Memo To Kiffin

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With all the 4-star and 5-star commitments, it’s been hard to fault Lane Kiffin with a limited recruiting class. But I’m seeing a pattern develop that is hurting on some recruits. Kiffin’s tardiness going after some recruits is costing him a bit.
I know offensive tackle Kyle Murphy was unimpressed how long it took USC to recruit him while Stanford went all-out from Day 1. That’s why the Cardinal landed him this afternoon.
Another example is quarterback Cyler Miles, who painfully delayed his announcement today as he was torn between Washington and USC before choosing the Huskies. Do you think he would go to Washington if USC started recruiting him more than four weeks ago?
And then the most famous case: USC ignored Marqise Lee for several months because it could not decide if it wanted him. Fortunately for the Trojans, Lee didn’t care because he always wanted to go to USC.

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  • How does Scott Wolf keep his job?

    drawing on your vast recruiting experience.

  • AnnArborTrojan

    Scott once agains shows is inability to think about anything other than what is right in front of his face.

    Lane Kiffin has done nothing but bring in the highest average rated class year after year while at USC as HC and assistant HC. He does this through careful and consistent cultivation with prospects. You can’t build the relationships with the players, staff and other players amongst themselves by whooring around.

    From a tactical standpoint, careful consideration was even more supreme this year. Only 15 scholies means you have to make decisions without room for error. Unlike a SEC program that takes thirty+ and then dumps the rejects, USC had to be very careful in its offers. Those offered really needed to commit.

    USC had to focus on its base class first. Williams and Agholor being late commits speaks to the fact USC can and does pull in late signings. The fact USC even was in consideration with Myles and Murphy is a good thing.

    Fight on USC! GREAT JOB KIFFIN & CREW!!! Keep being an cynical loser you DB Wolf!!!!!

  • The Monopoly Is Over Here

    Backhanded compliment anyone?

  • W.E.B. Dupree

    Worst of all, Kiffin intends to thank each new recruit by sending him a pair of black socks to wear next season.

  • marvgoux

    The big story is the Indians aren’t going away.

  • Trojan Conquest

    “With all the 4-star and 5-star commitments, it’s been hard to fault Lane ”
    But of course Wolf will find a way. I’m sorry, I can’t fault a kid for going to Stanford, and Miles just isn’t all that.

  • carlosb

    Wolf you’re almost as big of an idiot as PUD!
    How’s LK going to throw 50 offers out there months ahead of time with his sanctioned limitations?

    I think he did damn good thus far.
    Oh and PUD… When’s Seymour showing up in Westwood? also, did you see where once Seymour was announced at SC, how quickly that Jim L Lessa pulled the ‘RUIN offer for Seymour’s buddy, RB Owen? LOL.. Classy

  • USCkeptic

    I agree with AA&T. You’ve got to remember that that knife cuts both directions. That is, some recruits likely value the late push even more. It perhaps conveys some sense that they have finally arrived into the big leagues. These late pickups would seem to suggest as much anyway.

    Not only that, by taking a wait-and-see approach, they get more information about prospects and hopefully avoid later difficulties. Time will tell, but in lean times, it’s a strategy that can hardly be faulted.

  • sureshot

    Ah, the poop in the punch bowl has returned. Scooter Wolf, the perpetual gray cloud circling the SC campus.

    As for your “most famous case”, it actually worked out better didn’t it. Who knows, had the Kiffster gone full bore on Lee, maybe Lee would have got cold feet and looked elsewhere.

    Hindsight is 20/20… unless you’re Wolf.

  • USC owns the Rose Bowl

    Perfectly said, AnnArbor and carlosb!

  • ProbationU

    Hate to agree with everyone here…but hard to feel sorry for SC on signing day. They have a great haul in a difficult situation to manage. Also difficult to criticize a kid for wanting a Stanford degree. Looks like a lot of strong classes for PAC-12, which is good for the league.

    Us Bruins just hope we can coach our class. We’ve seen highly ranked classes become highly tanked classes. Optimism abounds. Now we need to see it on the field. For now, SC is going to get the prettiest girls at the Prom. We are looking for girls that may not be the prettiest that are willing to work a little harder and to things the pretty girls won’t do!

  • bushwhite

    This is a good class I have to hand it to Kiffen & Co..

