USC Football: Latest Summer News and Recruiting Updates

USC is no longer banned from postseason play and it is perfect timing as the Trojans are expected to be in the running for this year's BCS National Championship. The returning majority of last year's squad has the expectations through the roof for this team in the 2012 college football season.

While the season cannot start quick enough for Trojans fans, there are still things going on leading up to the regular season opener. Things like recruiting, new freshmen arriving on campus and current players getting ready for the season is news that every football fan should be paying attention to.

Here are some of the latest news and updates involving your USC Trojans.

Jalen Ramsey Checking out USC Again

Jalen Ramsey is a versatile player who can play cornerback or the wide receiver position. He is a 4-star player on most top recruiting sites and has offers from nearly every school in the country, including USC. While he may be from Tennessee, and the Volunteers are recruiting him hard, Ramsey is checking out the Trojans once again and will take place in the USC Rising Stars Camp.

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"The coaching staff was just great." Ramsey said. "We really connected and we had a great time. The tradition at USC is just amazing. The academic part is something that didn’t shock me but it exceeded my expectations. I just really had a great time. USC is definitely one of my top schools right now." (Via Mr. SEC)

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Ramsey is an athletic player, who has great speed and terrific ball skills. If the 4-star recruit ends up going with USC over Tennessee, it will be another disappointment for the Vols, seeing the top player from Tennessee pick former head coach Lane Kiffin instead.

Trojans Land Sebastian LaRue

Although we are entering the month of July, the Trojans have picked up their 10th early commitment for the 2013 class. The most recent commitment comes from 4-star wide receiver Sebastian LaRue, out of Santa Monica, CA.

LaRue is now the third wide receiver to commit to USC out of the 2013 class. The other two are also 4-star players as well.

"I told the coaches that I'm ready to do this -- I'm ready to be a Trojan," he said. "I want to be a part of the Trojan family. I thought about it long enough and I'm excited about it." (Via ESPN)

LaRue is a speedster at 5'11", 185 pounds and has the ability to play in the secondary as well. He is one of those type of players that jumps off the screen when watching him on film. He should help contribute right away, the moment he steps onto the field.

Last Attempt for Michael Hutchings

While USC is picking and choosing between some of the top recruits in the country, one of the main targets still on the schools radar is linebacker Michael Hutchings. He will take part in the USC Rising Stars Camp that takes place at the end of June. This is the last chance for the Trojans to convince him that this is the right school for him, before he makes his decision on July 1.

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"This visit will be real important in my mind to compare it to my recent Washington visit, which I liked so much." Hutchings said. "Those are the two schools that I'm feeling strongest about right now, although schools like Cal and Oregon are still in the mix as well." (Via ESPN)

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He will use this time to get a little more comfortable with new USC linebacker coach Scottie Hazelton and try to figure out exactly how he will be used on the football field.

Hutchings is the complete package at the linebacker position. He drops back into coverage well, delivers a viscous blow on the ball carrier and has great football instincts.

Eddie Vanderdoes Trims List Down

Eddie Vanderdoes at 6'3", 285 pounds is considered to be one of the best defensive tackles in the 2013 class. He gets off the ball extremely quick, is very strong and has great pursuit for somebody his size.

He has offers from nearly every school in the country, so trimming his list down to 15 schools was a nice start for him. The schools that made the cut include Alabama, Baylor, California, Florida, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, UCLA, USC and Washington.

Vanderdoes will also like to play baseball and is from Auburn, CA, which has to give the Trojans some type of advantage as we head deeper into the recruiting process.

Robert Woods Says He Is Okay

All-American wide receiver Robert Woods has been dealing with an ankle injury for the longest time. He spent most of last year in pain and required off-season surgery, which kept him out for all of the spring activities. He has yet to receive clearance to get back onto the field and could very well continue to miss off-season activities due to lingering inflammation.

Although all of this does not sound like great news if you are a Trojan fan, Woods says it should keep him out of the regular season.

“I thought about it, the possibility of not being healthy for the season, of still being sore,” Woods said. “But then I remembered I was sore all last year and I did OK, so I think I’ll be all right.” (Via College Football Talk)

This is something to pay attention to as we get closer to the regular season kicking off, especially with the lack of depth on this Trojans team.