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After USC's 2012 spring game had concluded, at the end of his post-scrimmage meeting with reporters, coach Lane Kiffin was asked about his star receiver Robert Woods, who sat out the entire spring while recovering from an ankle injury originally suffered a year ago.

Would Woods, Kiffin was asked, be ready to go by fall? After all, he was supposed to be fully healed in February after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the ankle in December. Missing the entire spring wasn't even an option until midway through it.

"That's what we believe," Kiffin said.

USC is hoping -- or believing -- a lot of its other players will be ready for the 2012 season, too. Truthfully, the Trojans need most of them back for depth reasons.

"We couldn't have something like what has happened this offseason to us in the fall," Kiffin said after the spring game. "We wouldn't be very good. So we need to make sure we keep our guys healthy."

Here's an overview of who's been out and when they are expected back, going position-by-position:

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USC released its annual end-of-spring depth chart last week, which we posted mostly without comment at the time. Here, now, is our position-by-position analysis of what Lane Kiffin and Co. released, with an eye on what it means for the 2012 Trojans.

Quarterback

This was exactly as expected, with Matt Barkley entrenched and Cody Kessler and Max Wittek continuing to compete behind him. It is noteworthy that Jesse Scroggins is listed a spot behind the two redshirt freshmen and not tied with them, but it'd be a little unfair for him to be anywhere else. He missed most of the spring with hip issues and is still in academic jeopardy.

Running back

Where would Tre Madden have been if he wasn't out for the 2012 season? That's the question this portion of the chart begs. Curtis McNeal would still be starting, but Madden could very well be vying with D.J. Morgan for that No. 2 spot. Javorious Allen will be the third-string back unless he gets beat out by an incoming freshman.

Fullback

Soma Vainuku is locked in as the starter with no pressing competition, but he had himself a nice conclusion to the spring anyway, giving the coaching staff more confidence in him going into the summer. Jahleel Pinner will be somewhat of an unknown.

Receiver

De'Von Flournoy jumped in front of Victor Blackwell with an impressive spring, and has now put himself into position to challenge George Farmer for third-receiver status in the fall. And if Farmer can't stay healthy (again), then Flournoy's suddenly the favorite to line up with Robert Woods and Marqise Lee.

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USC's spring practice is done and football is officially over until the first week of August. To bide some of the time from now until then, we're spending this week going over the five biggest things we learned this spring.

Our first is this: The Trojans might have seen their third receiver develop unexpectedly this spring.

Lane Kiffin had an easy answer when he was asked, after Saturday's spring-concluding Spring Game at the Coliseum, if there was any one player who had pleasantly surprised him over the course of the spring.

"De'Von Flournoy," Kiffin said right away.

The answer made sense. With Robert Woods missing all 15 practices with an ankle injury, Flournoy was consistently the second-best receiver practicing for the Trojans in spring ball, outplaying Victor Blackwell and putting himself into position to challenge George Farmer in the fall to be USC's slot receiver.

A redshirt junior, Flournoy has done almost nothing on the field since Kiffin's arrival in January 2010. But if he plays in the fall like he did in the spring, he will almost assuredly do something, whether it's as the third receiver or the fourth. His hands are reliable and his speed is enough, and he displayed a developed chemistry with quarterback Matt Barkley over the spring.

Basically, he was just good.

"I think, for a guy that really hadn't done very much here, he's been very productive," Kiffin said of Flournoy on Saturday. "Really, on special teams drills as well on offense he's done some good things."

One thing the spring also showed for USC: The Trojans may have the makings of a ridiculous receiver trio with Woods, Marqise Lee and Farmer, but there's a good chance that all three won't be able to stay healthy all season. And it's the same way with the talented tight ends -- Xavier Grimble, Randall Telfer and Junior Pomee.

So, even if it seems like Barkley already has enough targets, Flournoy's exactly the type of player the Trojans need in reserve.

Check back Tuesday for the second thing we learned, which is that this team's defensive back depth might be one of its biggest strengths.

