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USC junior center Dewayne Dedmon announced he will leave school early to enter the 2013 NBA draft.

“It's just my time to chase my dream and go to the NBA," Dedmon said in a statement released by the university. "I had a great time at USC and it was a good experience. I had some ups and downs and learned a lot and believe it is best for me to turn professional at this time. I wish USC, Andy Enfield and all my teammates all the best moving forward. Andy is a good guy and I believe he will do great things here."

Dedmon was a curious case during his time at USC -- a raw 7-foot, 255-pound player with agility and quickness -- but things just never really came together in his time with the Trojans.

In 2012-13, he started 29 of 31 games and averaged 6.7 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. He also led the Trojans in blocks (66) and steals (34).

Dedmon was one of two USC players who were forced to sit out the Pac-12 tournament opener last month after being involved in an incident in Spokane (Wash.) following the season finale against Washington State.

In the 2011-12 season, his first with the Trojans, Dedmon battled injuries but still managed to start 20 games while averaging 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Dedmon came to USC after two and a half years at Antelope Valley College, only one of which was spent playing basketball. Dedmon did not play basketball until his senior year at Lancaster (Calif.) Lancaster High due to religious reasons.

Dedmon is ranked by ESPN as the No. 16 center and No. 122 overall draft prospect.

The USC Trojans finished off spring ball on Saturday with a scrimmage in front of more than 15,000 fans at the Coliseum. Here are five things we learned from the day:

1. The Trojans explosive passing game is in good shape: There has been a lot of talk this spring about how the Trojans are looking to return to a more physical style of play that would involve power running football. With 20 players out of action due to injuries, however, USC coach Lane Kiffin elected not to tackle in the scrimmage, which meant the running game was severely limited. So the passing game took over, with the usual suspects such as Marqise Lee (8 catches, 148 yards, 3 TDs) and Nelson Agholor (7 catches, 102 yards, 2 TDs) along with a nice contribution from Victor Blackwell (7 catches, 155 yards, 1 TD) in his bid for the No. 3 wide receiver spot.

2. Kessler continues campaign for QB spot: Kiffin made a point to praise all three of his quarterbacks after the scrimmage, and there was something to like from all of them during the day. This followed the pattern of spring ball in which the competition was very close and will continue into fall camp. But there is a slight change in how the competition was viewed coming into spring ball when Max Wittek was thought to be clearly in the driver's seat. Cody Kessler has come out in spring and made a great case for the starting spot, including a performance in the scrimmage in which he completed 15 of 22 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks. It’s not to say that Wittek played poorly, he hit on 12 of 17 passes for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns but also had two interceptions. You can’t pin too much on one scrimmage, but the mood of the fans coming out of the Coliseum was very supportive in favor of Kessler and the idea of him being the USC starting quarterback in the fall.

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The Trojans hit Brian Kennedy-Howard Jones Field one last time on Thursday before they take part in the team’s spring game on Saturday in the Coliseum. Donning shorts and helmets, the practice was the least physical of the last four and a half weeks -- a fact not surprising considering a total of 20 players have been ruled out for Saturday’s contest including Randall Telfer, Antwaun Woods, De’Von Flournoy and Jabari Ruffin -- all suffering injuries within the last week.

“There are some good parts about it,” said Kiffin in looking at the pros and cons of the physical way the team has practiced this spring. “I think that our guys that are still healthy are playing more physical than they were at the end of last year, and our front seven on defense is better because of it. But at the same time, obviously, we have a lot of players out.”

With Woods sidelined, it was Cody Temple who saw action with the first unit at nose tackle when the defense went to its base 5-2 look, but it’s the injury suffered by Telfer that will make perhaps the biggest impact in regards to Saturday’s game. Suffering a torn meniscus in his knee during Tuesday’s workout, he underwent surgery on Thursday and figures to be back in action in 4-6 weeks. But with Xavier Grimble already out with a chest fracture, the USC offense will have just one tight end at its disposal for the scrimmage in Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick.

