Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? Yes Byron Moore decommitted just as he decommitted from ucla some months ago. He lists Notre Dame and LSU as his top two. He's a good one. Notre Dame leads as he believes/has been told he will get immediate playing time in South Bend. The class is hardly falling apart. #2 TE Orson Charles is back in the mix and there are a few silents waiting for the 4th. The differences between the top 10 and maybe even 15 ranked teams are minimal. At some point it's more about coaches successfully evaluating the talent and the ability to convert that talent into wins.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? Well, to be honest, falling apart for you guys means you don't get 8 five star recruits and 12 more 4 star recruits. :thumb: So it's all relative. Orson Charles. Interesting. I had that kid pegged for Georgia. USC has produced some very good TEs in the past 6-7 years however.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? I agree that the class is not falling apart. That is a gross exaggeration, but it does seem uncharacteristic for your program to lose recruits this late in the game. Maybe it happened before and I was just unaware of it. I think this time last year, most people in the country thought USC would have the #1 class with ease. I know I was one of them. So I suppose for your recent standard of success, it looks like a slip to some. Somehow I think Pete will be just fine anyway.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? We do have 2 safeties already committed this class and still in the mix for Starling. I was very happy to have Moore but happy to see him go if he's not convinced that USC is the place for him. We do use the TE in our sets. Fred Davis and now McCoy and Ayles have been more than solid. Charles fits the mold but won't be declaring on LOI day. USC had shown him early interest but backed off after Pressley committed as we had intended to take only one TE in this class. When Pressley left for ucla, we went back after Charles and fortunately he's still interested.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? Totally agree here. I honestly laughed when I initially read the thread title. Sure it might not be the exceptional class USC has grown accustomed to. True, they arent use to the number of decommits but USC is hardly hurting. Recruiting isnt at all falling apart when you are putting together a top 5 class. Crazy to think though, its a down year for USC recruiting wise.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? A couple things in play this year. The last 5 years saw very little turnover in coaching staff. This year we lost our OC, our DC, our QB coach, our Dline coach, and a few others. A whole new staff coming and that can rattle a recruit. That and there can be a point of talent saturation when kids see how deep the talent is and just don't want to wait their turn. Take Allen Bradford for example. He was an unreal HS talent and local kids knew that firsthand. He is still trying to break into the lineup on a regular rotation. It's a reality check on the level of competition kids will face to see the field. And I am NOT saying they are afraid of competition, just that the road to starting is less formidable at other schools and there's nothing wrong with that. Take Stanley Hasiak. He was an absolute unexpected star at the Rising Stars camp last year. He was offered right after the camp but ended up committing to ucla because they had an immediate need. Since then he found a more comfortable environment for himself at Cal which also had a big need at that position. After several years at the top of the recruiting ranks and the talent LSU is hauling in, I believe you may experience a bit of that as well. Lastly, IMO there is a feeling among kids that it might be more interesting to go where you're needed, make a name for yourself, and help a "down" school return to greatness or at least compete at the top levels. Is it better to be just another 5 star at USC or a 5 star "star" at ucla or Washington or Oregon St? Quizz Rogers just might be the smallest giant slayer in college football.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? Didn't realize it was that much. Seems like you "lose" coordinators every year to head coaching jobs. I have often wondered why it has not happened more @ USC. Seems like there are so many highly rated players 3-4 deep, whereas most schools have difficulty recruiting two deep at the same talent level. Do you see this as a possible trend in the future? By that I mean, USC not getting the 5-8 5* kids each year? Maybe that will help out the rest of the PAC 10.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? Will be interesting to see Washington's splash in recruiting next year. That will tell us a lot if the scales can be finally tipped away from USC. UCLA should continue to make strides as well. Neuiheisel has done a great job on the recruiting trail.
Re: USC recruiting class falling apart? You mean this story: The matter stems from comments made by McKnight on signing day, when he was asked about any fears of USC facing disciplinary action because of the Reggie Bush/Lamar Griffin/Michael Michaels/Lloyd Lake affair. McKnight told reporters his mind was put at ease about USC after he listened to a telephone conversation between Coach Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush, the Trojans' Heisman Trophy-winning running back. The problem is, former players are regarded by the NCAA as "representatives of athletics interests" and are forbidden from telephoning prospective recruits. Coach Carroll said he discussed the idea of a conference call with assistants before a visit to McKnight's home, only to be told it was against NCAA rules. He also said that McKnight never spoke to Bush. As for McKnight, his high school coach, John Curtis, told reporters that McKnight told him: "Coach Carroll was talking to Reggie on the speakerphone and Joe was able to listen and hear Reggie Bush's side of the story." http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/20...tential-recruiting-violations-involving-mckn/ Being that story is almost two years old now, my guess is at the end of the day it will all be:
