USC Football Recruiting: 2013 Offers, How They Fit & Other Tidbits (Part 1)

Now that the 2012 recruiting madness has been put to bed, it is time to get a way-too-early head start on this year's class of potential Trojans.

This multi-part series will look at the 2013 class of high school players USC has offered, gauge their interest in the Trojans and how they figure in the future plans of the men of Troy.

Of course, by nature, recruiting is a fluid process, and nothing is for sure until the players ink their names on the dotted line of their national letter of intent.

That said, since luck is the residue of design, fans of the program can at least be versed in the possibilities that await the Trojans should some of these players don the cardinal and gold for their college careers.

So be prepared for a roller-coaster ride as the process shakes itself out.

This piece represents the very beginning of that ride as it prepares for its first plunge of the 2013 recruiting season.

Buckle up...

Kenny Bigelow

In addition to Bigelow being the Trojans' first verbal commitment for the 2013 class, he is a perfect fit for a position that will desperately be in need of replenishing.

Rated a 5-star prospect by Scout.com, Bigelow has great size (6'5", 280 lbs) and even better quickness for a defensive tackle. Better yet, he has already made a visit to USC, which motivated the early verbal last fall.

Hailing from Red Lion Christian Academy in Bear, DE, Bigelow is teammates with David Sill, the quarterback who committed to Lane Kiffin as a 13-year-old, and it is apparent that his relationship with Sill also played an important part in his decision to come west and play for the Trojans.

Of course, it should be noted that verbal commitments are made to be broken, and Bigelow will be bombarded with offers—he has already received some from Auburn, Clemson, Oregon and many others.

Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron will have to nervously sit by and wait for this difference-maker's formal signature next February on his letter of intent.

Michael Hutchings

Sometimes a player comes around that is so good that he must be recruited despite a wealth of depth at the position he plays.

Such is the case with Concord De La Salle's all-everything linebacker, Michael Hutchings.

Though he is not incredibly big (6'1", 210 lbs) nor extremely fast, Hutchings has terrific instincts to go along with great sideline-to-sideline quickness and an uncanny nose for the ball.

With the Trojans shackled by reduced scholarships and already holding a wealth of linebackers (starters Bailey, Dawson, Pullard and backed up by Will Andrew, Dallas Kelly, Anthony Sarao, Marquis Simmons, Tre Madden and incoming freshmen Scott Starr and Jabari Ruffin), this is a position that otherwise wouldn't be recruited except for the talent of Hutchings.

As for Hutchings himself, he holds offers from literally almost every glamorous program in the nation and calls his interest in them all as "medium."

Still, he has camped at USC and has nothing but great things to say about them, so I would say the chances of his landing with the Trojans are fairly good.

Su'a Cravens

Unlike the linebacker position, safety will be a slot that needs re-stocking as soon as possible.

T.J. McDonald, Drew McAllister and Jawanza Starling will all be gone after this season, and although incoming players Gerald Bowman and Devian Shelton will ease the transition, getting a guy like Su'a Cravens would be huge as the Trojans go forward.

Simply put, Cravens is the best prep safety in the nation.

At 6'1", 205 lbs and growing, Cravens is a ferocious hitter who supports the run and defends the pass equally well.

Rated a top prospect by every recruiting service that matters, he holds more than two dozen offers from most of the top programs in the country and rates them all even in terms of his interest.

Cravens recently attended the Trojans' junior day and said great things about USC.

Though trying to read the tea leaves for his signature is premature at best, the Trojans stand a real solid shot of landing this talented youngster.

Max Browne

At first glance, you wouldn't think that the Trojans would need to offer a quarterback in the 2013 class with redshirt sophomore Jesse Scroggins and redshirt freshmen Max Wittek and Cody Kessler already in the fold.

But you would be wrong for at least two reasons.

First, Scroggins is facing academic and competition issues at USC and may or may not be with the Trojans after this season.

But perhaps the best reason to offer Skyline High School's Max Browne is the talent the 6'5", 200-lb gunslinger brings to the table.

Browne does everything well, and he is just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

Over the last two seasons, Browne has thrown for more than 8,200 yards and 95 touchdowns against only 20 interceptions.

After recently attending USC's junior day and receiving an offer, Browne now has at least a dozen in his pocket, including those from powerhouses Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Auburn.

Rating them all even in terms of his interest, Browne will take a hard look at USC and may just wind up there, although it is very early in the process.

Okay, that will do it for this ridiculously early look at the 2013 Trojans recruiting class.

Future installments will look at others USC has offered and will update their status as information becomes available.

Although it is in its infancy stage for this year, recruiting is a continuing process, and the battles for the hearts of these talented prep stars often are won early.

So stay tuned, because these recruiting wars are always fluid and can change by the day.