“It’s been kind of the theme of the spring -- very physical -- as we come down to one practice left here,” Kiffin said. “I think you’ll still see the stars out there making plays. We’re just going to have to be creative because we’re not going to be able to go at the same speed in between series, and obviously we can’t have two teams with only one tight end, and all of our formations use a tight end, so we’ll figure it out -- probably just a little more time in between [each] series.”

Agholor and Lee at corner?

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USC basketball coach Andy Enfield has hired former San Diego State assistant Tony Bland as his associate head coach, a source confirmed on Wednesday.

The news was first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Bland played shooting guard at Los Angeles Westchester and led the Comets to the California state title in 1998. He played two years at Syracuse before transferring to San Diego State. Bland was the leading scorer for the Aztecs in his senior season and was a two-time all-conference selection.

He joined the San Diego State staff two years ago after a professional career in Europe. It was an emotional decision for Bland to leave his alma mater to join the USC staff, and one that he wrestled with for several days.

“It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life,” Bland told the Union-Tribune.

The news comes two days after Pepperdine coach Marty Wilson tweeted that his assistant, Jason Hart, would also be joining Enfield's staff.

“Jason Hart will be joining the new USC staff,” Wilson wrote. “They are getting a first class person, family man & hard worker. Much respect”

Hart played at Inglewood High School and attended Syracuse from 1996-2000. He was a four-year starter at point guard for the Orange and left as the school’s all-time leader in steals. After playing professionally for 10 years, Hart coached for one year at Woodland Hills (Calif.) Taft and led them to the L.A. City title and then had one year on the Pepperdine staff.

USC coach Lane Kiffin was a guest on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Wednesday morning and addressed the criticisms of quarterback Matt Barkley. Kiffin was quick to remind people that Barkley was rated as the top QB in college football at the beginning of last season and said he believes Barkley is the complete package.

Kiffin also talked about the Trojans' disappointing season in 2012 and the pressure the team will face this season. Listen here

As the Trojans begin the final week of practices prior to the spring game it was shoulder pads and shorts practice on Tuesday. The team has been hit with injuries during the physical spring and, even though the load was lightened a little, USC coach Lane Kiffin was happy with the intensity.

“We really wanted to focus on keeping guys staying up today and that usually happens when we don’t go full pads,” Kiffin said. “I thought we were still able to have a physical practice.”

Highlight plays

• From deep in his own end, Cody Kessler stood in the pocket against strong pressure and fired late to Nelson Agholor for 12 yards and a first down.
• Max Wittek had his chance with the ball near his goal line and he found Victor Blackwell with a quick strike, and Blackwell put on the jets to race for a long touchdown despite valiant pursuit from Leon McQuay III.
• Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick made a nice catch of a low-thrown ball across the middle from Wittek.
• McQuay popped the ball loose from Cope-Fitzpatrick after a short catch.

Goal-line intensity

One of the most fiery drills of any practice is when the ball is placed inside the 5-yard line and the offense takes its shots at the end zone.

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Longtime USC assistant basketball coach Bob Cantu announced on his Twitter account on Saturday night that he will not return to the Trojans staff.

“I would like to thank USC for 12 good years!” Cantu wrote. “I will not be returning as a coach at USC and wish the best to the future staff. Fight on!!”

Cantu was part of four coaching staffs during his 12 years at USC and was named the interim coach earlier this year after Kevin O’Neill was fired. Cantu led the Trojans to a 7-8 record, including victories over UCLA and Arizona.

USC hired Andy Enfield, formerly of Florida Gulf Coast, as its next basketball coach. Enfield stated at his introductory press conference that he would look at have assistant coaches with experience in the local basketball market. Among the names rumored so far are Jason Hart, who played at Inglewood and is now an assistant coach at Pepperdine, and Tony Bland, who played at Westchester and is now an assistant at San Diego State.

LOS ANGELES -- Injuries continue to be one of the big stories for the Trojans this spring as it was confirmed after practice that both George Farmer and Su’a Cravens will undergo knee surgeries.

The news was more dire for Farmer after Kiffin confirmed the earlier media reports of a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, which will force him to miss the 2013 season. For Cravens, he has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will undergo surgery Friday. The injury is the same as the one suffered by Silas Redd. Cravens is expected to miss 4-6 weeks and will be back in plenty of time for fall camp.

