No Junior Task : USC’s Willie McGinest Is Finding It Difficult to Fill the Jersey Worn by Junior Seau

Like many a pass-rusher before him, USC linebacker Willie McGinest holds a certain disdain for opposing quarterbacks.

“I have respect for quarterbacks, but it’s not my job to like them,” McGinest said. “It’s my job to destroy them. They’re the bull’s-eye and I’m the bull.”

McGinest, however, has missed his mark more than he would have liked.

A 6-foot-6, 240-pound junior, McGinest showed flashes of brilliance during his first two seasons as a Trojan, but the former star at Long Beach Poly High didn’t develop into the force that many believed he would become.

McGinest demonstrated his talent during the first half of USC’s 31-31 tie against San Diego State two weeks ago, when he had two sacks and deflected two passes.

“My big problem was consistency,” said McGinest, who is the first to admit that he has yet to fulfill his tremendous potential. “I wasn’t consistent, and I wasn’t making plays down after down.

“I’d have a good game here, then I’d have an all-right game, then I’d have a mediocre game, then I’d have a great game. I wasn’t putting it all together every game. I wasn’t going hard every down.”

These last two years, though, have been trying times for McGinest, who carried the weight of great expectations even before he arrived at USC and was given jersey No. 55, which had been worn by Junior Seau, a former Trojan All-American and NFL first-round draft pick.

As a freshman, McGinest played under the cloud of criminal charges, of which he was acquitted.

As a sophomore last year, he never fully recovered from an early-season ankle injury that severely limited his mobility.

Still, the optimistic McGinest said that the experiences of the last 24 months, including the pressure of facing a jury trial during the spring of 1991, helped to make him stronger.

“All the things that happened to me just made me a better person and helped me mature and understand what being on my own and growing up is about,” he said. “I only think it enhanced me.

“I knew that college wasn’t going to be an easy road, and I wasn’t going to get everything handed to me. I knew that everything I got, I was going to have to work for.”

McGinest played well as a freshman, especially considering that he and two of his teammates--fullback Michael Jones and cornerback Jason Oliver--had been charged with misdemeanor counts of false imprisonment, battery and sexual battery in connection with an incident involving a 23-year-old female classmate.

He started three games, blocked a punt during a 35-26 victory at Ohio State and made 27 tackles, including five sacks.

Chris Allen, USC’s defensive coordinator, said that McGinest was ahead of where Seau had been at a similar stage in his development.

A few months after the end of the season, McGinest, Jones and Oliver were acquitted of all charges.

With that weight off his shoulders, big things were expected of McGinest during his sophomore year. Allen described him as a potential All-American.

His performance fell off, however, to the point that, when asked to grade his play last season, McGinest said he deserved no better than a C-minus.

“I don’t think I played too well,” said McGinest, who suffered an ankle injury during the Trojans’ second game, a 21-10 victory over Penn State. “After my injury, I never really bounced back.

“My movement was limited. (The ankle) would go out on me every now and then. A lot of my cuts were rounded off. That’s hard on a pass-rusher.”

McGinest, who was sidelined for two games, counted only two sacks among his 35 tackles.

It was hardly the type of productivity expected of McGinest when he was recruited at Long Beach Poly, where his 107 tackles during his senior season included 18 sacks.

“He was one of those guys (who), when you put on a film, you had to watch about four plays (before you) said, ‘Hey, this guy can play,’ ” Allen said. “Basically, he was a talent.”

McGinest and linebacker Bruce Walker of Dominguez High in Compton, who signed with UCLA, were considered the top two prospects on the West Coast.

When he enrolled at Long Beach Poly, McGinest hadn’t planned to play football--he also was an All-Southern Section basketball player at Poly--but as a senior he found himself taking calls from such national football powers as Notre Dame, Michigan and Miami.

He made recruiting trips to UCLA, Colorado and USC before choosing USC, where another Poly graduate, Mark Carrier, was an All-American safety.

“I didn’t want to go too far away,” said McGinest, adding that Carrier, who grew up around the corner from him, had been a major influence.

Until about midway through his freshman season, McGinest planned to play both football and basketball at USC.

“But once I got here, it was too rough,” he said. “I suffered some injuries in football and didn’t have enough strength to get out there (on the basketball court).”

McGinest said that he would still like to play basketball.

“But football is my future, so I’m going to try to focus and concentrate to do the best I can in football,” he added.

He has been relieved of his pass-coverage assignments this season and will be used almost exclusively as a pass-rusher.

“That’s his talent,” Allen said. “I’d rather have him going toward the ball than going back.”

McGinest said his role is to “be where the ball is and be a dominant player--just let teams know I’m there and causing chaos.”

He was assigned a similar role last season.

“But I didn’t fulfill it,” he said. “This year, I will.”

He spoke twice this summer with Seau, the second time on the eve of the San Diego State game, and said that he was told to stay aggressive and not let up.

“He just told me to take care of his number, don’t let down--just go for it,” McGinest said.

If his play invites comparisons to Seau, so much the better.

For McGinest, though, the ultimate challenge is to make a name for himself.