Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting in 2009 (Part Two)

For much of this decade, Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans have been near or at the top of the high school football recruiting rankings.

Year after year, the Trojans haul in four- and five-star recruits, just itching for the chance to play for Carroll and the Trojans.

During their recruiting process, high school players come to Los Angeles and during their visit to USC’s campus, they see vigorous practices, unlike any others, where spirited competition is defined as the singular characteristic which set starters apart from reserves.

They will see Pete Carroll and his coaches yell, cajole, motivate, and otherwise do everything they can to help those under their charge grow into fundamentally sound football players.

Those players being recruited by the Trojans who do not live in the southland will see the sunshine, the beaches, and all the pretty girls.

Wide-eyed recruits will witness NFL drafts that regularly feature multiple Trojans going high in the first rounds.

All these things and more have contributed to the Trojans success in luring top drawer high school talent to southern California.

Yet, this year, USC is changing its recruiting strategy and in doing so, they will deviate from the recipe that has brought the program so much success.

Why?

New Strategy

This year, USC has been withholding offers of scholarships to many players that last year would have long ago received an offer from the Trojans.

It’s not that these players are not wanted—they are, and USC’s coaches are upfront with these players in question.

And there are still many players who USC is offering just like before.

It’s just that USC has seen a disturbing trend, especially last year, of top-flight players who give the Trojans early verbal commitments only to have a last minute change of heart and sign elsewhere.

It is the USC recruiting staff's belief that early verbal commitments give competing programs too much time to denigrate the Trojans.

Often times this will include telling early commits to USC that there is too much competition waiting for them.

Sometimes, especially last year, they succeed.               

Take for instance, the curious cases of Vontaze Burfict and Morrell Presley.

Burfict, a highly regarded linebacker and Presley, the No. 1 ranked tight end, both gave the Trojans early verbal commitments only to sign with other programs (Arizona State and UCLA respectively) on letter of intent signing day.

It is reasonable to assume that these programs who lured Burfict and Presley away pointed out the competition these young players would face at USC.

Neither player had a chance of playing their first year and most likely would have had to redshirt with no guarantees beyond that for playing time

Burfict, a good player who will most likely start at Arizona State, probably saw the writing on the wall with who the Trojans had ready to go at the position and just didn’t think he could crack the lineup in the time frame he desired.

Presley, whom I think is overrated, saw both Blake Ayales, the No. 1 prep tight end the year before and Rhett Ellison another talented tight end and both sophomores, and bailed for Westwood where the competition is not nearly so severe.

Of course, this is their prerogative, and I am sure that Pete Carroll wishes both of them well.

However, it does put the recruiting staff at a severe disadvantage when two players you were counting on decide at the last minute to go back on their verbal promise to sign a letter of intent.

In USC’s case, the inconvenience was only a minor stumbling block.

Although they lost Burfict, on signing day they gained Jarvis Jones, a very talented linebacker from Georgia that otherwise may not have come to USC if Burfict had signed with the Trojans.

When all is said and done, Jones may very well have better upside than Burfict anyway.

Presley’s defection, in my estimation, probably worked out best for USC in the long run.

Already this year, Xavier Grimble, the No. 1 prep tight end and Randall Telfer, the No. 4 high school tight end have given their verbal commitments to the Trojans and assuming they too don’t go back on their words, both of them have better upside than Presley in my opinion.

Regardless of these specific cases, late defections, for whatever reasons, cause significant headaches for those responsible for recruiting.

To what extent bad mouthing of USC had in changing these young people’s minds is difficult to determine.

However, it is significant enough for USC to deviate from what has been a winning formula in the past.

This new strategy has already backfired though.

Kenny Stills, a local wide receiver, who was just dying for a scholarship offer from the Trojans, was told he had to wait for camp at USC and perform well in order to earn that offer.

He did wait and he did perform well, running a sub 4.4 40 and catching most everything tossed his way.

The problem is that in the meantime, Florida, Tennessee, and many others offered Stills and by the time the USC camp rolled around and the offer was extended, Stills was no longer a lock for USC.

While the Trojans remain in the picture for Stills, their reluctance to offer early may have cost them this talented wide receiver.

It is a gamble for Pete Carroll and his recruiting staff to change what has proven to be a very successful formula that has resulted in many blue chip prep stars coming to USC.

Whether this gamble pays off or not, only time will tell.   

Next installment will look at those players who have given USC a verbal commitment in 2009.