National Signing Day 2011: 10 Reasons George Farmer Should Bail On USC
George Farmer of Serra, Calif. is considered the nation's best wide receiver prospect this year and has the tools to dominate college football in years to come. At 6'2" and 200 pounds, Farmer has the size, speed, hands and playmaking ability to make an early impact at USC.
Since Farmer's recruitment began, he has been considered a Trojan lean and lock, yet he didn't pledge to Troy officially until December. Now it has been reported that Farmer took a trip with teammate Marqise Lee, a 4-star safety in his own right, to Miami. Is the uber-talented Farmer re-thinking his commitment to USC?
Let's give you 10 reasons he should sneak out of Troy on National Signing Day.
10. No Coliseum?
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The Los Angeles Coliseum is a landmark facility for many Angelinos, as all who play high school football want the chance to play there at least once.
Farmer is no different, and he has a chance to call the Coliseum home if he goes to USC. Yet LA also is angling itself to attract an NFL team to move to to the City of Angels, and the Coliseum could be poised to host its first NFL team since the Raiders left.
If so, then renovations are needed and coming to the Coliseum, which could force USC to play its home games at the Rose Bowl and share a field with rival UCLA. Surely, playing in the Coliseum was one of the many allures of Trojans for Farmer and it could be robbed from him.
9. Oregon's Dominance and Utah Coming Into The Pac-12
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It's no secret that USC has talent and more talent stockpiled in the cupboard. Yet the Trojans' overall roster numbers are down and will be because of the sanctions USC has been dealt.
This will affect the Trojans for a few more years as their roster being limited will hinder them on the field. With Chip Kelly and Oregon looking like they won't be one-year wonders, and powerful Utah coming into the conference, USC could find itself in serious competition for who's top dog in the Pac-12.
Farmer could find these two schools seriosuly threats to his Rose Bowl, BCS Bowl and National Championship title hopes.
8. Chance To Get Out of LA
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Farmer is an Angelino through and through. So am I. Growing up in LA, you fall in love with the city, it's home.
Yet at some point, we start to wonder what else is out there and at this point in his life, Farmer could be asking the same question. With offers from schools all over the country from the midwest, East Coast and southern regions, maybe Farmer could think it's time head off somewhere else.
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7. USC Could Make Him a Safety without Marqise Lee
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It's no secret how athletic Farmer is; that's one of the many traits that make him the nation's top receiver.
Yet we've all heard stories on how if he wanted to, he could be a top flight safety prospect. USC is no stranger to position switches, as CJ Gable was thought to be coming to USC as a defensive back, and the Trojans kept him at running back. Kenechi Udeze became a first-round pick at defensive end after many felt he was going to be a guard.
Farmer wants to remain a receiver and there is a chance even if USC lands Marqise Lee, Farmer could be switched to the free safety position as the Trojans need help in their secondary.
6. Play In a More Nationally Respected Conference
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The Pac-10, or now I should say the Pac-12, is a pretty good conference that plays good football through the league, yet doesn't get the respect it deserves all the time.
I remember when I was the Cleveland Browns personnel department, I had a debate with another scout as to if USC was in the SEC, would they still be a dominant program? This question was only brought up because the Pac-10 got little respect as a whole.
Oregon and Stanford found themselves ranked in the top four this year, yet the Pac-10 continues to fall short nationally to the SEC and Big-12 among other conferences. Farmer could opt to take an offer from a school in one of those conferences to prove he can dominate top flight competition on a national stage in college.
5. No Bowl Game Freshman Year
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This is the second year in the heavy and harsh sanctions placed upon the USC program and the Trojans have fared well in weathering the storm.
Yet Farmer figures to make an early impact at USC and the allure of playing in a bowl game is every college player's dream.
The Trojans won't be playing in a bowl game again this 2011 season and that stings. Can you imagine if Farmer has a similar 60 catches, 800 yards and around seven touchdowns-type season as Robert Woods had and not be able play in a bowl game? Farmer may not like the long layoff between the final game and Spring Ball.
4. Kiffin Could Leave...Again
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Lane Kiffin has repeatedly stated that USC is his dream job, and while Tennessee is a top 10 job, he felt that being the head man of Troy is the top job in America.
Yet Kiffin is a football coach. These guys are nomads by trade and have egos like the rest of us, yet larger. Kiffin could get an itch to return to the SEC and prove he can win the top conference, or head to the Big 12. Let's not forget how bad Kiffin wanted the Minnesota job years back.
Kiffin could also shock the world and re-join the NFL ranks, where he did better than he's given credit for. Who's to say Farmer doesn't help USC get back to the Rose Bowl and back to a BCS National Championship appearance in his junior year, and Kiffin uses that success to parlay himself into another high profile gig?
3. Only One Year of Matt Barkley?
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Matt Barkley's legend is continuing to grow around LA and the USC program. There's something about MB7 that people just love, and NFL scouts have quietly kept an eye on the Trojan quarterback since he got to campus.
"I don't know. We'll see what happens." Barkley has recently told reporters about if he will stay at USC for his senior season.
NFL Draft evaluator Mel Kiper, Jr. went on record to predict that Barkley would be the No.1 pick whenever he comes out. While Andrew Luck's decision to stay at Stanford likely would prove Kiper wrong if Barkley and Luck both declare next year, it just shows how highly Barkley is regarded by the NFL. The last time Kiper made such a bold prediction about a prep quarterback? He said the same thing about Matthew Stafford, whom the Detroit Lions took No.1 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Farmer could realize that one year of MB7 isn't enough and go elsewhere.
2. Crowded Depth Chart
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Farmer is a talented receiver yet the depth chart at USC littered with top flight receiving talent.
Former Serra high school teammate Robert Woods is already there, along with Brice Butler, Kyle Prater, Brandon Carswell, Devon Flournoy and Markeith Ambles has even returned back to the team.
If we throw in Dillon Baxter potentially being used as a receiver more in 2011, that is seven extremely talented players Farmer has compete with to get balls thrown his way, or just more so to even get on the field.
1. Make His Own Decision
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I remember a few years back when USC just assumed they would get a top flight wide receiver, who claimed the Trojan coaches never really recruited him but just assumed since they were USC and he was from LA, that he was theirs.
This receiver prospect was very angry by this and opted to spurn USC on National Signing Day and go to Cal. Now he is a top flight receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles by the name of DeSean Jackson, who prepped at USC pipeline, Long Beach Poly.
With Farmer, it's a similar story. He goes to a USC pipeline school in Gardena Serra, has friends on the team, is a top player in LA and USC has been just assumed to be his destination form the start. It's to note that Farmer took months to finally commit to USC and went to visit Miami last week.
While he may be solid to USC as his own merit, maybe he could show that he making this decision for himself and bolt for another school.
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