Kyle Prater

USC's roster, which will be limited to 75 scholarship players in the fall, remained in flux Monday as receiver Kyle Prater announced he was transferring and defensive lineman Armond Armstead met with school officials to explore doing the same for his final season of eligibility. Prater, a third-year sophomore from Illinois, is the second player in less than a week to leave the Trojans. Sophomore tailback Amir Carlisle obtained his release from USC and is transferring to Notre Dame.

USC's Sun Bowl game against Georgia Tech is more than a week away. Spring practice does not begin until March. But a new addition to the Trojans' 2013 roster practiced for the first time Thursday and others are readying for a January arrival. Receiver Darreus Rogers, who signed a national letter of intent last February but was not cleared by USC or the NCAA in time for the season, finally got onto the field and participated in USC's midday workout. TIMELINE: College football 2012-13 bowl schedule Rogers, a former Carson High standout, could practice because final exams at USC ended Wednesday.

Matt Barkley displayed an even temperament through two seasons as USC's starting quarterback and for more than a year as the face of a program dealing with NCAA sanctions. So it was unusual to see a more excitable Barkley on Tuesday. After a series of dropped passes by several receivers during practice, the junior sprinted at least 10 yards to meet redshirt freshman Kyle Prater — and appeared to give him an earful. Asked if his comments were born of frustration, Barkley chose other adjectives.

USC landed one of the class of 2013's top quarterback prospects when Max Browne announced last week that he would join the Trojans. The junior from Sammamish, Wash., is working toward finishing high school in December so he can enroll at USC in January, in time to participate in spring practice a year from now and compete for an opportunity to become Matt Barkley's successor. Browne's plan is a familiar one for the Trojans: Barkley and redshirt freshman quarterbacks Max Wittek and Cody Kessler — who will play Saturday in USC's annual end-of-spring scrimmage — all left high school halfway through their senior years to jump-start their college careers.

USC receiver Brandon Carswell was bound for Cincinnati, ready to utilize an exception that allowed Trojans upperclassmen to transfer without sitting out a season because of NCAA sanctions. That was last summer. But after long conversations with his family and Coach Lane Kiffin , Carswell stuck around — and he and the Trojans are glad he did. Carswell caught 16 passes and scored a touchdown last season. This spring, he is taking advantage of more opportunities.

USC's Sun Bowl game against Georgia Tech is more than a week away. Spring practice does not begin until March. But a new addition to the Trojans' 2013 roster practiced for the first time Thursday and others are readying for a January arrival. Receiver Darreus Rogers, who signed a national letter of intent last February but was not cleared by USC or the NCAA in time for the season, finally got onto the field and participated in USC's midday workout. TIMELINE: College football 2012-13 bowl schedule Rogers, a former Carson High standout, could practice because final exams at USC ended Wednesday.

Lane Kiffin is not afraid to experiment. USC's football coach moved the Trojans to a schedule of morning workouts for spring practice and has a similar plan for the fall. But Kiffin also will revert to the past come training camp, abandoning the no-tackling decree he imposed for practices last fall for fear of depleting an already thin roster. The Trojans tackled poorly in their 2010 opener at Hawaii and were plagued by the problem all season. "We're going to practice like we used to around here," Kiffin said Thursday.

USC will sport a different sartorial look this season, Coach Lane Kiffin saying Friday his team would wear black socks for home games instead of traditional white. The Trojans already look different in practice, but it has nothing to do with uniforms. It's about the number of players. After a spring that featured the absences of multiple starters and key reserves because of injuries or other issues, Kiffin and his staff have 102 players in training camp, and nearly all of them are active.

USC goes into its scrimmage Sunday at the Coliseum with several starting positions up for grabs. Quarterback is not one of them, but Matt Barkley is on the spot. Coach Lane Kiffin is seeking an improved completion percentage from the third-year starter. Barkley, who completed 62.6% of his passes last season, was 10 for 20 for 82 yards Monday in the first preseason scrimmage. Barkley said this week that his decision-making was "light years ahead" of his first two seasons.

Linebacker Dion Bailey leads USC in tackles, but the redshirt freshman from Lakewood is not impressed with his performance. Not even after making 14 tackles against Arizona, the most by a USC freshman since Butkus Award winner Chris Claiborne had 20 against Arizona State in 1996. "I'm playing well but I feel like I'm not really helping my team like I'm supposed to," Bailey said after practice Sunday. "Like a true linebacker, I need to lead the team in pass breakups or interceptions.