    Only 1 Q..we didn’t get a RB.

    That leaves McNeal DJ and Buck Allen as the RB corps..and what about 2013?

    Scott who is moving to RB? Pinner? I assume AGholor will be playing WR.

  • Trojan Conquest

    Concerning all the strong classes in the PAC 12, they can thank Paul Dee. There are 10 recruits that signed with other schools that should have been signed by USC.

  • Globe

    Scott – apparently you didn’t hear. NCAA sanctions limited SC to 15 scholarships this year so Kiffin wasn’t able to go after as many recruits as everyone else. It was in all the papers.

  • ProbationU

    @Conquest…you can thank Paul Dee if you like…but the real thanks go to Reggie Bush for not paying off his agent and sparking an investigation and to Mike Garrett for dragging his feet. Had he bit the bullet early on, the sanctions probably would have been milder. Time to stop blaming others and accept responsibility. It’s what we teach our own kids.

  • gilligan

    C’mon, give Coach Kiffin some credit. He is bringing in Tuerk, Simmons and Banner (not to mention Wheeler). Think about it for a minute, every team that was hit with sanctions did not produce this type of recruiting class considering that USC was hit with 10 scholarship reduction.
    You forgot to mention that USC was able to get its second CB in the last minute. Give USC some credit.

  • steve49

    With their hands tied behind their backs, the USC coaching staff still out does their little sister school across town. Yes, after all is said and done, Southern Cal rocks, fucla doesn’t.

  • HonestAbe

    I work in the boxing industry and have to deal with people commenting daily (hourly, minutely, secondly) on any news about a major fight being made, not made, cancelled, negotiated, etc. I can’t recall any of these comments EVER accurately reflecting what is really going on behind the scenes, yet all of the authors seem to think that they where standing there in the room with us or on the conference calls trying to hammer out the details. The bottom line is that none of these people have any clue what is going on.

    Enter Scott Wolf with this post.

    He has no clue what was really going on in the hundreds of meetings that were held to develop a recruiting strategy this year.

    I’ve never been a Kiffin coaching fan but the guy has always been able to recruit like a machine. Backhand him all you want and try to create a negative pattern that doesn’t exist, but you gotta hand it to the guy for pulling off one hell of a class when most schools would have signed nothing better than 3-star recruits across the board.

  • Troy

    You have to be selective! They don’t have the luxury to send out 25+ offers out there. Imagine if SC did this knowing the cap is 15 and they get 22 commits. What do you do then? Remove more current player’s scholarship which will set back the team’s foundation or tell those excessive commits “I’m sorry you’re not our top 15.” imagine how hard the media will go after SC for doing this and how much of a negative effect it will have on future commits. Excellent job SC, future looks bright.

  • AnnArborTrojan

    Another thing to keep in mind. The NCAA sanctions are that 15 max scholies or 75 players, whichever is less. We may need to cut some players this year to comply with the 75 restriction. If there are a few extra under 15, they can be given to early enrollments…. which… starts a core class from which to build.

    Again good job KIFFEN & CREW!!! Welcome new Trojans!!! F the NCAA and remember SW is a DB!!!

  • Trojan Conquest

    ProbationU…..agreed, but the 30 scholarships lost is fracked up, thanks to Paul Dee.

  • collegegame

    Bottom line,we have a top ten class,with excellent PROSPECTS,and they are just potential players until after time we see how they develop..From all indications,the staff did an excellent job.Room for possible early enrolls ,and Diggs if he happens to come our way.All in all great job staff !!
    Either Wolf bates us with these B S comments to draw attention,or hes just plain ignorant.Last year at start of season I was expecting Kiffin to stumble or flat out fail.I was wrong,he and staff are near brilliant both on the field and handling the recruiting crap that we have been handed.Is there another staff out there that could have done better? I don’t think so.
    Bottom line again top ten class with 15 prospects,
    And a great shot at a National Championship ,Fight on

  • ProbationU

    Conquest…I agree you got hosed….treated unfairly compared with Ohio State…but they fired their coach…kicked players off the team and got minimal penalties when what they did in my eyes was worse. SC delayed, appealed, blamed the NCAA and tried to sacrifice the BB team to save the FB team. I think Garrett botched the whole thing…too much pride to fall on his sword and the 15/75 scholarship limit was the result.

