing he has to do. Well, that and not letting the defense see his eyes light up when the play comes in.

To reach reporter Shotgun Spratling, click here.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Neon Tommy's USC running back, quarterback and linebacker previews.