Do You Need Some Good News?

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I’m not really a fan of the intense scrutiny recruiting receives 365 days a year now and I think rankings, etc., can be overrated.

But here’s the bottom line today: If USC gets significant contributions from 6-7 players, it’s a pretty good class no matter how many players signed. That’s about what happens at most good schools.

So if Su’a Cravens and Leon McQuay play safety at some point, Max Browne starts at quarterback, Kenny Bigelow starts at defensive tackle, one of the tailbacks emerges and one other player starts, such as offensive tackle Nico Falah, then it will be just about like any other class despite its small numbers.

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  • http://twitter.com/the1casey Casey S

    way to look on the bright side.

    • marvgoux1

      The bright side is that asteroid isn’t going to land on 28th Street.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BoscoH Brad Hutchings

    And Kiffin has spots for early enrollees next year or a Redd-like pickup. What he doesn’t get is a high ranking in today’s silly p*ssing league. That * is not an “a”.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Doverz/1423558008 Ben Doverz

      Who in their right mind would attach their wagon to this sinking ship ?

      • http://www.facebook.com/BoscoH Brad Hutchings

        In any hypothetical bet, there is some point where you take the under.

      • http://www.facebook.com/charles.bucket.3 Charles Bucket

        blatant mixed metaphor, but you made it work.

  • http://www.facebook.com/charles.bucket.3 Charles Bucket

    classic psychology, wolfman!!!

    kick the trOXans in the crotch, then build them back up!!!

    no wonder the trOXans on this blog have Battered Wife Syndrome!!

    POW!!!!

    i love you baby!!!!

    WHAM!!!

    i didn’t mean it!!!

    and they always come back to the wolfman!!!

    line forms on the RIGHT, Dummies!!!

    • Cheap seats

      Does every post have to deal with the crotch? LOL

      • MichiganTrojan

        Bucket is Scott right? Or is that ThaiMex? Oh wait, maybe I’ve got it wrong, Bucket is his roommate, and ThaiMex is the guy who watches over the Gimp in their basement?

        • TrojanFan

          Bucket has a man crush on the wolfman, he stalks him on the internet

          • Cheap seats

            Ever get the feeling that Scott *IS one of the so-called UCLA trolls.

            Many of his blogs are too obvious he’s just trying to stir the pot and get some troll conversation. He seems creepy enough to troll his own blogs.

          • TrojanFamily

            Mr. Wolf trolls his own blog all the time. But I do give him credit. He is considerably better at trolling his own blog than he is at actually reporting the news.

          • Cheap seats

            While Wolf and his fake troll names may seem clever, I think it’s the SEO and the fact that this site is FREE is the only reason it continues to drive traffic.

            As a paid site, I don’t think the site survives. I even heard Max & Marcellus mocking the Daily News when he came out with the so-called locker room “incident” after the Sun Bowl. “Since when are they a credible source??? Hahah..”

          • marvgoux1

            Yet it turned out there was a fight in the locker room after the game and those two big mouths were wrong. It’s funny how so many fans would rather not know what is going on behind the scenes.

          • Cheap seats

            A fight?? As in FIST fight? Bwahahaha!

            I was an ARGUMENT. Wolf had even blogged about the definition of “incident” or something similar and even posted the dictionary definition. Bottom line was that he was reaching for a story and it finally gained momentum weeks later when there wasn’t really much to report about after the NC game.

            One can argue that there’s an “incident” after ANY loss. Kids are competative and should be pissed.

            Those two “big mouths” are characters that fun to be around especially when they broadcast near the peristyle or Tommy Trojan on game days.

          • marvgoux1

            Argument? It was a brawl. Debating the merit of the season is no big deal. A team torn apart with dissension between the older and younger players all season finally culminating into a fight in the locker room after a dismal performance not worthy of this university is newsworthy no matter what rah rah fans think. I can’t understand why you don’t want to know why the preseason #1 team limped to a 7-6 finish. Pretending that everything is fine and trying to gag the media won’t make the problems go away.

