USC offered a scholarship to quarterback Sam Darnold of San Clemente. The news here is that it offered Darnold but not Servite QB Travis Waller, who is expected to announce his decision Tuesday.
Darnold is just a three-star. How does this affect David Sills? Is it the final sign that the Baby Quarterback will go elsewhere? And why not offer Waller? Did USC feel he is unattainable? His stock is certainly higher. Maybe they think it would scare off Ricky Town if Waller committed.
Just a thought, but why offer two top-rated QBs in the same class, especially since one of them will transfer. This is Aaron Corp, Jesse Scroggins, Max Wittek and maybe Max Browne all over again. Why not offer someone who will stick around and develop? Three stars doesn’t mean he is talentless (other three star or less QBs — Marcus Mariotta and Taylor Kelly).
Next year, even with a 25 schollies, USC is going to go into the 2015 with less than 80 recruited scholarship players. Give a schollie to Waller, who will attend whatever school he chooses not only believing he will start someday (good- you want that in a QB), but also, to some degree, believing he is entitled to start, because that’s what recruiting hype seems to do to kids and their family/handlers/hanger-ons (not so good), and he transfers in two years, you pretty much wasted a scholarship.
I know nothing about Sam Darnold, but as a three star I find it hard to believe he will attend any school with his believing he is the next Carson Palmer. He might stick around, learn and develop and be able to contribute in his third and fourth years in the program.
I also suspect that there are QBs in the 2015 and 2016 classes the Sark likes better than Waller.
Good observations, IG, as usual.. Bunching up very top QBs has a demonstrated downside.
I don’t think Waller ever camped at USC. He is now the #1 target at Oregon and ND. Who knows what is passing through his mind, or the USC coaches? I, for one, never thought that USC was holding back on an offer because of Sills.
Town’s a great prospect. Why create any doubt in his mind?
Darnold sounds like a good student, who’s interested in journalism. While I have never heard of him, he may develop, he could play dual-threat QB on the scout squad. Not only that, he’s a big kid who also plays LB in HS, apparently moves well, and Wilcox’s outside LBs historically have to cover receiving targets.
As you wrote, if he transfers, probably will leave with his B.A.
All that is an advantage, given that Browne is not starting, Kessler is a junior, and not a natural NFL prospect, and incumbents always have advantages,
What about Jalen Greene a 2014 QB recruit?
Greene is another player who may develop, can play a dual-threat role on the scout team, and can play another position if his QB ambitions are not working out.
Does that make Darnold redundant? I can’t say, but I assume Darnold wasn’t offered for no reason at all, and I assume that the failure to offer Waller has some rationale. I’m neither endorsing nor criticizing either decision, because I don’t know what the coaches were/are thinking, and I think it’s too early to declare any of it a mistake.
Whether it’s USC or UCLA, the coaches are always weighing and balancing who will say yes, and how it might unfold after that.
Here’s a question that might interest you: Rosen’s stated first choice was Stanford. Why didn’t Stanford offer this son of Ivy League graduates? I never understood that. Do you? (And please don’t mistake my question for a criticism of Rosen, or a put-down of UCLA. Not at all. I’m not into that nonsense.)
It’s quite possible Rosen didn’t quite fit Stanford’s FB future direction, or maybe, Rosen indicated to Stanford, during a visit, even if offered, he would sign with UCLA. A non offer to Rosen saves Stanford recruiting face.
There you go. It might have been Stanford, it might have been Rosen–we’ll probably never know.
Waller did not attend USC’s summer camp last week, to work with the coaches. Did he choose that, or did USC not invite him? We don’t know.
Does he want to join Town in the 2015 class, when he is the #1 target of Oregon and ND at this point? Do you think he would want to join Rosen at UCLA?
Scott is right about one thing–USC may regret playing against Waller in coming years. But USC may not recently have had a shot at Waller, as Stanford may have missed its window with Rosen.
More will be revealed in a couple of years. If you have loosely followed UCLA and USC for any period of time, you know that the many of the top 150 high school players do not finish among the top 150 same-class college players. Projecting an 17 YO is even harder than drafting for the NFL.
Haven’t we heard Snotty criticize/ridicule the rankings of prep athletes and also give Coach O credit for offering 2 or 3 star preps with upside while not just sticking to a ranking list like Spaulding Carrol and Kiffin did?
Come to the party. David Sills decommitted early this morning.
As Tonto would say, “Giddem up Scout”
Here’s a cookie for being such a recruiting nerd.
Had to give the cookie to one of my tournament bridge partners as I dislike coconut. He is a UCLA alum. I know next to nothing about our recruiting but it is hard to ignore when my I-phone screams it at me as a USC football update. If the cookie was laced with anything, you unintentionally nailed one of your own.
Naw, I was quoting Don Rickles.
Lmao. Wow!
Wolf, I don’t know who your sources are, or where you get your info from, but why is it that I know more than you do?
You are lucky this blog is free.
Scotty again is the gift that keeps on giving. A day late and a UCLA level of attention.
Layla, tell us about Bama recruiting.
So….you didn’t get “The Baby” Quarterback, instead you got the “Darn Old” one…
“I don’t make em’ up pal-ley”….
fit Un!