Partial notes on the USC recruiting class ...

2/4/2012 12:35:40 PM
By: GaryD



Heres an abbreviated "Notes on the USC recruiting class..."

BTW how many forecasters got the fact that USC would end up with only 12 scholarhsips right? Or that Pio would scoot, or for that matter had all 12 scholarship athetes correct? I didnt...how about you?

RB , QB and DL will be an issue of concern for next year's LOIs.

USC vied with Stanford and lost all 3 recruits (Shittu, Peat, and Kyle Murphy) they had in common They lost to Washington on Pio Vatuvei but won on Banner and Shelton. Next year will be a dogfight as UW, Stanford, UCLA  and Cal (with a newer stadium) vie for California Kids and each recruit they pick off weakens USC. Welcome to the SEC west , except they don't vote as a group to help the conference.

It was clear to me with all the 40 plus offers given out and so many choices coming down to the wire that USC was prepared to over-stock, and then work it out as the SEC often does, despite sanctions (examples: walk-on or grey shirt).

Going into the final days before LOI USC had 12 scholarships assumed plus the one for Bowman as he slipped through paperwork out of the early entrant mode into a 2012 class. He would have been 13, with about 5 -6 decisions to be made on LOI day... but basically he ended up taking Pio's scholie as he flipped to UW late. . And Lane Kiffen stated he felt USC would get some surprise LOIs ... by mid afternoon he said he was working hard on multiple additional recruits.

Looking back he made concerted pitches for  QB Cyler Miles (flipping him from UW), DT Aziz Shittu, OTs Kyle Dodson, Andrus Peat, and Kyle Murphy plus a few longshots from back East. Kiffin  seemed ready to take many of them to complete his class. Kiffin admitted afterwards that he fully expected Murphy, Peat or Dodson to sign, with the Trojans believing at one point last week they were leading in the chase of both Murphy and Peat and believing Wednesday they were first or second in the chase of all three prospects.. It didn't happen as all went a different direction. He alluded it later Wednesday in his press conference at Heritage Hall that USC's "bullpen got rocked." In other words they didn't close as expected, nor did their surpriseshappen  beyond  Agholor and Williams. USC ended with a 3 scholie gap .  Add them up.

They did get 17 recruits with the EEs and 15 high schoolers overall....with 3 scholies left in the bank for next year's EEs.

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