Football/Track Time
A good day for USC recruit Travon Patterson of Long Beach Poly, who won the 100-meters (10.44 seconds), placed third in the 200 (21.41) and ran a leg on both relays at the Division I track-and-field finals at Cerritos College.
Seeing Patterson up close, it’s clear he’s not as tall as his listed height of 5-foot-11.
The most physically imposing prospect from Poly was junior wide receiver Bryshon Nellum, who is listed at 6-feet and 175 pounds. Nellum won the 200 in 21.06 seconds, the third-fastest time in the nation. He also won the 400 in 47.38 along with running legs on both relays.
These are great times. Forget football the sport for a second. USC will have the fastest team that has been fielded on a college football field (and yes as a track and field junky and coach I follow those things and no Miami has never been remotely close and LSU three years ago had an individual, Benny Brazell, more speedy but not the amount of sub 10.6 sprinters, never mind sub 22.0 kids in the 200.) Jamere Holland was the fastest high schooler in the nation last year and has the chance to do it again in his senior year.
In LSU this speed resulted in a (split) championship in one out of three years it was assembled, though Katrina may have cost them. We'll see what it gives USC.
Nellum currently has only UCLA, USC as his favorites according to www.scout.com with no offers.
I'm sure this will all change by the end of this season...