Here are notes from Thursday's practice that won't make it into our other coverage from the session, the last official practice until August for the Trojans. Of course, USC scrimmages on Saturday at the Coliseum in the annual spring game, which starts at 1:30 p.m.

• Running back Buck Allen took the most snaps out of the backfield he has taken all spring and showed improvement as he returns from a strained right hamstring that bothered him for nearly a month. He, Curtis McNeal and D.J. Morgan are again the Trojans' only three scholarship running backs with Tre Madden now out for the year.

• Cornerback Brian Baucham continued his strong play toward the end of the spring with an interception on a tipped pass off a Max Wittek-to-Junior Pomee throw. Baucham has put himself into the competition for the third corner spot.

• Injury report: Receiver Victor Blackwell (foot) did not participate in practice but could return for Saturday's scrimmage, Lane Kiffin said. Kiffin also said cornerback Ryan Henderson could play Saturday. Receiver George Farmer (hamstring) did only individual work, as has been the case since the first week of the spring. It seems unlikely he will participate in the scrimmage portion of Saturday's session. Officially out for Saturday are tight end Randall Telfer (hamstring) and linebackers Dallas Kelley and Marquis Simmons.

• Among the recruits at practice were high-profile 2013 defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow, the first player to commit to the Trojans' next class, and 2015 quarterback David Sills, who was also there Tuesday. Signee Jabari Ruffin was also in attendance and spent some time with linebackers coach Scottie Hazelton after practice.

• Final notes: USC will not tackle in Saturday's scrimmage to preserve players' health over the offseason, Kiffin said. We'll have more on that on Friday. ... Tight end Christian Thomas underwent surgery this week on his ailing hip and is expected to be ready for fall camp. ...Defensive back Josh Shaw had his hardship waiver claim granted by the NCAA on Thursday and will be eligible to play for the Trojans in 2012. We'll have more on what that means for USC later.

Here are notes from Tuesday's practice that won't make it into our other posts off the session:

• The MVP of the day, coach Lane Kiffin said, was junior safety Demetrius Wright, who took the place of Jawanza Starling at first-team strong safety after lighting up the special-teams portion of practice. Wright has backed up Starling for much of the last two seasons.

• Starling, in turn, produced the play of day when he knocked back Victor Blackwell after the receiver caught a pass thrown to the middle of the field. Blackwell got sandwiched between Starling and corner Anthony Brown, really, but Starling provided the big hit.

• Strongside linebacker Dion Bailey missed practice after undergoing dental work earlier Tuesday, but he watched from the sideline. Senior Tony Burnett has been switched to linebacker from safety and took Bailey's place with the first-team defense in scrimmage drills. We'll have more on Burnett's move later in the week.

• Injury report: A few once-injured players returned to practice, including center Khaled Holmes (calf), cornerback Ryan Henderson (concussion) and fullback Soma Vainuku (back). But receiver George Farmer (hamstring) and tight ends Xavier Grimble (toe), Randall Telfer (hamstring) and Junior Pomee (foot) all stayed out, with Farmer doing individual work at the start of practice, Grimble and Telfer doing rehab activities and Pomee sitting out altogether.

• Kiffin said Pomee's right foot injury is not a re-break of the same foot he broke last August, but he said the doctors have not figured out anything else on it. Pomee, a redshirt freshman, underwent more tests Tuesday.

• Senior safety Drew McAllister was the only player to come out of practice with an injury, having complained of hip pain midway through practice. McAllister has been bothered by other nagging injuries this spring and has had serious hip problems in the past, including an injury that forced him to miss 2010 spring practice and most of the regular season.

• Final notes: Former USC receivers Patrick Turner and Damian Williams visited campus and participated in the individual portion of practice, which Kiffin said helped give the Trojans' quarterbacks more targets to throw to with so many pass-catchers sidelined. ... Sophomore J.R. Tavai worked at three-technique tackle for the first time this spring, with Kiffin saying that redshirt freshman Antwaun Woods has shown continued improvement at nose tackle. Tavai could back up both tackle spots. ... Sophomore Aundrey Walker continued to work as the left tackle with junior Kevin Graf staying on the right side.

