USC Football Recruiting: The Top 2013 In-State Recruits Who Can't Get Away

As the Trojans attempt to meander their way through the next couple of years of reduced scholarships available, the need for Lane Kiffin and his staff to be on target with their offering of free rides to premium high school prospects has never been more critical.

As always, the first priority for the recruiting department is to "build a fence" around those California prospects who fill the Trojans' needs.

To that end, identifying in-state recruits and building relationships with this segment of their recruiting efforts is crucial to the success that is required to maintain the steady climb up the national rankings that began last year.

This slideshow will identify several of those "California targets" that Kiffin and crew have in mind for 2013.

Securing a significant portion of these young prospects will be a priority for the Trojans to be certain.

Now let's find out who these players are.

Justin Davis (Running Back)

The Trojans have offered a few running backs, but the only one who hails from California is Justin Davis from Lincoln High School out of Stockton, Ca.

Davis has everything one would look for in a premier running back including size (6'1", 195 lbs) and tremendous quickness.

As a junior, Davis rushed for 2,611 yards and 39 touchdowns as he dominated his league.

Much more will be expected from him in 2012, and he likely will shatter the lofty numbers he put up last year.

USC joins more than a dozen other programs such as Florida State, Oklahoma and others for Davis' services, and he lists them all as "medium" in terms of his interest.

Michael Hutchings (Outside Linebacker)

Perhaps the premier California prospect, outside linebacker Michael Hutchings is a wanted man by almost every college football program in the nation.

Possessing good size (6'1", 210 lbs), extraordinary quickness and even better instincts, Hutchings has all of the attributes to be a force at the next level.

On the plus side for USC, the Trojans were one of the first to offer the De La Salle High School prospect, but they have been joined by more than two dozen other programs, including some of the best in the nation.

Su'a Cravens (Safety)

Safety will be a position that the Trojans will need to replenish after next year, and for that reason, Vista Murietta High School's Su'a Cravens will be high on USC's list.

Craven's, who is rated a 5-star prospect by Scout.com, is a fabulous athlete who has great ball-hawking skills and has been known to deliver bone-crunching hits routinely.

Though he has expressed a tremendous amount of interest in playing for USC, the Trojans will have to compete with the likes of Clemson, Florida and Notre Dame among many others for his services.

Meanwhile, Cravens lists all of his potential suitors as "medium" interest-wise.

Johnny Johnson (Cornerback)

Another area that will need replenishing soon for the Trojans is the cornerback position, and in Johnny Johnson, USC would be getting a good one.

Johnson, who hails from Central High School, East Campus in Fresno, is an extremely quick corner with excellent fundamentals.

The only knock on Johnson is his relative lack of size (5'9", 170 lbs), but while he may not get any taller, he does have the frame to add weight at the next level.

Johnson is rated a 4-star prospect by Scout.com, and holds several offers including those from Oklahoma and Notre Dame among others.

Max Redfield (Safety)

If there is anyone that is close to a "lock" for USC in the 2013 class, it is safety Max Redfield from Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo, Ca.

Claiming his interest in the Trojans is "high" (according to Scout.com), the 4-star prospect is rising on the national scene as his tapes are getting out.

Possessing excellent size (6'2", 195 lbs), Redfield has made tremendous strides over the last couple of years, and it is expected his progress will continue in 2012.

Though Redfield's offer list is growing, Oregon appears to be the Trojans' main competition for this talented prospect.

Joe Mathis (Defensive End)

Anyone who follows the Trojans knows that they are in need of defensive line help, and securing a pledge from Upland's Joe Mathis would go a long way toward easing that need.

Mathis, an absolute beast from the edge, has great size (6'4", 250 lbs) and speed (4.69 forty) to go along with run-stopping strength.

Perhaps the best thing about the Mathis is that by the time he gets to the next level, he may be big enough to slide inside where the Trojans really need help at the tackle position.

Mathis holds over a dozen offers and calls them all "medium" in terms of his interest.

Conclusion

The list of California prospects is bound to grow as the 2012 season progresses.

In the meantime, these six players, all 5- or 4-star prospects according to Scout.com, represent a very early look at the in-state prepsters the Trojans covet.

As time goes by, other players will make themselves evident as prospects who can help USC get past the scholarship sanctions handed down to them by the NCAA.

Look for the Trojans to be particularly picky in who they offer these precious scholarships to.

At the end of the day, only time will tell as to how helpful these players will be to a Trojan program that can't afford to be wrong.

Fortunately for fans of the program, history says that being wrong isn't part of the agenda.