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Here are some of the more interesting stories that the 16 USC Trojans who trekked to Haiti last week to build houses have brought home to the U.S.:

Barkley speaks Spanish

Quarterback Matt Barkley recalled one of the more unusual experiences from the five-day trip with a big smile.

On one of the days, he spotted a local teenager with an old chalkboard in front of him and a textbook in his hand sitting down under a tree. At first, Barkley thought the kid was practicing Algebra, based on what he saw on the board. But as he walked closer he realized the 18-year-old Haitian was practicing Calculus -- "doing functions and all that kind of stuff."

Most of the Haitians didn't speak English, but there were interpreters translators available when the athletes wanted to talk to the kids. Barkley couldn't find an interpreter in sight, so he tried to strike up a conversation with him in English.

His English was spotty, so Barkley asked what else he knew. The teen said he knew Creole, as all Haitians do, as well as French, Spanish and a bit of English. Cue the conversation.

"We ended up talking for like two hours," Barkley said, "in Spanish."

"It was pretty tight."

How good is Barkley's Spanish?

"We both knew enough to understand each other," he said. "But the grammar was probably pretty messed up.

"If a Spanish speaker heard me talking, it probably wouldn't have pretty."

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As soon as the rain started pouring and the winds started spiraling a few hours after he and 16 members of the USC football team arrived in Haiti last Saturday, Les Barkley knew his guests were in for the experience of their lives.

Barkley, the father of USC quarterback Matt Barkley, had spent many months planning the house-building trip with Hope Force International and even pushing it forward and condensing it when the NCAA ruled it couldn't conflict with summer school at the university. He got so many requests from football players to come along, he had to turn many of them down for logistical reasons.

The group -- roughly two dozen strong, family members and staffers included -- ended up leaving Los Angeles late last Friday with 2,600 pounds of food and supplies in tow and getting to the two-terminal airport in Port-au-Prince on Saturday afternoon. Then they bussed the 20 miles to the beachside town of Leogane where they were staying, on the way seeing how much damage the January 2010 earthquake had inflicted on the capital.

They stopped and took pictures of the ruined presidential palace and took note of the makeshift homes many Haitians lived in, often just some sticks covering sheets or other type of bedding. Then, within a few minutes after arriving in Leogane, a standard summer thunderstorm hit Haiti. It rained a few inches in a matter of minutes and winds gusted by at 40, 50 miles an hour.

Les Barkley noticed the players looking around, looking at each other and putting two and two together. They had available shelter away from the rain -- but most of the hundreds of thousands of people they had just driven by didn't.

"In that moment, they realized that this is what these people put up with every day," Barkley said in a phone interview Thursday. "I think that was a striking moment for them."

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Three USC football players participated in the Pac-12 track and field championships over the weekend in Eugene, Ore. -- and another high-profile Trojan trackster surprised in the Pacific Northwest with a comeback win.

Receiver Marqise Lee, running back D.J. Morgan and linebacker Tony Burnett collectively competed in the relay, hurdle and jump events for the Trojans, giving USC three of its 11 points-scoring participants.

Bryshon Nellum, the former Long Beach Poly sprinter who was shot in the leg near the USC campus in October 2008, came from behind to win the 400-meter sprint with a personal-best time of 45.20 seconds. To do it, he motored past reigning conference champion Mike Berry in the final stretch and improved on his previous best by nearly two tenths of a second.

Lee ran the first leg for USC's 4x100m relay team which finished in sixth. Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas and Oregon State's Malcolm Marable, both football players, also ran the race for their respective schools. Thomas ran anchor and led the Ducks to a second-place finish; Marable ran first like Lee and finished in eighth.

Lee also finished fourth in the long jump with a mark of just over 25 feet and one inch -- eight inches behind the winner. Lee's mark was better than the 24-8 best he posted in high school, which was the second-best mark among all high schoolers in 2011.

Morgan was the top USC hurdler, finishing fifth with a time of 14.21 in the 110-meter hurdle in his second competitive hurdle race since his junior season of high school at Woodland Hils Taft. He ran a 14.48 in the preliminary heat.