Notes from Saturday's scrimmage at the Coliseum that won't make it into our other coverage off the session:

• Quarterback Matt Barkley did not participate in the scrimmage portion of practice, giving way to backups Cody Kessler and Max Wittek. Wittek started off as the No. 1 signal-caller before the two switched at the half. We'll have more on the race to back up Barkley on Sunday.

• Defensive line coach Ed Orgeron said there are four players battling to be the third and fourth ends behind Devon Kennard and Wes Horton this season, and none of them have stepped up considerably ahead thus far. He also said Greg Townsend Jr. will no longer practice inside at tackle after he spent the first couple weeks of practice learning the new position. We'll have more on this Monday, along with an update on the running back situation with Curtis McNeal and Tre Madden.

• Injury report: Safety Drew McAllister (leg) returned after missing the latter half of Thursday's practice. Aside from that, nothing changed from Thursday's injury situation, although Kiffin did say center Khaled Holmes (calf) and fullback Soma Vainuku (back) could return Tuesday. Receiver George Farmer (hamstring) did mostly special-teams work, marking the eighth straight practice he has now missed because of the hamstring pull. Running back Buck Allen (hamstring) ran on the sideline for most of practice.

• The lone new injury: Receiver Victor Blackwell hurt his hand and his knee during practice and sat out for some of the day. Kiffin said both were "nothing big." Blackwell's absence meant walk-ons had to take on an even bigger role with only one scholarship pass-catcher available in De'Von Flournoy.

• Cornerback Torin Harris (shoulder) continues to miss practice while rehabbing and working out on the sideline. He has been out since the middle of last season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in the shoulder,"It was positive that he was getting better," Kiffin said. "He should be ready by camp."

• Freshman defensive end DeVante Wilson and redshirt freshman tight end Junior Pomee spent the scrimmage doing rollovers and sit-ups on the sidelines after arriving late to a 9 a.m. morning meeting, Kiffin said.

• Final notes: Receiver Marqise Lee missed the scrimmage to participate in the long jump at the Texas Relays in Austin. He finished 10th. ... An estimated 800 or 900 fans were in attendance at the Coliseum for the open scrimmage, with a couple hundred leaving once it started to rain two-thirds of the way through. ... A number of top recruits were also at the Coliseum, which we'll have more on later.

Most every other member of the USC track & field team is already in Austin, Texas for the Texas Relays, which go from Wednesday-Saturday this week.

Marqise Lee stayed back to participate in the football Trojans' Thursday practice. He's flying out to Texas today (Friday) and will compete in the long jump on Saturday in Austin, missing the Trojans' scrimmage that day to do it.

USC head coach Lane Kiffin said it was a decision he and Lee came to on their own, to allow him to participate and come up with the specific schedule. Cornerback Tony Burnett, the other football player who participated in last weekend's Trojan Invitational, is already in Austin to participate in the triple jump today. He'll fly back later in the day.

"[Lee] really wanted to do it," Kiffin said. "He's a good kid. He does really well in school. And so actually the majority of the track team already left and so he stayed so that he could practice and he's going to leave before the meet and then come back.

"Tony, on the other hand, his event is earlier, so he's already gone and he'll fly back after the event on Friday and hopefully be here for Saturday. So both of them just really really wanted to go and they both work pretty hard at it."

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USC couldn't scrimmage last Saturday because of a lack of healthy skill-position players, and it looks as if the Trojans might be in the same boat again this week.

None of the injured offensive players' statuses have improved, and, to make matters worse, redshirt freshman tight end Junior Pomee went down because of an injured right foot midway through Thursday's practice. He was carted off the field before returning later on to watch practice from the sideline.

With Pomee and fellow tight ends Xavier Grimble, Randall Telfer and Christian Thomas all out last weekend, the Trojans were forced to use walk-on fullback Hunter Simmons as their only tight end and avoid a full-on scrimmage. If Pomee's not able to suit up Saturday, that'll be the same approach again.

"Unfortunately we can't seem to keep a tight end healthy," USC coach Lane Kiffin said after Thursday's practice. "The problem right now is the offensive skill players (being out) aren't allowing us to practice the way we'd like, but we're making the best of it."