          • TrojanFan

            The wolfman sets the tone when it comes to trolling this blog, and bucket get all tingly from it, what a loser

          • Cheap seats

            Bucket probably IS Wolf or a bed buddy of his

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Doverz/1423558008 Ben Doverz

    Not buying it. This class was fantastic and it was destroyed by Haden, who hasn’t the balls to fire an complete incompetent boob in Kiffin. Next years recruiting class will be far worse as USC has now lost all the luster it once had and Kiffin will be a dead man walking. If Haden does fire Kiffin this year, he better do it in the season because waiting till the end will KILL another recruiting class.

    Memo to Haden, get some balls.

    • TrojanFan

      Let the eggs hatch before you get the banana hammock all twisted….just saying!

  • MichiganTrojan

    Oh my god, oh my god, somebody get me a chair? Splash some water on my face, for christ sake where’s a cigarette? Scott has offered a very sincere “glass half full” analysis of the recruiting class? I’m just, oh my god? But it might be the calm before the EV storm?

    • Lemmiwinks

      Not a single recruiting site thinks that EV is coming to USC.

  • Cheap seats

    I think someone hacked Wolf’s WordPress account.

    • Wolfie Jr

      No, it’s un-hackable….I’ve tried every logical password:

      kiffsucks
      uscblows

      cadrerules
      soccerjersey1
      itsrainingmen

      Nothing works.

  • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

    Providing you have a full allotment of scholarships, yes. If you don’t, then you really need all the better talent you can get your hands on. Especially if you have limitations again the year following. What happens when you lose your starter, a top talent, and now your back-up is a practice-squad level? Bad news man…

    • gotroy22

      This is where the 15 scholie limit kills us…no more depth like we used to have.

  • Lemmiwinks

    The walls are crumbling thanks to Lame Kitten.

  • dtksr1 @dslextreme.com

    Just to put this in proper perspective;
    USC drops from #1 rated in the start of the season polls to not getting ratings vote at seasons’ end.
    USC drops from #1 rated recruiting class the start of the season to out of the top 10 and behind UCLA.
    Now what about this intense scrutiny?

    • MichiganTrojan

      Whoa, perspective!

    • gotroy22

      It’s shocking what has happened since September when hopes were so high. While waiting on the recruiting updates today I was watching the replay of the Stanford -SC game and was trying to figure out where it all fell apart.

  • troya_ruse

    Let’s hear it for our best recruit, the Baby QB aka David Sills… if not for this young man and his connection to Bigelow and Rodgers, our only lineman recruit would be Nico Falah.

  • LamontRaymond

    Let’s not forget why we’re all here today – Denise and Lamar Griffin. Yes, the parents of Reggie Bush. If you know any other parents who would let their children lie, cheat, or steal for them so they can rent a nice house in San Diego – no more than 11 months before that same kid would be a multi-millionaire in the NFL – then I think you’re lying. The looks on that couple’s faces the night Bush won his Heisman – make me want to vomit. Of course Bush is to blame, but as a parent, I place the blame on them. I’ve told everyone who will listen – these are the Denise & Lamar Griffen Memorial Sanctions that USC is enduring, now, what is it, 8 years later? What a shame and a joke. No other school will be punished this hard for a “should have known” situation.

    • Golden Trojan

      Both had good paying jobs with the SD Sheriffs Dept so they weren’t hurting for dough. They got greedy, justified by wanting the extra cash to travel to games and such. The stepfather Lamar did not step up like he should have.

    • EncinitasBruin

      You’ll probably be shocked to hear a Bruin say this, but I think the NCAA’s ruling was the equivalent of hitting a flea with a sledge hammer. There’s simply way too much disaparity in how the committee hands out sanctions. Really, they need to read the original Common Law of England, upon which our nation’s “punishment should match the crime” legal ethos is based….

