The much anticipated announcement from the area’s top two recruits finally came Saturday when Monrovia High School’s Ellis McCarthy chose Cal and Muir’s Kevon Seymour chose USCduring the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Game televised live on NBC from San Antonio.
The announcement, though, is not official. Recruits will have to wait three weeks until they sign the dotted line on national signing day. Until then, expect rival schools to continue making a hard push.
McCarthy, a 6-foot-5, 311 pound defensive tackle, is a five-star recruit nationally ranked second at his position, and he’s the top recruit in the state. He is a two-time Star-News Defensive Player of the Year who helped Monrovia to its second consecutive CIF-Southern Section Mid-Valley Division championship.
McCarthy’s decision to pick Cal over USC and Oregon, as first reported by the Star-News, is one that the McCarthys will think through more carefully between now and signing day.
“Even though Cal has been chosen,” said McCarthy’s father, Ed, “the family will make sure this is the best decision for us.”
Ed also said the family has requested with Monrovia school officials that no recruiters visit McCarthy between now and then.
McCarthy earned rave reviews during practice leading up to the Army Bowl, won by the West, 24-12. Things got got testy in the third quarter after McCarthy announced his decision when he was ejected from the game after a tussle with Florida-bound offensive tackle DJ Humphries (6-5, 265), the result of frustration after continually being doubled-team.
Seymour won’t be mulling over his decision. When reached in San Antonio, Seymour said he’s set with USC and anxiously waits for signing day.
Seymour is a 6-foot, four-star recruit ranked ninth in the nation at cornerback. He had more than 30 Division I offers, with USC being the front runner since the Trojans offered a scholarship nearly two years ago. Seymour, who played six different positions for the Mustangs, said the recruiting process is over for him, and a big reason why was a strong relationship with USC assistant coach Kennedy Pola.
“Yes, I’m a Trojan,” Seymour said. “USC was ahead of everybody because the whole coaching staff cares. Coach Pola has been recruiting me. He’s like a dad to me. I’m like his son, and that’s how he treats me. I can tell he really cares about guys, and I have a really good relationship with coach Lane Kiffin.”
Matt Barkley’s announcement to return for his senior year at USC and the Trojans becoming bowl eligible next season was just gravy for Seymour, he said.
“That just came with the thoughts about why I chose USC,” he said.
Tairen Owens, Seymour’s teammate at Muir and childhood friend, also made some news Saturday. Owens, a three-star recruit who was the first recruit in the class of 2012 to commit to Washington, has decommitted and isnow heading to UCLA, according to Scout.com’s Brandon Huffman.
Owens said last month that he was in the process of talking with the Bruins after UCLA coach Jim Mora hired Washington defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin, who began making a push to bring his Washington recruits with him to UCLA.
Martin, a former Muir standout, has been successful on that front, which included getting Arcadia’s Taylor Lagace to flip from Washington to UCLA last month.
Owens could not be reached for comment.
