USC Football: Sophomore safety Talanoa Hufanga out for the spring following collarbone surgery

As the USC Trojans resumed spring camp on Tuesday afternoon, the secondary was noticeably very thin. One name that was absent from practice was safety Talanoa Hufanga. Per multiple reports the sophomore safety will miss the remainder of spring camp following successful surgery to repair a broken collarbone.

Hufanga returned to action after suffering a broken collarbone in the Trojans loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils last season. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the 2018 season. The sophomore safety re-injured his collarbone during last Saturday’s scrimmage where he got tangled up with a receiver in an attempt to break up a pass. Recovery is said to be up to eight weeks, which means Hufanga will return in time for fall camp and the start of the season.

Hufanga was a four-star athlete out of Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon. He was the No. 2 ranked athlete in the 2018 class and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Oregon according to the 247 Sports composite. Hufanga committed to USC during the 2017 early signing period and enrolled early, where he caught the eye of head coach Clay Helton during spring practice. As a freshman, Hufanga saw plenty of field time early on in the season. Following a season ending injury to Isaiah Pola-Mao during the Trojans loss to Stanford, Hufanga was inserted into the starting safety position next to Marvell Tell III.

He ended his season with 51 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four pass deflections. Hufanga is the favorite to start at safety for the upcoming 2019 season.

With Hufanga out for the spring, more reps will be available for guys like Britton Allen and Chase Williams. USC’s depth is already low at defensive back due to injuries, transfers, and graduation. The Trojans did restock their depth at defensive back in the 2019 recruiting class, however most of them won’t be on campus until the summer.