“Whenever there is an injury you hope, like Su’a, that’s it’s not going to be a long setback,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “With guys like George, those are the ones you feel really bad for. A guy who battles back and was playing well and then to have this setback.”

The Trojans entered the Thursday practice session with 20 players out of action because of injury and two more left practice – Torin Harris and Cyrus Hobbi.

“I don’t see any way we could practice like this in the fall. We wouldn’t be able to play a game,” Kiffin said. “Of the 22 guys who ended up being out today, 18 of them are scholarship players. With the roster reductions we already have we would not be able to give up that many players. We will start fall camp practicing this way, but I don’t think we will end fall camp this way.”

There was some good news on the injury front as Marqise Lee returned, albeit in a limited role, after missing two-and-a-half weeks with a knee injury. Lee seemed to be running fine with no major issues but he was held out of contact team drills. Kevon Seymour and Jordan Simmons also returned to action.

“Marqise was back, which was obviously good to see,” Kiffin said. “He basically took part in the first hour of practice and we’ll add to him as we go.”

George Uko was out today and J.R. Tavai took his spot with the first unit at defensive end. During the final team drill, Aundrey Walker was out and Max Tuerk had moved to center with Hobbi out, so the first unit left side of the line was walk-on Nathan Guertler at tackle and Giovanni Di Poalo at guard.

Receiver shuffle

With Farmer out, that means opportunities for players such as Victor Blackwell and De’Von Flournoy along with first-year players Darreus Rogers and Steven Mitchell. Kiffin also made sure to note the high level of play from Nelson Agholor this spring when discussing the receiver group.

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As the USC Trojans begin their fourth week of spring ball, it has become apparent that injuries are taking a toll, as 19 players sat out on Tuesday and two more left practice due to injury.

Both wide receiver George Farmer and defensive back Demetrius Wright were forced to depart the Tuesday practice early due to injuries and there was no word on their status at the end of the day. Wright was walking and appeared to be fine, but there was concern about Farmer, who had to be carted off the field after suffering an apparent left leg/knee injury during a non-contact drill. Results of an MRI for Farmer are expected on Wednesday.

“It was a very physical practice,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “I liked the defensive mentality at the end in the goal-line drill. It’s been a very competitive spring. It reminds me of the spring when we first got here. We need that to establish a competitive mindset.”

As Kiffin mentioned, the Trojans ended practice with a goal-line drill that got started with Hayes Pullard stuffing a run up the middle by Buck Allen. Justin Davis tried to slash into the end zone, but J.R. Tavai came across the line and knocked the ball out as he was bringing Davis to the ground, although Randall Telfer recovered for the offense. Davis did punch in a score at the end for the offense. There was also a little skirmish between a few offensive and defensive players after one play.

“It’s always a tough line between physical play and getting penalties with the goal-line drill,” Kiffin said.

Kiffin speaks with Enfield
Kiffin said he talked with new USC basketball coach Andy Enfield on Sunday night, prior to the announcement that Enfield had taken the job.

“I talked to him about the program and about working with Pat (Haden) and Max (Nikias),” Kiffin said. “I think it’s a great hire. He brings an exciting style of play and kids will want to play in that style. He’s also a guy who understands the academic side of being at a private school.”

Brady on campus
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady worked out on the USC campus Tuesday, throwing passes to his new receiver, Danny Amendola. Kiffin said it is common for NFL quarterbacks to use the USC facilities in the offseason, mentioning Philip Rivers, Drew Brees and Matt Cassel as players who had thrown recently on the USC field.

Highlight plays
* Anthony Brown knocked away a pass at the sideline intended for Nelson Agholor. Brown has put together a very solid spring while consistently in the lineup as one of the starting corners.

* A few plays later, however, Brown went for a pick on a rope thrown over the middle by Max Wittek and missed, allowing De’Von Flournoy to go for a long gain. Flournoy also had a touchdown later in the drill when he caught a pass from Max Browne and split the safeties with his speed.

* Victor Blackwell caught a short pass and got loose from Torin Harris with a nice shake move.

* Kevin Greene had a sack on Cody Kessler.