      • LamontRaymond

        I”m actually not shocked – there are plenty of clear-thinking Bruins in this town. And yeah, the Bruin program is on the rise – helps the conference – all good stuff. 50 – 0 blowouts are not good for football. A healthy rivalry in LA benefits everyone.

      • TrojanFamily

        A great post Encinitas (and by the way a great recruiting year for the Bruins). You could also add that the chair of the Infractions committee, Mr. Paul Dee, was also overseeing his own program so rife with violation that it was akin to asking OJ Simpson chair a panel on domestic violence.

    • marvgoux1

      Great post. I remember watching the SC-Washington State game in Pullman and they kept showing Bush’s parents sitting in the stands. I wondered how they could afford to travel to all the away games. They couldn’t wait a stinking year for Reggie to become a millionaire. Wolf should interview them and see if they feel any guilt.

  • Ben Factor

    Here are some numbers. Rivals assigns RATINGS (VS. STAR RANKINGS) as follows:
    6.1 5-star
    6.0 high 4-star
    5.9 medium 4-star
    5.8 low 4-star
    5.7 high 3-star

    If you look at only the top twelve signees in all the F.B.S, programs, here are the averages for a few top programs:
    Alabama 6.01
    USC 6.00
    Notre D: 5.98 (with Vanderdoes, and 5.95 without him)
    Ohio St.: 5.96
    Florida: 5.96
    Michigan: 5.93
    Fla. State: 5.91
    UCLA: 5.84

    One in FOUR 5-star players will become All-America players, one in SIX Top-100 players become All-America, but only one in SIXTEEN 4-star players. As to productive starters, I haven’t seen any stats.

    USC has TEN Top-100 players. Alabama has TWELVE. Ohio State has NINE. It goes down from there. Florida has 7. LSU has SIX. Notre Dame has SIX (with Vanderdoes). Fla. State has FIVE. UCLA has TWO (three with Vanderdoes).

    So, this 2013 USC class is far from a disaster. FAR FROM A DISASTER.

    What those other programs have that USC doesn’t have in 2013 are: (1)
    4-5 more players with ratings of around 5.8, i.e., “low 4-star”
    players; and (2) another half-dozen 3-star players. That is, what USC is missing is 2-3 players who start or see material playing time, and quality depth, for practices and injuries.

    How much will USC be hurt by NOT having those 2-3 contributors and that quality depth? IMHO, it will hurt more than a little.

    What USC cannot afford is another recruiting year like 2013…or a worse year.

    If the program stabilizes, or a big-time new HC is hired, recruiting should improve. In 2014, it should probably emphasize top JC players, to compensate for the 2013 class.

    • Golden Trojan

      Put another way, SC has more 5 star guys than anybody. Alabama signed 17 total so far, with only 4 5* guys and they are Nat Champs. SC signs13 so far. What would Wolf say if he was Inside The Tide. Of course Saban will do way more with his 4s than Kiffin with his 5s.

      • Ben Factor

        I find 10 of the Top-100 more impressive, because it’s almost the entire class. That is a lot of top players. Alabama only got 12 of them, and they won 3 of the last 4 NCs, and have the most efficient and effective HC in college football.

        That is some serious recruiting by the Kiffin team, after 7-6, and with Kiffin on the hot seat. Yes, it really was a a drag to lose Ramsey, and, less so, Vanderdoes and Redfield (damn those Irish). Fitts was collateral damage to losing Redfield–USC simply could not jeopardize closing on McQuay. But all in all, some serious recruiting.

  • http://www.facebook.com/robert.ratto.5 Robert Ratto

    congratulations trojans on another excellent recruiting class. fight on!