The Angels and first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales avoided salary arbitration by striking a deal for the 2012 season Wednesday. Morales, still recovering from a broken left ankle suffered when he jumped on home plate after his game-winning homer against the Seattle Mariners on May 29, 2010, hasn't played since having surgery and a follow-up operation last May to clean scar tissue and debris in the joint. Details of the deal were not immediately available, but it's thought that Morales and the Angels settled on a figure somewhere near his 2011 salary of $3 million.

USC's roster, which will be limited to 75 scholarship players in the fall, remained in flux Monday as receiver Kyle Prater announced he was transferring and defensive lineman Armond Armstead met with school officials to explore doing the same for his final season of eligibility. Prater, a third-year sophomore from Illinois, is the second player in less than a week to leave the Trojans. Sophomore tailback Amir Carlisle obtained his release from USC and is transferring to Notre Dame.

USC released a video Thursday promoting Robert Woods for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to college football's top receiver. That might seem like odd timing. Woods sat out practice for a second consecutive day because of ankle and shoulder injuries that Coach Lane Kiffin said could sideline the sophomore when the No. 18 Trojans play No. 4 Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. Or, the promo could portend what anyone who knows Woods, including Oregon Coach Chip Kelly , expects to happen.

Linebacker Dion Bailey leads USC in tackles, but the redshirt freshman from Lakewood is not impressed with his performance. Not even after making 14 tackles against Arizona, the most by a USC freshman since Butkus Award winner Chris Claiborne had 20 against Arizona State in 1996. "I'm playing well but I feel like I'm not really helping my team like I'm supposed to," Bailey said after practice Sunday. "Like a true linebacker, I need to lead the team in pass breakups or interceptions.

Just in time for the Pacific 12 Conference opener, tailback intrigue is back at USC. Senior Marc Tyler , who was suspended for the season opener because of several off-season incidents, has been reinstated and will play against Utah, Coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday. Tyler, the Trojans' leading rusher in 2010, joins a mix that has D.J. Morgan atop the depth chart, Dillon Baxter fresh off a meeting with Kiffin about his lack of playing time and Curtis McNeal hoping to build on his performance in the opener against Minnesota.

Matt Barkley displayed an even temperament through two seasons as USC's starting quarterback and for more than a year as the face of a program dealing with NCAA sanctions. So it was unusual to see a more excitable Barkley on Tuesday. After a series of dropped passes by several receivers during practice, the junior sprinted at least 10 yards to meet redshirt freshman Kyle Prater — and appeared to give him an earful. Asked if his comments were born of frustration, Barkley chose other adjectives.

USC released a video Thursday promoting Robert Woods for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to college football's top receiver. That might seem like odd timing. Woods sat out practice for a second consecutive day because of ankle and shoulder injuries that Coach Lane Kiffin said could sideline the sophomore when the No. 18 Trojans play No. 4 Oregon at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. Or, the promo could portend what anyone who knows Woods, including Oregon Coach Chip Kelly , expects to happen.

Just in time for the Pacific 12 Conference opener, tailback intrigue is back at USC. Senior Marc Tyler , who was suspended for the season opener because of several off-season incidents, has been reinstated and will play against Utah, Coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday. Tyler, the Trojans' leading rusher in 2010, joins a mix that has D.J. Morgan atop the depth chart, Dillon Baxter fresh off a meeting with Kiffin about his lack of playing time and Curtis McNeal hoping to build on his performance in the opener against Minnesota.

USC goes into its scrimmage Sunday at the Coliseum with several starting positions up for grabs. Quarterback is not one of them, but Matt Barkley is on the spot. Coach Lane Kiffin is seeking an improved completion percentage from the third-year starter. Barkley, who completed 62.6% of his passes last season, was 10 for 20 for 82 yards Monday in the first preseason scrimmage. Barkley said this week that his decision-making was "light years ahead" of his first two seasons.

USC will sport a different sartorial look this season, Coach Lane Kiffin saying Friday his team would wear black socks for home games instead of traditional white. The Trojans already look different in practice, but it has nothing to do with uniforms. It's about the number of players. After a spring that featured the absences of multiple starters and key reserves because of injuries or other issues, Kiffin and his staff have 102 players in training camp, and nearly all of them are active.