* Ryan Henderson had a pick off Kessler, who was trying to get the ball to Blackwell.

* George Uko had a nice play to move along the line of scrimmage in pursuit of Davis and hold him to no gain.

* Davis provided yet another dazzling touchdown run, this one a 45-yarder behind a block from Kevin Graf.

* Allen had a 20-yard gain down the left sideline thanks to Jahleel Pinner, who got one block at the line and then hustled down field to get another block.

* Browne hooked up on a 25-yard pass to walk-on Robby Kolanz on the right sideline.

Notables in attendance
Nico Falah, Steven Mitchell, Adoree’ Jackson, Dwight Williams, Chase Blakley

Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley turned some heads last week with his pro day performance -- and teams are already showing significant interest.

A source tells ESPN.com that the Buffalo Bills will host a private workout with Barkley and former USC teammate and receiver Robert Woods on Monday. The Bills, who hold the No. 8 overall pick, have needs at both positions.

Barkley is coming off a solid pro day at which he completed 55 of 60 passes in front of NFL scouts, executives and media. Barkley was a four-year starter at USC and answered many questions about the right shoulder injury he suffered last November.

Buffalo cut starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on March 12, which left the team thin at quarterback. The Bills’ current depth chart includes veteran journeyman Tarvaris Jackson and the inexperienced Aaron Corp.

Barkley will be the fifth quarterback to have worked out for Buffalo in the past two weeks. The Bills also had workouts with West Virginia’s Geno Smith, Florida State’s EJ Manuel, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray.

With the USC defense making the switch to a 5-2 alignment under Clancy Pendergast, it was generally assumed that the most likely candidate to start alongside MIKE linebacker Hayes Pullard at the WILL position would be junior Lamar Dawson, a starter since his freshman season, not to mention the owner of one of the most revered jerseys in program history -- No. 55.

When camp opened up earlier this month, however, it was redshirt sophomore Anthony Sarao who was lining up with the first unit, with Dawson running primarily with the second group.

Athletic and physical, Sarao first made a name for himself last season as a reserve and on special teams, and he excelled right from the get-go this spring, proving to be more than capable in his extended role. And while Sarao's strong play has continued throughout March, it’s been Dawson who has taken his game to a whole new level the past couple of weeks.

With both players establishing themselves as two of the defense’s most promising performers, the competition at WILL linebacker has developed into one of the spring’s more interesting position battles.

“I would think that Lamar Dawson is probably our most improved player on our team, and Anthony would be in the top five,” Kiffin said after Thursday’s practice. “They have both had great camps.”

It’s been Dawson, in fact, who has arguably been playing the best football of his career, showcasing improved instincts, speed and playmaking skills. Rewarded with a greater number of reps with the first team defense this week, Kiffin believes Dawson’s performance is directly tied in with his experience and physical maturity.

“I just think it’s a guy going into his third year and sometimes the light just clicks on and his body looks better, he’s getting stronger, he’s playing a lot lower, he’s playing more physical on special teams and on defense,” Kiffin said. “A majority of the guys take a couple of years, and we’re seeing that with guys like Lamar going into their third year who are really shining, and Anthony a year behind that is doing really well.”

With both Dawson and Sarao playing at such a high level, the competition for the starting WILL linebacker spot will likely extend into the fall. But as they continue to push each other, no matter who ultimately lines up with the first group this fall, it’s safe to say that the Trojans are likely to receive some very strong production out of the position.

It was a spirited, full-pads practice session for the Trojans on Thursday and one that featured a nice performance from the offense. This was welcome news to USC coach Lane Kiffin, particularly after the defense had dominated a practice earlier in the week.

“The offense did a lot better today,” Kiffin said. “It was good to see them bounce back that way after what happened on Tuesday. They came out today with a much better mindset.”

The solid play was spread around through many players but one area that really stood out was the run game. With Silas Redd out for spring with injury and Tre Madden limited in contact, the tailback work has fallen to the trio of D.J. Morgan, Buck Allen and Justin Davis, and they responded on Thursday.