Burnett, who came to USC for track and then walked on to the football team and later earned a scholarship, finished 15th in the triple jump -- second among USC jumpers.

Overall, the USC men finished seventh and the women finished fourth.

We wrote in April about Matt Barkley and his family's plans to bring several USC Trojans with them to Haiti this summer for a house-building trip in the earthquake-torn Caribbean country.

Those plans are ongoing, and the trip is nearing. Here's the updated list of players going and a brief itinerary of what the group will do in Haiti this month with Hope Force International.

The full list of participants includes Barkley, T.J. McDonald, Devon Kennard, Dion Bailey, Robert Woods, Khaled Holmes, Nickell Robey, Hayes Pullard, Kyle Negrete, Scott Starr, Josh Shaw, Cyrus Hobbi, Kevin Greene, Max Wittek, Cody Kessler and Luke Freeman.

The 14 players who originally planned to go are all still going, and McDonald and Bailey joined the group later. Barkley's parents and siblings are also attending.

They will leave at midnight on May 12th, so late this Friday night, meaning a few of the players walking in Friday's commencement ceremony will essentially be going straight from school to the foreign country. They return a week from today, on the 16th.

They're staying in the beachside town of Leogane, 20 miles west of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Leogane was at the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and had 80 to 90 percent of its buildings damaged.

The plan is to build four houses for four family in the small village of Sous Savanne and to visit an orphanage and school there and help out too.

The last time USC had as few as three players selected in an NFL draft, as did they did last weekend, the Trojans were coming off a 6-6 season in Pete Carroll's first year on the job.

That was April 2002.

Cornerbacks Kris Richard and Chris Cash went in the third and sixth rounds, respectively. Thus, the common reaction would be to dismiss that year as having nothing to do with this one, when Matt Kalil and Nick Perry each went in the first round and then only tight end/fullback Rhett Ellison was taken among the remaining 231 selections.

But that would be incorrect.

The two years actually share a lot of similarities -- starting with the fact that the talent on both the 2001 and 2011 squads was overwhelmingly backloaded with underclassmen. The lack of draftable talent in 2002 -- along with the success the 2002 team would go on to have -- foreshadowed the five players who would be taken in 2003, including two in the first round.

And the lack of draftable talent in 2012 should foreshadow the many players likely to be selected in 2013, including three potential first-rounders.

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USC football players Marqise Lee, Tony Burnett and Nickell Robey are all expected to compete in Sunday's dual track & field meet between USC and UCLA, an annual affair valued highly by both programs.

All three are competing in the long jump Burnett, a backup linebacker for the football Trojans, will take part in the triple jump; Robey and Lee are each expected to run segments of the 4x100m relay.

Earlier this year, the trio and fellow football/track participant D.J. Morgan ran the 4x100m as a foursome and challenged USC's normal combination. Morgan, a running back on the football team, is not expected to participate Sunday.

Among football players also competing in track & field events, Lee (long jump) and Burnett (triple jump) have each posted the top marks in their events among all divisions of the NCAA, according to stats compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Sunday's meet will be held at UCLA.

USC's spring practice is done and football is officially over until the first week of August, so we're going over the five biggest things we learned this spring, avoiding basic topics like who surprised and who disappointed in favor of broader, longer-term issues.

We went over De'Von Flournoy's surprise spring yesterday. Today, our second thing is this: This team's defensive back depth might actually be one of its biggest strengths, contrary to what recent history would have you believe.

Here's a good example of how the USC secondary is so much deeper this year than it has been in any recent season.

The coaches used to have to switch trackster Tony Burnett back and forth from corner to safety during his first two seasons with the program to add temporary depth wherever it was lacking. This spring, there was so much depth there that they moved Burnett to an entirely new position: strongside linebacker, where he looked to be thriving in the final week.

That's the kind of luxury all this depth is going to give new defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders and the Kiffins in 2012.