  • W.E.B. Dupree

    Troy’s comments make sense.

    So he will probably be banned from this blog.

  • The Monopoly Is Over Here

    Who was Kiff talking about when he mentioned Scott and lost dad at the beginning of his presser today?

  • LAWYER JOHN

    Well, it is February 1, high school footballers signing day, and so like a groundhog I have awakened and am looking at the stats. What?– No Wolf stats.

    Over at the uckla blog Gold is outlining each recruits’ stats. What is our Wolf doing?– begging for a cheerleader date?

    So can anybody help me out and give us a list of the new Trojans and their positions, because Wolf is too busy.

    If not, I’ll just peruse the L.A. Times tomorrow evening

  • Stanford 91

    Perhaps my trojan brothers can supply the answer: Since when was USC ever unable to recruit a single scout.com 5 star player (not counting the JC kid with academic issues)?

    The 15 player max per NCAA sanctions should not effect the top 15 recruits. Why was Kiffin unable to bring in even one 5 star recruit?

  • bushwhite

    stanford your obviously just looking at scout.com

    check rivals, ESPN or any other service

    we have 5 Star recruits

  • ThaiMex

    Paralegal….you poor old miserable part time ambulance chaser, full time Drama Queen. Where would be if you couldn’t complain and bitch about “SOMETHING” every second of the day? I guess you’ll have to suffer till “Tomorrows L.A. Times/fishwrap” hits your doorstep because Wolfie, while being TRITE, can’t come close to your borish dull behavior. You’re really not all that bad, cause’ I’m sure that BLOW UP INFLATABLE doll/wife of yours “thinks you’re swell” and would never leave you.
    fite on though

  • USC owns the Rose Bowl

    ThaiMex what’s your fucking problem? I understand your football team sucks fucking ass but your endless bitching is highly annoying! Get a fucking life!
    Emo ass pussy.

  • USC owns the Rose Bowl

    ps. troll on though

  • How does Scott Wolf keep his job?

    You can always spot a Stanford football fan. They are the ones asking directions to their own stadium.

    When Stanford returns to playing in front of 20K fans (amd mostly those of the visiting team), it will be interesting how recruits in 2013 and after respond. Their recruiting class this year was largely the result of Andrew Luck filling the stadium the past 2 years. I know numerous Stanford alumni that either attended their first Stanford football game in 2010 and 2011 since either graduating or ever. I doubt Shaw can keep Stanford competitive in 2012.

  • HonestAbe

    @Stanford91 – you clearly went to Stanford on an athletic scholarship as your completely stupid comment on scholarship limitations exposes your Gump-esque IQ. While I’m at it, nice grammar. When a recruit is looking at his pre-NFL training ground, he unquestionably looks at the caliber of the team he will be playing on. Better team = more exposure = higher probability of NFL career. That’s part of the reason why USC’s program is traditionally great and Stanford’s is weak. Having fewer scholarships available, by definition, limits the ability of USC to complete a full roster, thereby making it more difficult for the team to be successful? How? 1. Depth…injuries happen. 2. No Hidden Gems…anyone heard of Clay Matthews? 3. Wear and Tear…starters get tired and sore throughout the season and their performance will drop if the team cannot afford to rest them with quality backups. The list goes on…

    BTW, do any of the USC fans on here go to other schools’ blog sites and waste their time heckling other fans? It seems like such a colossal waste of time. Something a total effing loser would do while sitting in front of a computer with his pants around his ankles and a tub of Vaseline at the ready. Jerk away, monkeys.

  • carlosb

    @Ann Arbor.. it’s max 15 schollys p/yr, up to a max of 75 scholarship players… meaning that we can exceed that number with walkon players not on scholarship.

    I also believe that LK and staff did a fine job on this seasons class.
    Fight On

  • Son of CharIie Bucket

    memo to wolfman: congrats on a STELLAR job covering signing day!!! you took your game to a whole ‘nother level!!!!

    of course the Nabobs, Dummies and Bullies have only snide comments and insults to throw at you instead of acknowledging your skillz. (no, i don’t know why they keep coming back)

    Thai: are you aaaaaaaaaaall outta bubble gum AGAIN????

  • Trojan 70

    Memo to Fred: Talk to yourself some place else.