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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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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.

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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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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Six 2011 USC Trojans have latched on to NFL teams via the undrafted free-agent wire as of Sunday morning.

Those include defensive tackle DaJohn Harris, who signed with the Tennessee Titans, and linebacker Chris Galippo, who agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts. Harris had been projected as a potential mid-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft but slipped because of health concerns, and Galippo had an outside shot of being selected entering the weekend.

The four others: receiver Brandon Carswell, who signed with the Oakland Raiders, long snapper Chris Pousson (Tampa Bay), defensive tackle Christian Tupou (San Diego) and running back Marc Tyler (Green Bay).

Nine players from the 2011 USC squad will have the opportunity to play in the NFL next season, with the six undrafted signees plus first-round draft selections Matt Kalil and Nick Perry and fourth-round pick Nick Perry.

The Trojans could have close to that many drafted next season, led by potential first-round selections Matt Barkley, T.J. McDonald and Robert Woods.

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.

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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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."

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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Here's USC coach Lane Kiffin talking to the media after Tuesday's practice, the Trojans' first in nine days after last week's spring break.

He addresses Tre Madden's move to running back this week, the current injury situation for the Trojans and receiver Robert Woods' status going forward, among other topics.