USC Trojans Football Recruiting: What to Do with the "Wafflers?"

As the USC coaching staff and their legions of fans celebrate the latest verbal commitment from a 5-star stud, some aspects of the recruiting process might bear scrutiny.

At last count, eight of the Trojans 18 allowed scholarships have been accounted for with the pledge of safety Su'a Cravens.

Now with almost half of their full rides having been claimed, USC's recruiting staff must play Nostradamus and attempt to peer into the future to determine what 17 and 18 year-old kids will do with their precious Trojan offer.

Making their chore all the more vexing is a small segment of prep players who already hold Trojan offers and have gone on record as claiming to hold USC in high regard but seem to be waning in their desire to don the cardinal and gold.

One such player is Concord (CA) De La Salle's Scout.com 4-star linebacker, Michael Hutchings.

Hutchings, rated the third best prospect at his outside linebacker position, has long been rumored a heavy USC "lean."

However, recently, Hutchings clarified his recruiting status by saying that while he still likes the Trojans, he will now hold off on giving his verbal pledge to anyone.

Offering this regarding his recruitment, Hutchings said, “There is no time table now, it’s all up in the air, the process is about me finding the best school and I’m on my own time table now. I don’t think I’ll be as aggressive in trying to make a decision. I think I’ll wait now.”

Certainly, this is Hutchings prerogative and some might say, his obligation.

After all, deciding where you will spend your college career is a weighty decision to say the least.

But recruits should also be aware that this is a two-way street and for a scholarship strapped program such as USC, if greener recruiting pastures become available, they will ponder their options as well.

For a player like Hutchings, it may not matter as his talent as a football player will likely transcend any trepidation a program may have in offering an unsure recruit.

Still, there is a danger, even for a premier player like young Michael.

Last year, Hutchings was a very hot commodity, and though he still is, his shine has lost a bit of luster at the variety of football camps he has attended this year (anyone else see Trojan verbal running back Justin Davis flatten him at the recent camp both took part in?).

Don't get me wrong, USC would love to have him but with limited scholarships, what if a player that they covet unexpectedly falls into their lap?

How much allegiance should USC have to a player that once seemed to be theirs but is now backing off on that possibility?

The answer, of course, is to let it all play out and proceed as required by circumstances.

But since Hutchings is "waffling," perhaps the Trojans should too.

After all, recruiting is a reciprocal process and if the player can find "cause to pause," so can a football program.