Recruiting questions dominate this segment.
Q: USCLakerFan said:
Hi Scott, I read that USC had some top HS talent in this weekend including a top Notre Dame commit. Did you hear how that went and if any players that came in are now leaning to USC?
A: Linebacker Scott Starr, who already committed, was joined by Pierce College safety Gerald Bowman and Santa Monica (Calif.) three-star offensive tackle Chad Wheeler of Santa Monica, who is also already committed.
Bowman is down to USC and Oklahoma.
Q: SCFTBL1 said:
Which linebacker spots are Starr and Ruffin slotted for and will Bailey and/or Pullard move to safety?
A: Starr is projected to be a strongside linebacker. Ruffin is athletic enough to play weakside or strongside. I think he would start at strongside if Dion Bailey moves to safety. That move will probably depend on whether T.J. McDonald returns.
Q: lbc trojan said:
I did as you advised and emailed you with offensive content that someone was commenting on your site.
A: I removed some messages after receiving your email.
Q: Gnossos said:
Question????? Why have you allowed a blog devoted to USC to devolve into a cesspool with no Andy Gump around.
A: I’ll call Andy Gump this week for assistance.
Q: Karillo said:
Is Marc Tyler expected to be drafted?
A: Yes. Probably in the middle rounds.
Q: barney said:
Various depth charts provided this year list many underclassmen on the offensive line. Please offer your assessment of these guys, many of whom were highly sought after as high school recruits.
Question no. 2 (since I asked a similar question twice before without an answer) How about an update of what “inside scoop” you may be getting about this years recruiting…names please. I know this is a guessing game but you are positioned to play it.
A: Aundrey Walker was very talented and easily could have started this season. He didn’t because Lane Kiffin wanted him to practice at all times as well as he played in games. I think Cyrus Hobbi struggled a lot early and then switched positions to center but he did better at the end of the year and earned a scout team award at the football banquet.
As for recruiting, two big names are also offensive linemen: Kyle Murphy of San Clemente and Zach Banner of Lakewood, Wash. Another prospect to watch is taIlback Bri’onte Dunn of Canton, Ohio.
Defensive end Ellis McCarthy (Monrovia) is probably the best defensive player I’ve seen this season and I expect him to commit to USC. An intriguing defensive lineman is Noah Spence of Harrisburg, Penn. And there is safety Shaq Thompson of Sacramento.
Shaq Thompson is headed to Cal, bet on it
Marc Tyler will get a shot even if he isn’t drafted. The key will be if he can stay healthy. I recently heard some football execs from a NFL team say it makes more sense to draft running backs low or not at all. Many of the better running backs in the NFL are picked up this way now, and it’s a risk to draft them higher since they don’t last very long. This is why if I was Farmer I’d want to move back to WR.