All the starters return at corner and safety, and then four or five more potential starters also return or enter in behind them, depending on how you look at it. There is simply a ton of depth across the board, so much so that an incoming signee like Kevon Seymour might be forced to redshirt as a freshman because of a sheer lack of available snaps.

Last year, it wouldn't have been farfetched to expect Seymour to come in and start right away.

What will USC be able to do because of that extra depth? Well, it's going to make redshirts more likely for Seymour and fellow incoming freshman Devian Shelton. But it may also allow newcomers Josh Shaw and Gerald Bowman to learn the system without a rush to get on the field in camp.

For Bowman, in particular, that could be a key benefit. He has difference-making potential, but it would've been a lot easier for him to fulfill that potential if he enrolled in the spring. It also means Burnett's probably going to stay at linebacker for his final season. Even if he struggles some there, it just makes more sense from a get-on-the-field perspective.

Considering the other units across the board, the only other ones that come close to the overall depth of the defensive backs are the quarterbacks and the tight ends -- with experience still an issue under center and health a serious issue at tight end.

So, yes, things have changed in the USC secondary.

Check back Wednesday for the second thing we learned in the spring, involving USC's offensive tackles and something they still need to work on.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley is going to Haiti this summer on a volunteer mission to help build houses, and he's bringing 14 other USC Trojans with him.

Barkley, an experienced foreign volunteer with trips to Nigeria and South Africa under his belt in the last few years, said his parents have been planning the six-day trip for some time. They recently thought to invite a number of the other players on the team who expressed interest in coming along too.

"We wanted to do something one more time while I was in college before life gets pretty crazy and all that stuff," Barkley said on Tuesday after the Trojans' practice. "I've grown up with these guys and played together with them for four years. I've known guys like Devon and T.J. for even longer than that. This came up, and we decided it'd be a great opportunity to go down there.

"It ended up being a little more guys than we originally planned, but I'm all for it. We're going to build houses. It's going to be awesome."

According to a USC news release, the team of Trojans will build a minimum of three houses and transport more than 2,000 pounds of supplies for orphanages and schools as part of the May deployment of Hope Force International, an organization that specializes in quick strike disaster relief.

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Lane Kiffin made an unintentionally funny comment after Tuesday's practice, a rarity for him.

See, when the Trojans' third-year coach tries to be funny in speaking to the media, which hasn't been particularly often since he arrived at USC, he usually is. And when he tries to be serious, which is almost always, he usually is too.

But this time he was trying to highlight receiver Marqise Lee's unbelievable athleticism and include cornerback Nickell Robey in the discussion. And so he said something unintentionally funny.

"He's a really unique individual," Kiffin said in response to a question about Lee. "For whatever reason, there's two of them that are like that -- him and Nickell.

"They can just go forever. It doesn't matter how long the practice is or what it is."

Is what Kiffin said correct? Pretty much. But it's also ironic -- the very definition of unique stipulates that there must be only one of something that is unique. So to call Lee unique and then say Robey is too isn't exactly staying true to the word.

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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.

When you get drafted, are your track skills going to get you a contract or your football skills?

Lane Kiffin asked cornerback Nickell Robey that very question this week, when the junior Robey was presented with a decision between track and football for his Saturday afternoon whereabouts. The Trojans' first big track meet of the season, taking place Saturday on campus, coincides with the USC's first scrimmage of the spring.

Robey, Marqise Lee, Tony Burnett and D.J. Morgan -- the football team's four track participants -- can only do one of the two events because of NCAA rules restricting student-athlete hours in a given week. Everybody but Morgan will do track.

Of course, Robey says Kiffin was joking about the football-track thing. And the head coach supported Robey, Lee and Burnett's decision to do track instead of football, even though the parties involved said it was tough to pick.

Burnett didn't realize until this week that he wouldn't be able to do both. Robey said it was a tough decision to make once he was given the choice of only one or the other.

"Should I ditch the track meet and do the scrimmage?" he said Thursday. "It was a thought that popped into my head."

