USC Football Recruiting: Recent Disappointments Temper Optimism

As the Trojans look ahead to what Lane Kiffin and the USC coaching staff hope is a much improved 2011 season, they will continue to focus on depth issues and plugging holes left by the recently announced departures of Tyron Smith and Jurrel Casey to the NFL.

To that end, Kiffin and company have hit the recruiting trail hard and their efforts have paid off in a stunning number of quality recruits who have pledged to come west and play for the Trojans.

Among these are several players who will enroll early and thus not count against the Trojans fall scholarships whose reduced numbers await final resolution pending USC's appeal of the NCAA's sanctions against them for transgressions committed in the Reggie Bush scandal.

For this, and the overall look of the 2010 recruiting class, the Trojans recruiting staff must be complimented, for they are doing an excellent job.

Despite this, there have been significant recent developments that have tempered the optimism that the Trojans felt only a few short days ago.

In addition to the previously mentioned departures of Smith and Casey, both productive starters, the Trojans have taken hits in recruiting as well.

Yesterday, it was announced that USC had received a verbal commitment from 4-star JUCO safety Daimion Stafford from Chaffey College.

This was motivated by a notification from Scout.com to that effect and his inclusion on that service's list of USC's 2010 recruits.

Apparently that was, at best, premature.

Shortly after this space reported the verbal, Scout.com removed Stafford's name from the list without explanation.

Now, Stafford's status is undetermined, although the Trojans may still be in the running with Nebraska for his services.

A day or so prior to this, Sheldon Richardson, the massive 5-star (as rated by Scout.com) JUCO defensive tackle, rescinded his verbal pledge for the Trojans and instead signed with Missouri.

Despite reservations posted here about Richardson's mental prowess, or lack thereof, there is no denying that Richardson is physically talented and would have helped the Trojans (assuming, of course, that he could learn the playbook).

Cheap shots aside, the loss of a quality defensive tackle, given Casey's departure, hurts USC for this year's recruiting class.

Now, this morning, comes more bad news.

Aaron Douglas, the former freshman All-American offensive lineman, who played for Lane Kiffin in 2009 at Tennessee, has decided to sign with Alabama.

Douglas had the Trojans, along with Arkansas and the Tide, as his three finalists, and given his ties to Kiffin, along with USC's need for O-linemen, it was widely assumed that Douglas would tab the Trojans as his future playing destination.

However, Alabama had its own holes to plug in their offensive line, and apparently that, combined with a chance to play closer to home, swayed Douglas to remain in the SEC.

While the Trojans do have incoming offensive linemen, including Marcus Martin, Cody Temple and JUCO transfer David Garness, Douglas was by far the most field-ready, and this loss will hurt the Trojans unless there is rapid development from one or more of the previously mentioned candidates.

So, recruiting-wise, the sun doesn't always shine in Southern California.

In fact, at this moment, it is raining. Literally.

But, like the weather, the recruiting clouds will eventually clear, and to be certain, the Trojan recruiting brain trust is already formulating a plan to accommodate these setbacks.

While this recent news of departures and disappointment is disconcerting, it is not devastating.

And given what the Trojans have had to overcome just this season, it barely constitutes a bump in the road.

Besides, plenty can happen between now and the letter of intent signing day.

Trojan fans just hope when it does, it is the opposite of the bad news described herein.

So does Lane Kiffin.