USC Football Recruiting: Handicapping Trojan Offers by Position (Cornerback)

With the USC Trojans being shackled by reduced scholarships courtesy of the NCAA, targeted needs become crucial when making the decisions about who will be offered full rides.

The position of cornerback is one of those identified needs and USC has already gone a long way toward addressing that by receiving a verbal commitment from Rancho Cucamonga's Chris Hawkins, the Scout.com 4-star prospect.

But who else do the Trojans have in their sights?

This slide show will look at some of these erstwhile prospects and offer a prediction as to the likelihood of their donning the cardinal and gold.

Note: Some of the safeties featured in the next installment may wind up at cornerback in college.

Vernon Hargreaves III

Rated the number-one cornerback in the nation by Scout.com, Vernon Hargreaves III from Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida, has everything one looks for in a defensive back.

Blessed with excellent speed (4.45 40-yard dash) and great fundamentals, the ESPN "watch list" prospect also has nice size (5'11", 181 lbs) to go along with a nose for the football.

In addition to his cover skills, Hargreaves also supports the run well and has a high octane motor.

Sporting well over 30 scholarship offers, including those from all of the powerhouses, Hargreaves lists them all as "medium" in terms of his interest.

Odds of Hargreaves signing with the Trojans: Low

Mackensie Alexander

Rated a 4-star prospect by Scout.com, Immokalee High School's (Immokalee, Florida) Mackensie Alexander combines good speed (4.5 forty) and size (5'11", 185 lbs) to form a dominate corner package.

A ferocious hitter, Alexander has very good coverage skills and the fact that he is versatile enough to also play tailback makes him even more attractive to the scholarship-strapped Trojans.

One question mark exists regarding his desire to play with his twin brother, Mackenro, who is a very good athlete but has yet to receive an offer from USC.

As of right now, Alexander boasts over a dozen offers including those from many of the nation's powerhouses such as Alabama, Florida and LSU.

He claims them all as even in terms of his interest.

Odds of Alexander signing with the Trojans: Low

Johnny Johnson

Despite being one of the smaller (5'9", 170 lbs) corners in this class, Central High School's (East Campus) Johnny Johnson may have the best fundamentals of them all.

The Fresno, California prospect shows great technique in his coverage skills and is much more physical than his size would indicate.

Rated a 4-star player by Scout.com, Johnson has seen his recruitment pick up and now he boasts almost a dozen offers including those from Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Stanford.

Odds of Johnson signing with the Trojans: Marginal to good.

Artie Burns

They say you can't coach size and that is one thing Miami, Florida's Artie Burns has going for him.

At 6'1", 190 lbs, Burns is one of the bigger cornerbacks in this class. Couple that size with excellent speed (4.5 forty) and it is easy to see why coaches would love to have the Scout.com 4-star to work with.

However, Burns still has a way to go with his coverage skills and it isn't out of the question that he winds up at safety.

Recruiting for Burns is just now starting to heat up and so far, he has scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida State and Miami among others and he lists them all as even interest-wise.

Odds of Burns signing with the Trojans: Low to medium

William Likely

Joining Johnny Johnson as one of the smaller cornerbacks in this class is Glades Central High School's (Belle Glade, Florida) William Likely.

Likely, who is only 5'8", belies his small stature with great coverage skills and hits much harder than his diminutive size would indicate.

Likely holds offers from programs such as Alabama, Florida and Notre Dame and lists them all as even on his dance card.

Odds of Likely signing with the Trojans: Low

Conclusion

That will do it for this list of possible cornerbacks the Trojans have their eyes on to join the ranks at USC.

As noted in the introductory slide, there are many defensive backs who are listed as safeties but may wind up playing corner in college.

In a very deep class for secondary players, the Trojans are expected to take a couple of cornerbacks this year and it will be interesting to see who joins Hawkins in this year's class.

Whoever that may be, USC will need them to be a lock-down player as they can't afford to miss with the scholarship reductions in place.

Fortunately for those who follow the men of Troy, the track record of the recruiting department is very good.

Given the Trojans' circumstances, it will have to be.