Cats Stats: Are Singer, Barrs and CRW better off at USC? Here’s what the numbers say

It’s undoubtedly happened somewhere across college football during the transfer-portal era, but the Arizona-USC game presents what has to be a rare circumstance.

Three major multiyear contributors for the Wildcats — receiver Dorian Singer, defensive tackle Kyon Barrs and cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace — are now playing for the ninth-ranked Trojans. At least two of the three, Singer and Roland-Wallace, are expected to start Saturday night.

All parties have moved on at this point. The departed trio are ensconced in L.A., and Arizona has retooled and restocked at their positions. But questions linger as the matchup approaches.

The biggest among them: Did they make the right move?

That idea can be examined from any number of angles. They all had their reasons for leaving. USC was a logical landing spot for two Southern California kids (Barrs, Roland-Wallace) and a Midwest transplant (Singer) who had a chance to catch passes from Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams. You can also define happiness and success in multiple ways.

We try to narrow the focus here at “Cats Stats,” zeroing in on the numbers. Those we can parse; getting inside the heads of 22-year-olds is a much more complicated task.

Below is a comparison of usage and production for the three players. What’s changed since they transferred from Arizona to USC? Let’s have a look.

WR DORIAN SINGER

Usage

At Arizona: Singer spent two seasons with the Wildcats, 2021 and ’22, after enrolling as a walk-on. He became a regular over the final five games of the ’21 season and started 11 of 12 games last year.

Singer averaged 42.4 snaps during his five-game stint in ’21, per Pro Football Focus, including a game in which he was ejected (at ASU). Last year he rarely came off the field, playing 804 of 845 offensive snaps (95.1%) for an average of 67 per game.

At USC: Singer has started four of the Trojans’ five games. They have opened in a four-receiver set in all five, according to the listed starters in USC’s weekly media notes. Arizona’s go-to alignment features three receivers and a tight end.

Singer has played 146 offensive snaps, averaging 29.2 per game. He played a season-high 38 at Colorado. His season low last year was 49 vs. ASU — a game in which Arizona ran only 51 plays.

Production

At Arizona: Singer played an instrumental role in the Wildcats’ passing attack last season. He had the second-most targets (98) and receptions (66) on the team behind Jacob Cowing and finished second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards (1,105).

Singer had at least six targets and three receptions in all but one game last season (at Utah). He topped 100 yards four times and had between 83 and 99 on four other occasions.

At USC: Singer has been targeted 15 times through five games, catching 12 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He ranks fifth on the team in targets and receptions.

Projecting those figures over 12 games, Singer would finish the regular season with 36 targets, 29 catches, 377 yards and seven touchdowns. Only in the TD department would he come close to matching or exceeding what he did in 2022. Singer had six touchdowns last season.

Conclusion

Singer clearly has a lesser role at USC, at least so far. If that continues, he won’t approach his numbers from a year ago. A large part of that is going from being one of three (Jedd Fisch keeps a tight rotation at receiver) to one of many. Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison also experienced a precipitous drop in production when he transferred from Pitt to USC, but he still became a first-round draft pick.

DT KYON BARRS

Usage

At Arizona: Barrs appeared in 38 of a possible 41 games over four seasons with the Wildcats (2019-22). He started 23 times, with all of those coming over his final three years in Tucson.

Barrs averaged 40.1 defensive snaps per game, according to PFF. His usage was almost identical from 2020-22 as Barrs posted the following per-game snap counts: 44.4, 44.6, 45.2

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At USC: Barrs started his first three games as a Trojan. He came off the bench in their past two contests.

Barrs has averaged 20.4 defensive snaps per game with USC. He played a season-high 29 in the opener vs. San Jose State and a season-low nine on Sept. 23 at ASU. Barrs never played fewer than 31 snaps in a game over his final three seasons at Arizona.

Production

At Arizona: Barrs had 102 tackles in 38 games as a Wildcat. He notched a career-high 39 last season.

Barrs had 12.5 tackles for loss with the Wildcats, all coming in 2021 and ’22. That total included five sacks in ’21, when Barrs earned All-Pac-12 second-team recognition.

PFF credited Barrs with 36 QB pressures during his UA career, including 21 in 2021 under Don Brown, who’s now the head coach at UMass. Barrs had 57 defensive stops (tackles that constitute a failure by the offense).

At USC: Barrs has just four tackles so far, putting him on pace for 10. That would be a career low, including the five-game COVID season of 2020.

Barrs has registered five pressures, although only one since the San Jose State game. He has two defensive stops, per PFF. If he continued to average one pressure per game, he’d finish with 12, which would be the second most of his career.

Conclusion

Barrs’ role has diminished since the start of the season. He averaged 27.5 snaps in the first two games, 15.7 since. He very likely would have had a larger role had he stayed here, even with Arizona having added several big bodies to its defensive line. Defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen has rotated liberally up front.

CB CHRISTIAN ROLAND-WALLACE

Usage

At Arizona: Roland-Wallace never missed a game in four seasons with the Wildcats, appearing in all 41 contests. He started all but four of those, including every game from 2020-22.

Roland-Wallace was an absolute workhorse for the Wildcats. He played 97.3% of all possible defensive snaps over his final three seasons, averaging 68.6 per game.

At USC: Roland-Wallace made his first start for the Trojans last week at Colorado. He came off the bench in the first four games.

Roland-Wallace has played 70.4% of all defensive snaps, averaging 53.2 per contest, but his usage has increased every week. Roland-Wallace’s game-by-game snap counts are as follows: 31, 33, 53, 55, 94. His high at Arizona was 89.

Production

At Arizona: Roland-Wallace had 169 tackles, 15 passes defensed and two interceptions in 41 games. He notched career highs in tackles (58), passes defensed (six) and forced fumbles (two) last season.

At USC: Roland-Wallace has 14 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed in five games. He’s on pace for 34, five and five.

Roland-Wallace currently is allowing a 50% completion rate, which would be a career-best mark. He was under 60% each of the past two seasons.

Conclusion

Assuming his promotion to the starting lineup is permanent, Roland-Wallace is in the best position of the three to put up numbers and impress NFL scouts. It’s no secret that the Trojans have struggled on defense, especially when it comes to tackling. Roland-Wallace always has been a reliable tackler, posting a career missed-tackle rate of just 9.0%, per PFF.