Receiver George Farmer (hamstring) is also out, and Robert Woods (ankle) is out for all of the spring. With Marqise Lee set to be in Texas for a track meet, USC could have only two scholarship receivers available again in De'Von Flournoy and Victor Blackwell.

Asked if the Trojans will scrimmage at the Coliseum on Saturday, Kiffin said he didn't know.

"There are so many guys in question, we may just practice like we did last Saturday instead of doing a scrimmage," he said.

Here are notes from Thursday's practice that won't make it into our other coverage from the day's session,

• Receiver De'Von Flournoy had the day's prettiest plays on a big ball from Matt Barkley and other throws from Max Wittek and Cody Kessler. The redshirt junior continues to take advantage of the absence of Robert Woods and George Farmer in practice.

• Barkley was picked off on an ill-advised throw over the middle of the field by safety Demetrius Wright, which Lane Kiffin said was his seventh interception of the spring. We'll have more on this later.

• Sophomore Aundrey Walker practiced at left tackle for the fifth straight practice and kept Kevin Graf on the right side. Walker has looked better on the left than he did on the right in the first three practices of the spring.

• Injury report: Farmer (hamstring), cornerback Ryan Henderson (concussion), center Khaled Holmes (calf), running back Buck Allen (hamstring), fullback Soma Vainuku (back) and tight ends Xavier Grimble (toe) and Randall Telfer (hamstring) all missed practice. Tight end Junior Pomee missed the latter half of practice with a right foot injury, which we'll have more on later, and safety Drew McAllister also exited early with a leg issue.

• Linebacker Dion Bailey participated fully in practice after making a partial return on Tuesday from the hamstring injury that bothered him last week. He did all of the team drills and the post-practice running but lagged a bit behind in the running. Cornerback Torin Harris (shoulder) participated in limited individual work but rehabbed during team drills, as he has typically done this spring.

• Final notes: USC's Saturday scrimmage is open to the public beginning at 11 a.m. and free. Parking is $10. ... Five-star Class of 2013 quarterback Max Browne, who holds a scholarship offer from USC, was in attendance at practice and will also be at the Trojans' scrimmage. ... Defensive back Tony Burnett missed practice because he is in Texas to compete in the triple jump with the track & field team.

Here are notes from Tuesday's practice that won't make it into our other posts off the session:

• It was USC's shortest session yet of the spring, with most players off the field before 6 p.m. after starting up a bit before 4. Coach Lane Kiffin complimented receiver De'Von Flournoy for the second straight day, saying the junior receiver has stepped up his play in the absence of receivers Robert Woods and George Farmer.

• Another receiver who has stepped up is Marqise Lee. Kiffin showered the sophomore with praise Tuesday after he had another good day, saying again that Lee has the chance to be the best receiver to ever play at USC. And both the head coach and his quarterback, Matt Barkley, pointed out that Lee had just won the long jump in USC's track meet on Tuesday and was still recovering from that.

• Injury report: cornerback Ryan Henderson (concussion), center Khaled Holmes (calf), running back Buck Allen (hamstring), fullback Soma Vainuku (back) and tight ends Xavier Grimble (toe) and Randall Telfer (hamstring) all sat out of practice. Holmes, Allen and Grimble have sat out since before the spring break; Henderson and Telfer got hurt Thursday and missed Saturday's scrimmage. Vainuku hurt himself early in the scrimmage. Linebacker Dion Bailey (hamstring) returned after missing most of last week.

• Farmer (hamstring) was cleared to come back to practice earlier Tuesday by team doctors and participated fully in the first half of the session before pulling up with what he described as tightness in the muscle. He walked off the field gingerly but said he could see himself participating in Thursday's practice. Farmer has now taken part in just two of the seven spring sessions, counting two halves as one whole.

• Final notes: Tight end Junior Pomee was back on the field after missing all of last week because of a death in his family. ... USC president Max Nikias visited practice for the first time this spring. ... Newly minted running back Tre Madden fumbled for the second consecutive session, with the drop coming on a standard run without a big hit. Kiffin called it "normal."

Here are some notes that didn't make it into our other coverage from Saturday's scrimmage, the Trojans' first visit to the Coliseum since last November's 50-0 win over UCLA:

• USC had only two scholarship receivers and tight ends available on the field Saturday because of injuries, so De'Von Flournoy and Victor Blackwell got plenty of chances to show off to the coaching staff. Coach Lane Kiffin indicated that Flournoy, now a redshirt junior, was more impressive than Blackwell. Walk-on fullback Hunter Simmons took most of the snaps at tight end with everyone else out.

• So the track Trojans got mixed up a little bit. Nickell Robey, Marqise Lee and Tony Burnett had all planned to participate in the Trojan Invitational track meet on campus, but only Lee and Burnett ended up doing it. Kiffin convinced Robey that he needed to practice special-teams skills, so the junior cornerback skipped his long-jumping event, which Lee actually won. Burnett did the long jump on campus and then tried to golf-cart over to the Coliseum so he could participate in the latter half of practice but was turned down because of NCAA regulations governing two-sport athletes.

• Defensive tackle George Uko was "dominant" on Saturday, according to Kiffin, wrapping up a big week for the redshirt sophomore. He found out two weeks ago Saturday that he had been demoted to the second team and since then he has been the best player in USC's front seven and arguably the best player on the Trojans' entire defense.

• Injury report: Tight ends Xavier Grimble (toe) and Randall Telfer (hamstring), quarterback Jesse Scroggins (hip), running back Buck Allen (hamstring), center Khaled Holmes (calf) and receiver George Farmer (hamstring) all missed practice, and linebacker Dion Bailey (hamstring) missed almost all of it. Fullback Soma Vainuku hurt his back in individual drills and missed all of the scrimmage portion of the day.

• Final notes: USC resumes practice on Tuesday at Howard Jones Field. ... As Kiffin said he would, Matt Barkley did limited work and backups Cody Kessler and Max Wittek took the majority of snaps. ... Robey, D.J. Morgan and Curtis McNeal all practiced punt returning during individual drills.

The Trojans are five practices into the spring and four of their players have already suffered hamstring injuries: tight end Randall Telfer, receiver George Farmer, running back Buck Allen and linebacker Dion Bailey.

What gives?

"I don’t know what to attribute that to except for just not much depth at the skill spots where it’s happening," coach Lane Kiffin said after Thursday's practice. "They’re taking a lot of reps. That’s the only thing I can guess."

The reps make some sense, but only for certain players. Telfer, the latest player to injure his hamstring when he came up lame Thursday, had been taking the vast majority of tight end snaps this spring while Xavier Grimble (toe), Junior Pomee (undisclosed) and Christian Thomas (hip) have been nursing injuries; Farmer was working as the No. 2 receiver because of Robert Woods' ankle injury.

Allen was getting carries as the third-string running back, but not a ton. And Bailey was playing his normal strongside linebacker snaps.

Telfer said he had "no idea" why so many players were getting hurt in the same manner, but he said his was a "freak accident" involving a cut in the wrong direction.

Farmer said he will not participate in Saturday's scrimmage. Kiffin indicated Thursday that Bailey may not be ready and Allen might not either. Telfer said he still anticipated being able to, but it seemed questionable with the way he walked off the practice field.

He said before the break he would be, but USC receiver George Farmer wasn't back on the field with the rest of the Trojans on Tuesday, and it's because the sophomore has experienced yet another setback in his attempt to stay healthy this season.

As of Tuesday, the talented Farmer estimated his strained hamstring, hurt during the second practice of the spring 12 days ago, was "60 percent" healed -- not good enough to get him cleared for practice. He admitted it felt like another step back as he tries to prove to the Trojans' coaches he's healthy and capable of being the No. 3 receiver behind Robert Woods and Marqise Lee in 2012.

"I was gonna make this the time to do everything I needed to do," he said Tuesday. "Last year I didn't come out and do what I wanted to do or what I expected, so this spring I was going to show everything I could do."

