Today’s stop on the prep football circuit was Claremont High School where I sat down with offensive lineman Jordan Austin. He’s headed to USC when he finishes up in high school.
Few are as on the ball as this young man. First, he spent much of the summer taking extra classes so he can graduate early and be enrolled in USC in January. He wants to major in criminology. He isn’t even enrolled yet and he’s talking about getting a Master’s so he has something to fall back on if a professional football career doesn’t pan out. He boasts a GPA of 4.3.
Wolfpack coach Mike Collins isn’t surprised.
“Not only will he get a Master’s, he’ll probably do it in four years,” the veteran coach said.
So that’s the kind of kind we’re dealing with here.
He has added 30 pounds to his 6-foot-6 frame, so he’s up to 270 or so. That’s a project he’s been working on for the last year. He didn’t do it eating doughnuts and cupcakes, he did it eating the proper meals with lots of lean protein so he can build his body up to be ready for the next level.
He had a good choice of schools. Arizona State and Washington were the other frontrunners. He liked the mix of athletics and academics at USC. The fact that his parents could come to every game was an added plaus.
This is not a kid Lane Kiffin and Pat Haden are going to have to worry about.
More on him in an upcoming edition of the Daily Bulletin.
