Laying the Foundation: USC Football Recruiting (Blackwell, Thomas & More)

There is big recruiting news coming out of Trojanland, and it is accompanied by a bit of intrigue.

First, the big news.

Victor Blackwell, the multi-talented wide receiver from Mater Dei high school, home of 2010 Trojan verbal Max Wittek, has decided to join his quarterback teammate at the college level by giving his verbal pledge to USC.

Blackwell, a four-star (as rated by Scout.com) stud of a receiver, who goes 6'2," and a rock solid 195 pounds, was offered by programs such as Notre Dame and Cal to go along with several others.

In Blackwell, the Trojans get a big, strong and extremely fast wideout, who compliments all that with great hands and athleticism.

Blackwell made it no secret that he longed to be a Trojan and when he was finally offered, he wasted no time in giving his verbal committment.

Of course, 2010 Trojan pledge, quarterback Max Wittek, was thrilled to hear the news that he would be paired with his favorite receiver at Mater Dei, a perennial prep powerhouse, at the college level.

But it goes even further.

There are also reports that both Wittek and Blackwell think they can play a part in bringing another player that the Trojans covet as well.

DeAnthony Thomas, the supremely talented five-star (as rated by Scout.com) cornerback, has the Trojans listed as "high" in terms of his interest and just to make it even sweeter for Trojan fans, he is very good friends with both Wittek and Blackwell.

Both Wittek and Blackwell have already suggested that they will be working Thomas to get him to verbal with the Trojans post haste.

Now for the "intrigue."

As this piece suggests, Wittek, the highly sought after, extremely talented 2010 Trojan pledge, is a quarterback.

Bear in mind, Jesse Scroggins, the four-star quarterback from Lakewood High School in California, is coming in the fall.

For the Trojans to offer Wittek is no surprise. The kid is special.

When Wittek accepted the Trojan offer, this too came as no surprise.

After all, Mater Dei has been supplying quarterbacks for USC (Matt Leinart, Matt Barkley) on a regular basis for the last few years.

So it was generally assumed that USC had its quarterback needs covered for the next few years.

Not quite.

Recently the Trojans surprised everyone, including the recipient of the offer, by extending a scholarship offer to another quarterback.

Bakersfield, Calif. (Centennial high school), quarterback Cody Kessler was recently given an opportunity to become a Trojan and it not only took him by surprise, it has forced him to reconsider all of his plans in terms of recruiting.

Centennial has been a recent high school powerhouse in the state, and Kessler is a huge reason why.

Kessler passed for almost 2,200 yards last year with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Along with that, Kessler possesses excellent size (6'2", 225 pounds) to go with good speed (4.8 40-yard dash) to craft a running style that accounted for 12 rushing touchdowns.

To top it all off, the kid is athletic as well.

Playing basketball, Kessler averaged 29.5 points in high school, along with 11 rebounds, and five assists a game.

Quite a resume.

So where does this leave Wittek?

Squarely a Trojan, apparently.

The signing of Blackwell signals nothing other than the fact that Wittek is neither offended, nor afraid of a little competition from Kessler.

Not only was Blackwell offered by the Trojans after Kessler received his offer, but Wittek was a huge reason why Blackwell was so eager to get his offer.

And a huge reason why Blackwell accepted.

So a big week for Trojan recruiting heads into the weekend with possible big news looming on the horizon.

Should Thomas choose the Trojans, they will have an extraordinary jump on the 2010 recruiting season.

But even if they don't, the signing of Blackwell should be paying dividends for years to come.

That Blackwell is a wide receiver also means that USC is literally stocked with excellent wide-outs for years in the future.

In addition to the trio of 2009 wide receivers, Kyle Prater, Robert Woods, and Markeith Ambles, the Trojans have verbal commitments from Blackwell and George Farmer, the excellent receiver from Serra High School is also thought to be a heavy Trojan "lean."

And don't forget about Jordan Payton, the 2012 receiver from powerhouse Oaks Christian High School.

All he did as a sophomore was break a 1,000 yards receiving to go along with 18 touchdowns in a fairly tough league.

Okay, that's it for this piece but that is not all that went on in Trojan recruiting.

Other prep players were offered and some came off the board but that is a story to be told on another day.

In the meantime, let's see if the Trojans offer another quarterback or something...

BREAKING NEWS!! According to Scout.com, DeAnthony Thomas has just given his verbal committment to the Trojans.

In DeAnthony Thomas, the Trojans get, without a doubt, the best prep lockdown corner in the nation.

Thomas, who is 5'11," 185 pounds and is exceedingly fast (4.4 forty), is also an exceptional running back who can be a homerun hitter as a return man.

Lane Kiffin, Ed Orgeron and company are crafting a fantastic recruiting class for 2010 and with the addition of Thomas, this gives the Trojans five early pledges, all rated four-star or higher by Scout.com with Thomas holding the highest rating (five-star) of them all.

With the addition of Blackwell and Thomas, Trojan fans have plenty to smile about these days.