Farmer, of course, was a highly touted prospect out of Gardena Serra in the Class of 2011 who many thought could challenge for the starting spot across from Woods as a freshman. But he fell behind Lee early on and ended up moving to running back midway through the season before switching back to receiver this offseason.

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A few notes from Tuesday's practice that won't make it into our other posts from the session:

• Offensive tackles Kevin Graf and Aundrey Walker switched sides, with Walker working on the left and Graf working on the right for the first time this spring. For the first week, Graf stayed on the left and Walker stayed on the right, but Trojans coach Lane Kiffin said he felt it was time to try out the other way. We'll have more on this move Wednesday.

• Injury updates: Center Khaled Holmes (calf), tight end Xavier Grimble (toe), running back Buck Allen (hamstring) and receiver George Farmer again missed practice after all missing the Saturday session before the break. We'll have more on Farmer later Tuesday.

• Defensive back Josh Shaw (rib), a transfer from Florida, has not yet practiced this spring as he awaits word from the NCAA on his request for a hardship waiver to play this season, but Kiffin said the reason he's staying off the field is the rib injury, not his status with the NCAA.

• Two players also went down with injuries during practice and were due to undergo tests afterward: safety Drew McAllister and linebacker Marquis Simmons. Simmons, who has had neck issues in the past, stood on the sideline with ice on shoulder for the second half of practice; McAllister hurt his hand and did not return.

• Players who impressed Kiffin over the first week of practice after he re-watched the film over the break: defensive tackle George Uko, receivers Marqise Lee and Farmer, linebacker Hayes Pullard and cornerbacks Isiah Wiley and Brian Baucham.

• Final notes: Kiffin said the Trojans had no off-field issues over the spring break, as far as he knew. The team took a week off before returning to meetings and conditioning on Monday...Tight end Junior Pomee missed practice because of a death in the family, Kiffin said...Lee and cornerbacks Nickell Robey and Tony Burnett are expected to participate in USC's Trojan Invitational track meet on Saturday morning before going to the Coliseum for the Trojans' 11 a.m. scrimmage.

USC is out on spring break this week and not practicing, but each weekday through Friday, we’ll bring you one thing we learned from the first three days of practice last week and what it might mean for the future.

Our first item covered Marqise Lee‘s continued progress, our second the new-look Aundrey Walker and third the situation at backup QB. Fourth covered the interior of the defensive line.

Fifth is this: George Farmer's biggest challenge for the No. 3 receiver spot is probably going to be staying healthy.

You can't have a better first day of spring practice than Farmer a week ago Tuesday, the Trojans' first day of 2012 spring. He caught everything thrown in his direction, including the tough throws, and earned himself the day MVP award from Lane Kiffin afterward.

But then he got hurt. The next day, Farmer came up lame during a drill and pulled his hamstring. It kept him out of the rest of the week's proceedings and could keep him from being 100 percent for the next couple practices.

And the truth is that's the sophomore receiver's biggest battle at this point. Victor Blackwell will provide competition, but Farmer has the talent and, now, the maturity to be the Trojans' No. 3 pass-catcher. What will set him back is injuries like this one, the same sort of thing that limited him at running back last year during the experiment that moved him there.

What can he do? Obviously a hamstring injury is natural, and so is a sprained ankle, which he sustained early on last season. Things like that happen. But what he can do is learn from his own mistakes and the mistakes of Kyle Prater and even Robert Woods and not try to push himself back too early. If he has to miss two weeks in the spring, then so be it. Missing two weeks in the spring is far better than being even slightly limited for two months.

And that's what happened last year with his ankle injury. He had to exit practice at least four times over the first seven weeks of the season with an ankle issue, and then it culminated before the Stanford game when he had to get carted off the field and then missed the next three games.

We may not have realized it right away, but Farmer is the clear favorite to be the No. 3. He's the best athlete among the competitors and he has the most big-play potential, which the Trojan coaches have always emphasized over the past two years. But if this hamstring injury stays a nagging injury or something else comes along, Blackwell could be the guy too.

It looks like Farmer's job to lose. The hope is that outside forces don't cause him to lose it.

Practice coverage resumes Tuesday.