USC Running Back Dillon Baxter Claims Illegal Contact By Schools

Well, that certainly didn't take long.

Only a day after the NCAA lowered the boom on USC, the vultures are attempting to circle the carcass.

ESPN's Joe Schad is reporting that USC mega-recruit, running back Dillon Baxter, has notified the Trojans' compliance office that five schools have illegally contacted him, apparently attempting to woo him to their programs.

Alabama, Florida, Fresno State, Oregon, and Washington are the teams identified as making overtures to Baxter, the 2009 five-star (as rated by Scout.com) quarterback/running back who set a California state record by scoring an eye-popping 79 touchdowns, including 50 on the ground.

Baxter, whose spring practice with the Trojans routinely featured spectacular runs that were celebrated far and wide on "Youtube," is generally considered a "can't miss" prospect by most who see him, so it's not surprising that he would be coveted by other programs.

What is surprising, or perhaps I am gullible, is that so many programs who should know better took a shot at contacting a student-athlete whom they had no chance of getting.

Before I go any further, it should be noted that this is a preliminary report and when everything comes out, perhaps this contact was not illegal at all.

If so, then the question becomes one of decorum.

Is there a "waiting period" before another college football program attempts to steal from a weakened foe?

Can one call Dear Abby to see if any college gridiron etiquette has been violated?

For the five programs identified by Baxter, apparently that grace period lasted all of 24 hours.

If that.

In a sad commentary on the state of college athletic ethics, USC hadn't even yet picked itself off the floor after the NCAA hay-maker before opposing programs began to swoop in hoping to pick clean the Trojans of a high profile prospect.

To Dillon Baxter's credit, it appears that he wasn't having any of that, and by reporting these programs to his compliance office, Baxter said in no uncertain terms that he plans on remaining a Trojan.

Take that you blood suckers.

Before any other programs start looking to speed dial Seantrel Henderson, Robert Woods, or any of the other highly regarded incoming USC freshmen trying to sweet talk them into a back door transfer, they may want to revisit what happened with Dillon Baxter.

It may save them the embarrassment of what at worst could be illegal contact and at best an emphatic "no" from the player in question.

Where this goes from here is anyone's guess but it seems as though there is a bit of karma at play here, especially if this contact was indeed illegal.

And while it won't soothe the open wounds of a reeling USC football program, maybe it will give them something else to think about for awhile.

Lord knows they could use that right about now.