USC Football Recruiting: Clearing out the Trojans' Offer List

With the best Christmas present for Trojan fans already delivered, that being the return of quarterback Matt Barkley, the next month or so will dictate how an already incredibly successful season will wind up for USC.

That's because we are heading into the teeth of the "second season," which, as all college football fans know, is high school recruiting.

National letter of intent signing day is in the beginning of February, and although the Trojans have put together a nice "promise list" of verbal commitments, there are still a few prep stars that Lane Kiffin would dearly love to sign.

However, those are not the players that this article will focus on.

Most Trojan fans who follow the program closely know that defensive linemen Ellis McCarthy and Aziz Shittu, offensive linemen Kyle Murphy, Zack Banner, Andrus Peat and Joshua Garnett and a few others like athlete Nelson Agholor are all on the Trojans' wish list.

All great players, to be sure.

But this list will instead look at some players who have not quite received the attention of the aforementioned studs.

Why look at these lower-profile players?

Simple. USC always comes up with at least one surprise every year.

Last year it was linebacker Lamar Dawson. The year before it was Hayes Pullard.

It never fails, there will be one player who is completely disregarded yet winds up pulling on a Trojans hat at some all-star game.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some players whom the Trojans have offered but who haven't received a lot of notoriety when it comes to the USC recruiting buzz:

Ifeadi Odenigbo

This highly productive linebacker is rated a 4-star prospect by ESPN.com and with his size (6'3", 212 lbs) and speed (4.6 forty-yard dash), it is easy to see why the Trojans would love to him him in cardinal and gold.

Odenigbo, who hails from Ohio, is considered a long shot to sign with the Trojans, however, and is likely to wind up at Notre Dame or Stanford, two teams he has scheduled visits with.

Tyriq McCord

If you are looking for a sleeper player to sign with USC, let me introduce you to Tyriq McCord.

McCord, a 6'3", 230 lb. defensive end with huge upside (including 4.5 forty), rated a 4-star prospect by both Scout.com and ESPN.com, brings speed and power to the edge. With the Trojans trying to replenish the D-line, McCord may be just what they need.

Best of all for USC, MCord has scheduled a visit with the Trojans on January 13, and has been rumored to have a significant interest in the Trojans.

McCord holds offers from Florida, Notre Dame, Miami and a ton of other programs as well.

Tyrone Neal

Rated a 3-star prospect by ESPN.com, Tyrone Neal doesn't have great size or speed but somehow always finds his way to the ball as a linebacker.

Neal holds a ton of offers including Auburn, Florida and some other really good programs, and the Trojans appear to be a long shot at best for Neal's services.

That will do it for this abbreviated list of prospective Trojans.

Next, we will look at some of the players scheduled to visit USC in the upcoming weeks.

As can be expected, these are the players who are seriously considering the men of Troy and as such, the possibility of their addition will be scrutinized.

In the meantime, happy holidays and lets hope that Lane Kiffin and his staff have lots to celebrate by the time letter of intent signing day rolls around.