USC offered defensive end Jaylen Johnson of Corona Centennial during the Rising Stars yesterday but maybe the surprise appearance was from Serra linebacker Dwight Williams.
He famously tweeted “USC thanks but no thanks” on June 1 because he is upset he has not been offered a scholarship.
The NBA draft is today and former USC forward Dewayne Dedmon is projected as a mid-second round selection. Meanwhile, 247 Sports predicts USC coach Andy Enfield will land forward Malik Price-Martin of Opa Locka, Fla. He is ranked the 68th-best player in the nation by 247.
Offensive tackle Jordan Austin of Claremont committed to USC tonight. Now here is the tricky part. Did he wow USC at camp or were the Trojans always on his trail? He is only rated three stars by multiple recruiting services but maybe they just don’t know enough about him.
But if you look at who offered him a scholarship, it is an uninspiring list: Fresno State, Nevada, Harvard, Colorado, Arizona, San Diego State and Washington, of course, because Steve Sarkisian is the king of three-star recruits.
He can enroll early, which is always a reason to take a lesser-regarded recruit. Maybe he is a diamond in the rough. But Lane Kiffin cannot fall back on the “star ranking” of his class so far with three three-star commitments.
Former Oregon coach Chip Kelly’s NCAA show-cause order expires at end of 2014. If he doesn’t win with Eagles, would #USC be logical move?
David Sills, who committed to USC when he was an eighth-grader, is one of three quarterbacks from the Class of 2015 at USC’s Rising Stars camp today. The others are Josh Rosen of St. John Bosco and Ricky Town of St. Bonaventure.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall spoke today about the Cougars’ three-game series with USC starting in 2019.
“When you talk about big-time programs, I think it’s, in my opinion, a step across; I don’t think it’s a step up,” Mendenhall said.
USC was the only school in the country this year to win three national titles. Oregon, Princeton, North Carolina, Florida and Michigan were the only other schools to win multiple NCAA crowns this season.
So that leads to an obvious question: Do two water polo and a women’s golf title make up for a 7-6 football season? Or let’s make it tougher: Do those titles obscure a baseball program in shambles or underachieving basketball programs?
Here’s my column on how the NCAA looks inconsistent every time it penalizes a school since the USC sanctions, which look worse every day. Link here.
The Sunshine State is well represented at USC’s Rising Stars camp. Among the Florida recruits in attendance are cornerback Quincy Wilson of Fort Lauderdale; tailback Dalvin Cook of Miami; safety Kendall Gant of Lakeland and linebacker Richard Yeargin III of Fort Lauderdale.
Remember when USC used to add Ohio State or Auburn or Nebraska to its schedule?Here are the duds announced this morning: First, the “good” part. USC is going to play at BYU on Sept. 14, 2019, then host the Cougars on the Thanksgiving weekends of 2021 (Nov. 27) and 2023 (Nov. 25).
Now the rest: USC added home games against Arkansas State and Idaho in 2015 and New Mexico in 2016. The Trojans play Arkansas State on Sept. 5, 2015 and Idaho on Sept. 12, 2015. USC plays New Mexico on Sept. 3, 2016.
Think USC fans will like paying $65 (or more) for a ticket to those games?