Eddie Czaplicki needs to be ready if USC’s offense struggles

USC Trojans senior punter Eddie Czaplicki fills an uncomfortable but important role in the 2024 Men of Troy. On the one hand, USC needs him when called upon. On the other hand, USC doesn’t want him to take the field too often. The less we see of him the better. Czaplicki is an exciting part of USC’s move to the Big Ten Conference, and his place on this team could become more central than many currently appreciate.

Czaplicki was selected to the 2024 Ray Guy Award Watch List. The Ray Guy Award honors the nation’s top collegiate punter. In his collegiate career, he handled the punting and kickoff duties. He recorded 139 punts for 6,159 yards (44.3-yard average) with a long of 75 yards and 36 punts going 50 yards or more. Has touchbacks on 43 of 86 kickoffs (50%).

He transferred to USC in the spring of 2023 from Arizona State and served as USC’s punter during the 2023 season. He averaged 43.3 yards on his 44 punts in 2023, 15 of which pinned opponents inside the 20. He also had 30 kickoffs, totaling 1,906 yards. Appeared in all 13 games.

The thing about Czaplicki is that in a shootout game — which could be the USC vs. LSU opener — the Trojans don’t want him to come out swinging. However, when USC gets into trouble in Big Ten play, such as a game at Maryland in mid-October when the offense struggles early in the afternoon, Czaplicki could be the difference in a final score of 16- 13. Czaplicki won’t be needed all the time, but he might be needed if Miller Moss and friends can’t light up the scoreboard. USC’s battles against Michigan and Penn State could also be the types of battles where field position turns the tide for the Trojans.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Eddie Czaplicki needs to be ready if USC offense struggles