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A few notes that won't make it into our other coverage from Thursday's session:

• USC coach Lane Kiffin spotlighted safety T.J. McDonald for his improved play in the second week of the spring and also said defensive tackle George Uko has practiced well aside from an effort slip-up during the Trojans' first scrimmage. We'll have more on Uko's situation on Friday.

• Cornerback Nickell Robey, receiver Marqise Lee and defensive back Tony Burnett will participate in Saturday's Trojan Invitational track meet instead of scrimmaging with the USC team at the Coliseum. Running back D.J. Morgan, the other football-track participant this spring, will scrimmage instead of sprint. We'll have more on the foursome and their decisions on Friday.

• Defensive back Josh Shaw, a Florida transfer, said he will not practice for the rest of spring with a rib injury he suffered with the Gators. He participated in winter workouts for the Trojans earlier this year but had the situation flare up over the last few weeks, he said. Shaw also still awaits ruling from the NCAA on whether or not he'll be able to play this season with a hardship waiver.

• Injury report: Outside of the four Trojans sidelined with hamstring injuries, tight end Xavier Grimble (toe) and center Khaled Holmes (calf) also sat out of practice. Linebacker Marquis Simmons (shoulder) was very limited and quarterback Jesse Scroggins was limited with a hip injury. Safety Drew McAllister, who left Tuesday's practice early with a hand injury, practiced with a cast on his hand.

• Final notes: USC will scrimmage at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the Coliseum, the first time the Trojans will go back to the stadium as a team since November's 50-0 season-ending win over UCLA...Kiffin said quarterback Matt Barkley "won't play a lot" in the scrimmage, giving way primarily to backup candidates Cody Kessler and Max Wittek...Tight end Junior Pomee missed his second consecutive practice with a death in the family but could be back for Saturday's scrimmage.

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.

Notes from Saturday's practice and scrimmage that couldn't fit into our other coverage off the session:

• USC coach Lane Kiffin said the defense dominated the day on Saturday, and it was clear. The Trojans' offense scored just two touchdowns on 56 total plays in 11-on-11 scrimmaging, with those two scores coming from Marqise Lee and De'Von Flournoy.

• Backup quarterback Jesse Scroggins spent almost the entire practice doing rollovers on the field. Kiffin said he "missed something" earlier in the week. Scroggins has made almost no progress this spring and is already falling behind Max Wittek and Cody Kessler in the race to back up Matt Barkley.

• Injury report: Receiver Robert Woods (ankle) is still out, as is fellow pass-catcher George Farmer (hamstring) and several other players who are out for the entire spring. New injuries Saturday included hamstring pulls for running back Buck Allen and linebacker Dion Bailey, as well as a calf strain for center Khaled Holmes, which pushed Abe Markowitz into the first-string lineup.

• Big hits were provided by linebacker Tre Madden on running back D.J. Morgan, cornerback Isiah Wiley on running back Curtis McNeal and fullback Soma Vainuku on defensive end Morgan Breslin. Madden's was probably the biggest of the day -- or at least the loudest. Morgan held onto the ball; McNeal didn't.

• Defensive end Wes Horton had an impressive interception on a ball that appeared to be tipped by defensive tackle George Uko. Cornerback Nickell Robey earned MVP honors from Kiffin after forcing a fumble from Morgan on the final play of 11-on-11 scrimmaging.

• Final notes: 2012 signee Jabari Ruffin (Downey, Calif./Downey) was in attendance at practice along with a number of 2013 signees. ... There were more family members, recruits and media in attendance than had been at Howard Jones Field in at least two years. ... Greg Townsend Jr. continued to work at defensive tackle and looked more comfortable Saturday than the first two practices.

Here's USC cornerback Nickell Robey talking after Saturday's scrimmage, which he was named MVP of by Lane Kiffin. He goes over the progress made by the Trojans' defense since the end of last season and makes a point of noting the differences new defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders has brought about in the secondary.

Robey also talks about his plans for Spring Break -- he's not going back home to Florida, but some family members are coming into town to visit him.