  • EncinitasBruin

    It seems UCLA is going to beat USC in recruiting across all three “score boards” (ESPN, Rivals, Scout) for the first time in 11 years. Has UCLA “caught up” to USC as a program? No. Going 2-12 over the past 14 years doesn’t even the playing field, even after the Bruins’ win in Nov. But if you view the situation dispassionately, it’s apparent that Mora has out-manouvered Kiffin this year even in the area of Kiffin’s greatest strength: recruiting. Of course the sanctions limits on schollies have hurt the Trojans, but that limitation doesn’t explain the defection of several top recruits in the past 6 months–and most dramatically, in the past 24 hours. That’s gotta be on Kiffin–driven by a growing lack of confidence by high-caliber recruits in his coaching abilities. Still, even with the defections, the Trojans have the highest “quality” class in the nation, keeping in mind average rating per player.

    • Cheap seats

      Mora recruited where the teams needs were: OL, CB, DE, etc. Only RB was the area that I was surprise they didn’t go after someone. Even though USC has historically out recruited UCLA on paper, I believe there’s enough talent in the local area where some of the guys that were “only” 4 or 3 stars end up becoming impact players.

      SC filled voids left from departing seniors at CB, FS, SS, QB and DT. I would’ve liked to see another RB, OT, and LB if we’re going to be playing 3-4.

  • http://4chan.org/ m00t

    Proof that recruiting rankings are overrated – look at our recruiting classes the past few years.

  • Spedjones

    Yeah, I’m none of those guys will get hurt, fail to progress, transfer, have grade issues etc. Totally no problem.

    • TrojanFan

      Close the door, a bad odor is coming from your mouth

  • Spedjones

    Good thing SC kept some rides – they’ll need a new TE to replace the recently-arrested Junior Pomee! LOL! Criminal ON!

    • Golden Trojan

      Wow Pomee, what a loser, another Dillon Baxter.

    • http://4chan.org/ m00t

      We have plenty of TEs. Who are you, Brennan Carroll?

      • marvgoux1

        He played in every game, we could have used him next year.

    • TrojanFan

      Get a life idiot….go troll your grandpa’s shorts, the aroma might clear your brain….LOL!

    • WingsHD

      Nothing more then all the speed freaks on the UCLA team. Have they fired Howland yet? UCLA’s blog is still talking about the number one sport basketball.

  • marvgoux1

    Now we have lost Junior Pomee? He really was found passed drunk out in a alley with stolen property from the Phi Psi house? What more can go wrong today?

  • TrojanFan

    We will still land a recruiting class with a higher percentage of four and five-star players than UCLA could imagine in there wettest dreams. USC’s 2013 class will have five players ranked as five-star athletes and six rated as four-star players.

    The Trojans have the overall No. 1 QB (No. 7 overall player) in the country, QB Max Browne. Su’a Cravens is the No. 1 ranked safety in the country, and No. 12 overall player. Kenny Bigelow is the No. 1 ranked defensive tackle in the country and ranked No. 6 overall. The caliber of athletes USC has signed is why USC’s recruiting class can be considered better than UCLA’s.

    All the ruin trolls can sit back and feel cocky about signing day, but Trojans will be back

  • WingsHD

    USC finished number 14 on the ESPN team ranking and only signed 12 guys. UCLA and all the others that finished ahead signed 23 or more guys. Quality USC was Number 1, Quantity not so good. Needed to sign all 17 because of the depth problem so I hope USC has a plan B but knowing Kiffin I would doubt it.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ruby-Jones/100003205514101 Ruby Jones

    Before the dust completely settles we might pick up a few more decent players.

    • marvgoux1

      Aree there any 2 star left?

  • TrojanFamily

    “I’m not really a fan of the intense scrutiny recruiting receives 365 days a year now and I think rankings, etc., can be overrated.”

    Yet you reported on these issues nonstop for months and used it as a means to attack Kiffin, Haden, and the program in general. Do you even read your own blog? (See how I ended the post with a question–I learned that from Mr. Wolf. It beats actual reporting since it is the height of conjecture).