B/R Recruiting Notebook: 4-Star Breaks Down What's Next After USC Decommitment

With the unfortunate turn of events that took place at USC over the weekend, don't expect Ann Arbor, Michigan, native Daelin Hayes to be the one to speak ill of head coach Steve Sarkisian or the football program. It's not happening.

Particularly after the 4-star linebacker decommitted from the program Sunday. Hayes said while he's made a decision, he still has tons of respect for the entire Trojans staff. He added that it was in his best interest to reopen his recruitment.

And then he left it alone.

Fortunately for the other schools that have offered—Hayes has 22 reported offers—USC's loss could be their gain. This weekend, Notre Dame is in the driver's seat to land him, as the Irish will host Hayes for his first official visit.

"I'm fired up to see the Irish play," Hayes said. "Ironically, they play USC."

Notre Dame was a major contender when Hayes first weighed his options. He chose USC over Notre Dame and other schools on July 26. But hours after news broke about Sarkisian taking a leave of absence, Hayes tweeted that he was reopening his recruitment.

His focus now, along with helping Skyline High School as the nation's No. 9 outside linebacker, is re-establishing relationships and continuing to research colleges. Taking official visits will assist in that, and Notre Dame is first in line.

"I've always loved Notre Dame," Hayes said. "They offered me as a sophomore when I camped there. I got to work with my favorite college football player, Jaylon Smith. I also got to see them in their opener against Texas. I'm really looking forward to this trip."

Hayes said he's been in contact with "pretty much the whole coaching staff" at Notre Dame. Defensive line coach Keith Gilmore has been Hayes' primary contact, but head coach Brian Kelly has been just as active in recruiting the linebacker.

Hayes said Smith gave him news that didn't resonate until recently.

"He told me, 'You know you're part of the Irish family already. You just don't know it yet,'" Hayes said.

Hayes said that along with Notre Dame, Michigan State has been pushing hard to keep him in-state. Ole Miss and Alabama have also been in contact with him. Hayes currently has one other official visit scheduled—to USC in late November–but said he's uncertain if he'll take it.

Courtesy: 247Sports

OT Dickerson gives FSU visit high marks

Florida State hosted several targets over the weekend, and Hudson, North Carolina, offensive lineman Landon Dickerson left Tallahassee with good vibes about the program.

The nation's No. 7 offensive tackle, Dickerson made a return trip to Florida State and gave the visit high marks. Florida State is one of his 20 reported offers, but he has a top five of Florida State, Auburn, Georgia, Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

"I had an awesome visit to FSU," Dickerson said. "It was an amazing atmosphere there and one of the best, if not the best visits I have ever gone on."

Dickerson said offensive lineman Alec Eberle was his player host and that he had a chance to visit with players and coaches, as well as take in a rowdy game environment where the Seminoles played and defeated Miami. Offensive line Rick Trickett is one of the Florida State coaches Dickerson has built a solid relationship with.

"The coaching staff was glad to see me," Dickerson said, "and I was glad to be back."

Dickerson's second official visit is scheduled to Auburn the weekend of Nov. 27.

Courtesy: 247Sports

OT Hamm: 'I'm ready to be an Auburn Tiger'

Griffin, Georgia, 4-star tackle Brodarious Hamm hasn't made an official visit schedule. Auburn fans should consider that good news.

Hamm, an Auburn pledge, said he isn't planning on taking multiple official visits during his recruiting process. He only has one in mind—a trip to Auburn the weekend of Nov. 13 when the Tigers play Georgia.

"It was a decision I made from when I decommitted from Tennesseee," said Hamm, who committed to Auburn in June after parting ways with Tennessee. "If I took visits, the coaching staff wouldn't think I was 100 percent."

"I'm going to take one [to Auburn] for the Georgia game. I'm 100 percent [to Auburn], and I'm ready to be an Auburn Tiger," he said.

Hamm said schools like Florida, Louisville and Georgia are still recruiting him heavily.

New Oregon commit Young looking to the future

Oregon suffered a home loss to Washington State Saturday, but it scored a couple of consolation prizes with commitments from Clovis, California, 4-star defensive end Bryson Young. And while Oregon is having its struggles this season, Young told Andrew Nemec of the Oregonian that his focus is on the future and not the present.

"This next class coming in is really good," Young told Nemec. "I've had a chance to watch their film, and I feel like we have huge impact coming next year. I feel like I could help contribute a lot in order to help turn things around for them."

"I don't want to look at, like, how are they doing this year as how we are going to do. We have a stronger chance of doing better next year," Young explained. "I have a lot of faith that there's going to be a huge turnaround."

The Ducks now have 15 commits for their 2016 class, but who's next? One player the Ducks are hoping to land is Fresno, California, 5-star linebacker Caleb Kelly, the nation's No. 3 outside linebacker and someone who would be Oregon's first 5-star pledge of the recruiting cycle.

Sleeper alert: Oklahoma RB setting records after IMG stint

Altus, Oklahoma, 3-star running back Taven Birdow spent a year in Florida at IMG Academy before returning to Oklahoma for his senior season.

Since his return, Birdow has been a dominant force for Altus. On Friday, he broke two school records, per the Oklahoman's Jacob Unruh, rushing for a single-game record 371 yards and also breaking a 61-year-old record for career rushing yards with 3,350.

"That's a big record," Altus High School coach Jeremy Reed told Unruh. "Probably the most impressive thing about that is his statistics down in Florida don't count toward that."

Per MaxPreps.com, Birdow rushed for 567 yards and eight touchdowns as a junior at IMG. Birdow currently has offers from Southern Miss, Air Force, Army and Richmond.

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles