USC Football Recruiting: Trojans Continue To Look To the Future and Other News

As the Trojans attempt to remove the sting from their first loss of the season, not all of the news from the week was negative.

In an agonizingly slow period for recruiting, Scout.com is reporting that an unrated 2012 prep athlete has given his verbal commitment to play for the Trojans.

Jaydon Mickens, a 5'11", 176 lb. running back/wide receiver from Dorsey high school in Los Angeles, was offered and has accepted a USC offer to come down the road to play for the cardinal and gold.

Mickens, who has 13 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns this year actually accepted the Trojan offer on the spot saying that, “The thing about USC that standouts is that they always have great athletes and I want to be one of those great athletes."

Now Mickens will get that chance.

Meanwhile, another prospective player, at a position of need, has come off the board.

Alex Kelley, an offensive lineman from Vista, Ca. who was on the cusp of a USC offer, has decided not to wait any longer and has pulled the trigger for the Colorado Buffaloes.

A big bodied center, Kelley also held offers from Minnesota, San Jose State, and Boise State.

Finally, a couple of Trojan verbals for 2011 have accepted invitations to play in the US Army All Star game.

Quarterback Cody Kessler from powerhouse Centennial high school and all everything corner back/running back DeAnthony Thomas (Crenshaw high school) have committed to play in the prestigious postseason game.

Both players have had outstanding seasons for their respective teams and both are expected to be big contributors in the future for the men of Troy.

With a game long defensive lapse against Washington still festering, the Trojans have a lot on their mind as they prepare to head to Palo Alto to play the Stanford Cardinal.

Perhaps the Trojans can use the welcome news of a Mickens verbal to act as a springboard for improved play up north.

But based on what we saw last Saturday night, it is going to take more than that to get the Trojans ship right.

But at least it is positive news in a week that is otherwise lacking anything to smile about.