George Farmer: What Impact Will He Have for USC in 2011?

In 2003, USC had the top recruiting class in the country, signing Reggie Bush and LenDale White among a slew of future players that became stars for the Trojans.

Bush went on to win a Heisman, and is regarded as one of the best players ever to play at USC and college football (sure, it's not official in the books anymore), but the prize get of the class was Whitney Lewis.

Lewis was a freak receiver that stood 6'1", 215 pounds and ran a 4.3 40-yard dash at the NIKE Camp. I was there myself that day as a running back invitee to the camp, but that's a story for another time.

Lewis wanted to go to Florida State, but his parents forced him to go to USC, where he never really bought into being a Trojan and eventually transferred to Northern Iowa after two years.

In 2011, USC signed George Farmer, who is regarded as the best receiver prospect in the country. At 6'2", 200 pounds, he has been timed as low as 4.3 in the 40-yard dash and oozes potential.

I think before he leaves Troy, Farmer will give USC fans what Lewis should have given them: a great career.

However, USC has a receiver unit loaded with elite talent, including Farmer's high school teammate and good friend, Robert Woods, who made the Freshman All-American team in 2010.

There's also Kyle Prater, a 6'5", 210 pounder that was rated higher than Woods in 2010 and redshirted last season.

Toss in Brice Butler, Markeith Ambles, De'Von Flournoy, Brandon Carswell and another 2011 recruit Victor Blackwell, and you see there may be a limited number of balls to go around in 2011.

Thearon Collier transferred in from Miami and transferred out after only a few months on the roster as he knew the deal.

Even Farmer's former Serra high school (CA) teammate and 2011 USC signee, Marqise Lee could end up as a receiver over playing safety for the Trojans.

There seems to be two school of thoughts on Farmer's 2011 prospects, as some view him as too good to not see the field and a player that can easily win a starting job over the incumbents.

The other school of thought is not as bright.

Lane Kiffin will be looking to redshirt as many players as possible due to the scholarship limits the Trojans face in the coming years.

Farmer's skill set clearly shows a potentially great player. He has very good deep speed, separation quickness, a large strike zone and leaping ability.

He has very good elusiveness and wiggle in RAC situations, and has strength to get off the line versus press coverage.

The potential knocks on Farmer is that he has concentration lapses and drops balls he shouldn't; the other is that he is not as natural a receiver as Woods was coming out.

Yet with proper coaching, maturation and development, his lapses will go away, and getting college reps should improve his overall feel for the game.

Personally, I'm not sure in which school of thought I attend, as I can see Farmer, Woods and Prater becoming a trio that would have made Randy Moss, Jake Reed and Chris Carter jealous from their Vikings days.

But I can also see Kiffin redshirting Farmer like he did with the uber-talented Prater, although Prater suffered nagging injuries in training camp that helped lean Kiffin and his visor to holding him out in 2010.

With all that said, the answer to what impact George Farmer will have in 2011 for USC as a true freshman is up to Farmer himself.

If he comes in hell-bent on not redshirting and with a chip on his shoulder to prove, he deserves to be in the line up and contribute.

Then Farmer plays and plays a lot in 2011. If not, he redshirts, plain and simple.

But one thing's for certain: Farmer will not be Whitney Lewis 2.0.