It was Davis who got things going with a pair of long touchdown runs in a team drill. The smooth freshman, who has provided multiple promising moments in his brief time at USC, took both runs to the left side and showed a combination of speed and moves to get to the end zone.

Morgan followed in the next drill with a 10-yard touchdown run, showing a quick burst through the line. A few plays later, Morgan took a handoff and went down in a pile after a short gain. When he came up, he was limping a little and did not return.

Allen took his turn as the lead runner at the end of the day when the Trojans were in goal-line situations. The chatter between the offense and defense had reached a crescendo as time was running out in practice and both sides were eager for victory. With the ball at the five-yard line, Allen was able to punch in two touchdowns, including the final play of the day to signal a win for the offense. Davis also had a short touchdown run in the goal-line drill.

“I thought D.J. Morgan was having a very good day before he went down,” Kiffin said. “Justin Davis had a great day.”

It was also a good day at the quarterback spot, Max Wittek looked much better than he did on Tuesday, while Max Browne had his best practice as a Trojan.

Wittek got things going early with a deep touchdown pass to De’Von Flournoy against solid coverage from Ryan Henderson.

In a red-zone drill, Browne hit Nelson Agholor as Torin Harris went for the ball and missed, so Agholor was able to go in for the 20-yard score. Browne also hit a pair of short touchdowns to Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick. The highlight throw of the day for Browne came when he hit Farmer on a 55-yard completion. It was yet another sign of the accurate touch that Browne has shown on the deep ball so far, and of the fact that Farmer is continuing to make plays as well.

“George has stayed healthy and he’s doing well,” Kiffin said. “We need him to make the hard plays, to be physical, and he’s doing that. It’s been great to see.”

O-line adjusting to coaching changes
One of the primary areas of emphasis for the Trojans this year will be to get more physical, and that starts with the line. To that end, Kiffin has put two coaches on the offensive line, adding Mike Summers and keeping James Cregg, who had been the line coach for the past three years, as his assistant. There was some curiosity as to how the arrangement would work but, through the first three weeks, Kiffin is pleased with what he sees.

“Mike Summers has done a really good job of coming in and capturing the group,” Kiffin said. “It’s worked out like we had hoped with the two of them in combination, that’s why we put two coaches at such an important position.”

Injury report
Xavier Grimble will miss the remainder of spring with a chest fracture. There was no update on Morgan after practice. Jordan Simmons missed practice after getting sick earlier in the afternoon.

Defensive highlights
* Ryan Henderson had multiple solid tackles on the day coming up from his corner position. Two of them were on Agholor, including one at the end of the day when emotions were high and his big hit brought a huge roar from the defensive sideline.

* Anthony Brown also had a solid tackle for no gain from the corner spot.

* Josh Shaw read a screen pass from Cody Kessler to Agholor and he was able to bat the ball down.

* J.R. Tavai recorded a sack of Browne.

* Leonard Williams tracked Davis along the line of scrimmage for no gain.

Notables in attendance
Naijiel Hale, David Sills, Steven Mitchell, Nico Falah and several members of the Chaminade Eagles program.

Quotebook
“It was a slow adjustment at first for me because things are so different at this level. There were little things I could get away with in high school, some bad habits, but you need to pay attention to those techniques here. I’m getting those little things down right now. The good thing is that I get a first chance to learn everything now in spring and then I will get another camp in the fall. That will really help me learn the playbook. I’m not sure about redshirting, I’ll just work hard every day and see what happens.” -- Justin Davis

For Leonard Williams, his first year playing in a USC uniform couldn’t have gone much better. Part of a defensive line that racked up an impressive 38 sacks this past fall, he amassed 64 tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss on his way to collecting Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. Not bad for a guy just a few months removed from Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland.

But it’s spring now, and for Williams, his initial season is a distant memory. Not interested in reflecting for even a second, he’s focused instead on the future and his continued development, with the improvement of the team at the forefront of his thoughts.

“I’m not looking in the past,” Williams said following Tuesday’s practice. “I’m looking forward. We have a new defense and a new defensive coordinator, and we’re all just working together to try to make this defense work.”

