Redshirt junior Gino Quinones earned his spot in quarterback Caleb Williams’ Heisman Trophy entourage earlier this month by making a start at right guard in Week 5 and a few other relief appearances through the season.
That meant his first trip to New York City — first ever trip to the East Coast, for that matter — to watch Williams win college football’s top award and celebrate with him afterward.
“I’ve never been anywhere outside of Hawaii for anything but football. It was cool. It was definitely a culture shock. I’m from a small little island, so it was very cool,” Quinones said. “… I thought here was hectic, but when we went there, I was like, ‘This is too much. Get me out of this car, I’ll walk a mile.’ I think we all felt like that, but yeah, it was awesome to be there.”
Quinones wasn’t needed much this season behind the Trojans’ established veteran offensive line, but he’ll be front and center for the offense next week in the Cotton Bowl vs. Tulane, as center Brett Neilon and left guard Andrew Vorhees are set to miss the game due to injuries.
That presumably means Bobby Haskins and Mason Murphy at left and right tackle, respectively, Dedich sliding over from right guard to center (as he did late in the Pac-12 championship game) and Jonah Monheim and Quinones at the two guard spots. While Quinones started at right guard in place of an injured Dedich against Arizona State, he played 18 snaps at left guard vs. Colorado and 14 snaps at left guard late in the Pac-12 championship game. Monheim has only played on the right side so far this season.
Wherever Quinones lines up, it’s a big opportunity for him as this is the reality the Trojans are facing heading into 2023 as Vorhees and Neilon are both out of eligibility (along with Haskins, while Dedich has yet to announce a decision on returning for his final year).
“This is a big opportunity for myself. It’s the first time I’ve been healthy for a whole season, so just showing what I can do — I need to earn trust, I need to produce trust. This is everything right here this game,” Quinones said.
Overall, he played 121 snaps this season after not logging any offensive snaps his first three years in the program. Quinones joined the Trojans out of St. Louis High School in Honolulu as a three-star converted defensive lineman in the 2019 recruiting class.
Between the position switch, having to get bigger to handle the offensive line and staying healthy, he had been rather off the radar until earning buzz from this coaching staff leading up to the season. Quinones credits offensive line coach Josh Henson — his third OL coach in his four years — with his emergence as a viable option this season.
“Coach Henson has helped tremendously. He’s said some things that I’ve never heard before in a football way. I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Quinones said.
Per PFF, he allowed 5 pressures and no sacks across 71 pass-blocking snaps this season.
The Trojans will need him at his best on Jan. 2 vs. Tulane.
“Just got to make sure I’m ready, prepping, make sure we’ve got a chemistry with the guys. We’re looking good so far,” he said. “I think the coaches have done a good job of rotating us all season. … We’ve studied a lot with each other, we’ve planned on these situations if something like this happens, so we’re well prepared. …
“I would say it’s more just earning the other guys’ trust, really. We’re five offensive linemen. I’ve got to make sure [Dedich] knows what I’m doing, I’ve got to make sure we can communicate throughout the whole game.”
Two USC graduate assistants are reportedly on the move to FCS-level Incarnate Word for bigger opportunities.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported this week that Conner McQueen, a former Texas A&M QB who has been on staff with the Trojans this year, will be the new offensive coordinator at Incarnate Word, while fellow GA Austin Woods will be the offensive line coach there.
It’s a good sign for a program when its support staffers are quickly landing significant promotions elsewhere as it makes it an appealing destination to attract the next wave of talented up-and-comers to help behind the scenes.
USC departs Tuesday for Dallas to resume Cotton Bowl preparations at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Trojans had the last three days off for the holidays.
USC has eight scholarship players from Texas, but none from the Dallas-Arlington area.
The list includes: RB Darwin Barlow (Newton, Texas), WR Tahj Washington (Marshall), TE Malcolm Epps (Houston), LB Chris Thompson Jr. (Duncanville), OT Courtland Ford (Cedar Hill), DB Latrell McCutchin (Austin), K Alex Stadthaus (Austin) and TE Lake McRee (Austin).
Washington said he expects about 40 friends and family to be in attendance for the game.
“Just seeing my hometown too, seeing their support over social media. The game’s right there in Texas two hours away from my house, seeing how everybody’s planning on coming out definitely gives me something to play for,” Washington said.