USC Recruiting Wish List: 10 Players The Trojans Desperately Need

One of the top recruits in the country, offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandijo, ranked as the No. 7 overall prospect on Scout and the No. 8 overall prospect on Rivals, has over 40 offers on the table and hasn't given much indication where he's leaning. 

Justin Hopkins, a recruiting reporter for the ESPN affiliate Alabama fan site CrimsonConfidential.com recently reported that Kouandijo had told him that no school was recruiting him harder than USC, including Alabama; his older brother Jaylen committed to Alabama last year. 

It makes a lot sense for USC to go after Kouandijo with everything it's got, especially considering it was forced to part ways with last year's No. 1 overall recruit, Seantrel Henderson; who was released from his Letter of Intent last month and subsequently signed with Miami. 

So that got us thinking. Who else does USC need to maintain its place among the recruiting elite? 

The Trojans are in dangerous waters with their NCAA sanctions, but a top notch recruiting class could really set this team up for when their eligible for the National Championship again. 

Here are 10 prospects USC desperately needs to stay on top. 

Kris Frost, ATH

Frost is a difficult prospect to gauge because of his size, 6'3" and 210 lbs. He's played primarily as a linebacker in high school, but has shown solid coverage skills and could be a good candidate to switch over to safety at the next level.

He's a turnover machine who has a knack for big plays and big hits, but might not have the coverage skills and instincts to make it work at the position. On that same note, he needs to bulk up a significant amount to be able to have similar production on the college level.

The athleticism can't be denied though, nor can his natural talent and propensity for simply making things happen.

Frost plans on holding out on making a decision until after his official visits. While stopping short of naming the order of his favorites, he listed North Carolina, USC, LSU, Clemson, Michigan, Auburn, and Cal as the teams still in the running.

Anthony Wallace, MLB

Wallace is a perfect fit at middle linebacker. He's got the prototypical size that's ideal for the position and a great natural frame to build off of. 

He's a very smart player who can cover both the run and the pass extremely well, but his coverage skills are really what stand out. Right now his technique is raw, but when he drops back the instincts are incredible. 

Watching him get free in pursuit is like watching a predator hunt. He zones in on the ball-carrier and just attacks them. Wallace is one of those players that is always around the ball. Once he gets bigger he might end up being the best linebacker from the class. 

He's probably going to wait until NSD to commit, but a recent visit to Miami has him very excited. That same excitement wasn't quite there when he visited USC, but he should be back for an official visit later in the year and the Trojans better be ready to sway him then. 

Viliami Moala, DT

The 6'4" and 340-lb defensive tackle is by far the biggest of the elite prospects at his position. Moala can play as a run-stuffing, penetrating defensive tackle or clog up the middle with a constant double-team as a nose tackle. It all depends where he plays. 

Even at his size, Moala is very quick off the ball and can make plays in the backfield and on the edges. That's really the key to his game; he's not just a space eater there to take on blockers. 

Moala can make things happen and is one of the rare nose tackle prospects that also has the ability to completely control the action in the middle of the trenches. 

He won't list his favorites at the moment, but fellow defensive tackle, close friend and Cal commitment Mustafa Jalil has been intensely  recruiting Moala to join him with the Bruins. If you're USC, you really don't want to face that pair. 

Sammy Watkins, WR

Sammy Watkins is one of the best prospects from the state of Florida and a game-breaker at the receiver position.

He's the complete package in terms of size and speed and a dangerous weapon in the return game as well; he's a threat to take it the distance on any play and has that sixth gear you look for in elite prospects.

The only knock on Watkins is that for someone of his size and catching ability, he hasn't been much of a redzone threat to this point in his career and that's a bit troubling.

Watkins favors Miami and Clemson right now and the growing belief in recruiting circles is that he's narrowed his choice down to those two schools. He hasn't come out and said it yet so it's possible USC, who once was right in the mix, might still have a shot. 

Greg Townsend, DE

Townsend has the athleticism and size to play anywhere from linebacker to defensive tackle on the next level. He's got great instincts and strength, but his body control and balance are what stand out the most when you watch him play.

Not many prospects his size are able to maneuver around blockers and contort their body without losing footing or balance. Townsend just squeezes past his opponent and sets himself up to make a play.

At this point, his technique is raw and more polished collegiate tackles won't have much trouble handling him. But the potential is there and the ceiling is sky high for him.

Townsend holds offers from pretty much the entire Pac-10 as well as a few other big-time schools from around the country, but it's clear that no one is more interested than the Trojans. They're going after him hard and most experts consider Townsend a USC lean. 

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE

Seferian-Jenkins presents a near-ideal target to throw to at 6'7" and 245 lbs. Because of his size, strength, and athleticism, he is almost always open and rarely has to beat out his defender for the ball.

His route-running is polished and he does a great job of getting off the line of scrimmage fast, generally embarrassing anyone who tries to jam him.

When he's extending his arms and using his hands to catch the ball at it's highest point, there's no way to stop him from making a play.

He'll be making his commitment on August 16 and while he seems like a Texas lean at the moment, Seferian-Jenkins intends to visit USC and UCLA before his announcement; so there's still hope to sway him. 

Doran Grant, CB

Grant is the best cornerback prospect in the country, rated No. 1 by Rivals and No. 2 by Scout. Considering his smallish frame, the rankings say a whole lot about the talent this kid brings to the table.

Grant is probably better than advertised and definitely fits the bill at a generous 5'10" and 175 lbs.

He's lighting-fast, tests are off the charts athletically, tackles with a lot of power, and has a great nose for the ball.

He holds a ton of offers but plans to cut back his list to about five or six teams shortly. When asked who he was considering, Grant listed USC, Cal, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech and Iowa. 

George Farmer, WR

He has the speed to get past pretty much anyone and the size to ward off stronger defenders without much effort.

Farmer has an ideal combination of skills and natural ability, but needs to fine tune his game some.

He'll make the spectacular catch, but then drop an easy one. Some scouts question his level of concentration and desire to go all out on every play; that's troubling. If he can improve on his consistency though, Farmer has the goods to be a special talent.

Right now USC is at the top of this California native's list and you have to think that won't change. Some experts are calling him a lock to sign with the Trojans. 

DeAnthony Thomas, RB/CB

Thomas has the potential to play any number of positions, from running back to cornerback, safety, and even linebacker.

Most experts agree he'd be a five star prospect regardless the tag put on him.

If he wasn't listed at 5'9" and 160 lbs, Thomas would most likely be the top prospect in the country.

Plenty of prospects have overcome their physical limitations though, so that isn't really cause for concern. He can become a dominating rusher and would do just as well on the other side of the ball playing corner.

Thomas switched his commitment to USC from a solid verbal to a soft verbal after the sanctions. That will allow him to take official visits to other schools and keep his options open; it would be a huge blow for him to become uncommitted. 

Cyrus Kouandjio, OT

At 6'6", 322 lbs, Kouandjio is one of the most athletic big men in the country.

He has a huge wingspan and at times appears to move as swiftly as someone half his size.

When it comes to natural ability as a blocker, Kouandjio has top-end balance and moves his feet as swiftly as any high school player I've ever seen. He goes a great job staying low to the ground and using his tree trunk-like arms to manhandle defenders.

Kouandijo is polished and as ready to compete at the college level as anyone in the 2011 class.

He has over 50 offers and has been pursued by practically every major program in the country. As stated previously though, Koandijo recently said that no one has been recruiting him harder than USC.