And so far, Williams has been one of the most consistent pieces of that effort. Currently standing 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds, he’s only five pounds heavier than what he played at in 2012. Thanks to some hard work this offseason, however, he certainly appears more solidly put together, and there have also been noticeable differences in terms of his performance on the field.

“I didn’t gain a lot of weight, but my body has changed,” Williams said. “I feel faster and my endurance is up. I can run longer for a longer period of time, and practice at a high level for a longer period of time. Last year, at the end of practice, I would be worn out and ready to go to sleep, but now I’m fine.”

One of the team’s biggest advocates of Clancy Pendergast’s new 5-2 defensive scheme, Williams has made a seamless transition over to defensive end from the three technique defensive tackle spot where he lined up last fall, feeling more than at home at the position that he actually starred at on the high school level.

“I was originally going to play defensive end when I first got here, but then I moved inside to defensive tackle,” Williams said. “I feel comfortable at defensive end. I feel good there. I really like this defense as a whole because we have a lot of blitz packages, so someone is going to get free. So far it’s been going really good.”

With Williams part of a talent-laden collection that also includes defensive end George Uko, nose tackle Antwaun Woods, and outside linebackers Morgan Breslin and Devon Kennard, the entire defensive line has thrived under the attacking philosophy of the new defense. And it’s the group’s close-knit bond that has played a particularly vital role -- something that should come in handy as they continue to gain responsibility.

“There’s definitely competition, but at the same time we all look out for each other,” Williams said. “We’ll come in the meeting room by ourselves, help each other out with the plays and help each other out with the calls. Coach Pendergast doesn’t want us to huddle any more -- he wants the defensive line to know the plays, he wants the linebackers to know the plays ... the secondary, everybody. So we just all work together.”

One particular player Williams has taken a special interest in helping along is one of the team’s newest additions, early-entrant nose tackle Kenny Bigelow. Having just enrolled at USC in January, the Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy product is still in the early stages of becoming acclimated to life as a college football player, something Williams can relate to.

“I feel like I’ve taken Kenny under my wing,” Williams said. “When he first got here we bonded. I was his host on his official visit, so ever since then we’ve been pretty tight. And I’ve been coaching him up and trying to help him out as much as possible. I’m still a young guy too, so I’ve still got a lot to learn from Devon [Kennard] and those guys myself, so we’re just all transferring around whatever we know.”

With teamwork like that, there’s certainly reason to believe that Williams, as well as the entire defensive line, will only continue to bring his game along. And above all, that’s the ultimate goal.

“I’m not really caring about personal stats,” Williams said. “I just want us to look like a good defensive line group as a whole -- for everybody to know their assignments, for everybody to do good, for everybody to work together and for everybody to communicate. I just want us to perform as a whole.”

The Trojans will hold their annual NFL pro day on Wednesday, a showcase for all draft-eligible players, but the spotlight will be shining brightest on the workout of Matt Barkley.

After not being able to take part in the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine due to an injured shoulder, this will be the opportunity for Barkley to prove to coaches and scouts that he is healthy and deserving of a first-round selection.

Because Barkley hasn't thrown since getting injured against UCLA, there are many questions about his draft status. Will he be a first-day pick or will he fall into the second round? So much will depend upon the health of the shoulder and how he performs in the roughly 60 throws he will make to Robert Woods. There are no questions about his leadership and character but, in the end, an NFL quarterback needs to be able to make the throws, and that is what Barkley will need to show.

Woods will be looking to prove something himself, as well. This is a deep receiver draft and most mock drafts have him going in the second round, but a recent mock draft from Charley Casserly at NFL.com had Woods as a first-round pick. The main goal for Woods in this workout is to get a 40 time below 4.5. He ran 4.51 at the combine and getting into the 4.4 range would mean a lot in the constant jockeying for draft position.

This will also be the first opportunity to conduct a workout for center Khaled Holmes, who withdrew from the Senior Bowl and then got hurt during the weightlifting portion of the combine.

Others working out will include a trio of defensive backs in T.J. McDonald, Nickell Robey and Jawanza Starling along with defensive end Wes Horton and running back Curtis McNeal.

The USC Pro Day will be shown live on ESPN3 at 11:15 a.m. PT.