Unsurprisingly, there were no major developments from day one of training camp, but Rivals has a few interesting notes in its practice recap. Although placekicker David Buehler hit a 37-yard field goal, he also missed from 27. And senior safety Josh Pinkard–a starter who missed most of last season with an injury–practiced Monday with the second-team unit (Taylor Mays and Kevin Ellison were the starters), and also got some looks at cornerback (a position he played two seasons ago). Rivals also has a profile on fullback Stanley Havili, who looked sharp during drills on Monday.

Sights and Sounds from Fall Camp (Rivals, $)
USC welcomes a healthy Havili (Rivals, $)

Outside the article in Rivals’ message boards, one of that site’s writers also noted that one of the less-heralded freshman, defensive lineman Christian Tupou, was impressive–especially with speed and athleticism (although not size). Other observers felt that the day’s stars included RB Allen Bradford, RB Stafon Johnson (who actually got in a lot of reps), QB John David Booty, and QB Mark Sanchez, with WR Ronald Johnson, WR David Ausberry and TE Rhett Ellison also getting mentions for performing well. And Sam Baker apparently looked perfectly fine, despite recent reports of a foot injury.

Speaking of impressive running backs, the Times’ Gary Klein thought that Chauncey Washington looked good during reps as well. He also noted that OL Drew Radovich did not practice because of a back injury, but should return soon.

Trio of tailbacks is off to a running start (LA Times)

Scout has some nice photos from the Trojan’s first fall practice, and they were among several observers to note that freshman RB Joe McKnight is already looking very impressive. (Klein and Scott Wolf, too, singled him out.)

Photo Report - USC Practice Begins (Scout)
Quick Hit (Scott Wolf)

For those of you who plan on attending practice during the coming weeks (almost every session is open to the public), Wolf also posted a handy list of player numbers for walk-ons who aren’t yet on USC’s published roster. He also reports that in honor of the late Mario Danelo, no player will wear his number 19 this season.

Quick Hit, Part II (Scott Wolf)