USC Trojans Football: The Method of Kiffin's Plan Is Shown in Latest Additions

As USC's football program continues to negotiate the trials and tribulations set upon them via the NCAA's sanctions, one thing is becoming very apparent.

Despite the choke hold that the powers that be in college football have attempted to place the Trojans in, their head coach, Lane Kiffin, has a plan.

And judging by two very quiet additions to the team this week, it is a good one.

Though USC continues to deal with scholarship and roster reductions, Kiffin has managed to find ways to strengthen the team in creative ways.

The latest illustration of this comes in the form of two very solid players receiving "preferred walk-on" status.

As reported by OCVarsity.com, safety Elijah Steen and wide receiver/cornerback Christian Tober have joined USC after having received assurances they will be on the team come fall.

Neither player will count against the 75-player roster limit or the maximum of 15 scholarships this year.

But don't let the fact they are non-scholarship players fool you. These guys can play.

Steen is a 6'1", 205 lb heavy hitter who runs in the 4.6 range and is also an excellent student as evidenced by his 4.1 GPA.

Steen chose the Trojans over scholarship offers from UCLA, Boston College, Minnesota, BYU, Cal and Air Force.

Meanwhile, Christian Tober is a Scout.com 2-star cornerback who had four scholarship offers and was a first-team all-league defensive back at San Clemente high school where he also garnered special teams player of the year honors.

In other words, these guys are not stiffs.

A preferred walk on is defined by Rivals.com this way:

"A preferred walk-on is assured a spot on the team, but the athlete is not offered a scholarship."

What Kiffin has probably done is promise each player that if they earn it, a scholarship could be attained.

But what he is really doing is finding players—good players—who want to play for the cardinal and gold even if a scholarship is not immediately available.

In doing so, he is bolstering a squad that doesn't just need bodies, but players who can help the Trojans in a national championship hunt.

And if he can keep recruiting guys of Steen and Tober's caliber, consider it mission accomplished.

Though it is very early in the 2012 season and this news of walk-ons won't make a big splash, it is exactly the kind of foundational move that championships are built on.

So welcome Elijah Steen and Christian Tober.

You're exactly the kind of players the Trojans need.