Pete Carroll and his staff surprised many onlookers by moving sophomore Armond Armstead from defensive tackle to defensive end this spring. After all, Armstead showed flashes of great promise as a freshman, recording 10 tackles, including three for losses, in limited action. He also weighs 290 pounds.

But when a reporter asked Carroll on Tuesday if he could foresee a scenario where Armstead moves back to tackle, the coach said no way.

“He’s too good at what he’s doing,” Carroll said. “He’s just learning. I think he’s a real factor.”

Despite weighing about 20 pounds more than Kyle Moore, his predecessor at strong-side defensive end, Armstead has made as many visits to the offensive backfield as the rest of the Trojans’ young, active defensive line.

“I really like the way he’s doing his stuff,” Carroll said. “He’s physical, he can rush the passer and he’ll chase the ball, too. It’s a great move for him.

“We didn’t know it at the time. It was an experiment. But it didn’t take (more than) a couple of days to see this was a good move for him, and for us.”

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