July 2006 Archives

Moorpark High tailback Darrell Scott has expressed an interest in attending USC. Scott is just a junior but warranted a look for USC coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian in the spring.
What's interesting is whether Scott will be scared off by the commitment of Servite tailback D.J. Shoemate, who is also a junior. The Florida schools will also be after Scott, since he is originally from the Sunshine State.

One of the questions facing Pete Carroll in training camp is where to play freshman recruit Derek Simmons. Even though Simmons weighs 285 pounds, he can play defensive end and defensive tackle.
Simmons will certainly get a look at tackle, because that is one of the positions that concerns Carroll most entering the season. Whether Simmons would do more than merely add depth, and can make an impact, remains to be seen.

USC's home game against Nebraska will be the fifth straight home sellout, and the ticket office claims the Washington, California and Notre Dame games are also sellouts. For some perspective, USC recorded no sellouts from 1998 to 2001, in one of Pete Carroll's first home games, the Trojans only drew 43,508 against Arizona State.

Although wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett remains ineligible, he is eligible to practice with the Trojans when camp opens next week. Jarrett continues to wait for the NCAA to rule on his reinstatement following his living arrangement with Matt Leinart in an affluent Los Angeles apartment last year.

USC safeties Brandon and Ryan Ting decided to quit playing football, ``so that they can focus on the demands of their medical school ambitions now that they graduated this past spring,'' according to a school spokesperson.

USC coach Pete Carroll said quarterback John David Booty is fully recovered from back surgery and barring further injury or a complete collapse in performance during training camp, will start the Trojans' season-opener against Arkansas.

Pete Carroll spent a moment with Oregon coach Mike Bellotti on Thursday to find out the status of the Pac-10 coaches protest of a new rule for this season. The coaches object that on a change of possession, the clock will now start when the official signals, not when the ball is snapped.
The rule is expected to shorten games by 10-12 minutes and coaches object that it could knock 10-12 plays out of a game. It also means that if a team takes over possession with 24 seconds left in a game, it would not need to even snap the ball.
Every Pac-10 coach opposed the rule change.
``We signed a petition and sent it off,’’ Bellotti said.
Said Carroll: ``When you might throw 38 times in a game, now it be only 32. It’s a sad situation when there is such across the board disappointment by the coaches and the rule still gets changed.’’

As previously mentioned, Venice tailback Kenny Ashley will not academically qualify for admission. However, the news appears better for wide receiver Vidal Hazelton, although he is not yet certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

Tailback Stafon Johnson of Dorsey High was certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse and will be eligible this season. Johnson's eligibility is one of the most significant in the freshmen class, if you listen to other coaches.
``I love Stafon Johnson,’’ Washington coach Ty Willingham said. ``I thought he could play on either side of the ball. I didn’t see many players that could hit as hard as him last year.’’

Tailback Desmond Reed is not cleared to practice but USC coach Pete Carroll is hopeful Reed will be able to play.
"He's trying to come back," Carroll said. "He's not cleared but he's doing some sprinting and other stuff."
One problem is the nerve damage Reed suffered when he tore knee ligaments is still an issue.

Freshman wide receiver Jamere Holland injured his shoulder and will not be able to practice when camp opens next week. The injury is not considered serious.

1. USC (18) 276
2. California (7) 247
3. Oregon (3) 229
4. Arizona State (1) 204
5. UCLA 145
6. Arizona 133
7. Oregon State 125
8. Washington State 96
9. Stanford 90
10. Washington 50

An assistant coach with an AFC Central team watched USC's summer workouts and came away thinking the Trojans' wide receivers would be the team's strength this season. Particularly impressive was freshman wide receiver Vidal Hazelton.
``He's looking really good,'' the coach said. ``I think he will play a lot this year.''

ESPN magazine shot photos of defensive end Lawrence Jackson today for the cover of an upcoming issue that will focus on hard-hitting players.

Valencia High’s Shane Vereen was being recruited as a cornerback but now he wants to play tailback, which is fine with USC and UCLA. Sources said Pete Carroll’s even made references to a ``Reggie Bush role’’ for Vereen if he attended USC.
The latest is Vereen wants to stay local and play for USC or UCLA.

Lawyer Carmen Trutanich is keeping a low profile these days, but Tuesday won a $150 milllion judgment in a civil suit. If he can actually collect, Trutanich will make more money than he did defending USC football players.

There's increasing buzz O.J. Mayo will officially commit to USC this week, for what it's worth.

We've mentioned countless times how Matt Leinart
and Reggie Bush either decline to sign autographs or had their minders
make it clear to gathering crowds they were off limits. Now it becomes clear what their end game was regarding that: They were protecting the value of their signatures. http://www.tristarproductions.com/National/pavilion.htm
Judging by the prices these two guys are charging visitors to the
National Sports Card Convention in Anaheim today, Leinart and Bush
should already be enshrined in Canton.

The conference is not just establishing cheerleading guidelines. Its annual media day will be held Thursday, with the release of its Pac-10 poll. It will be interesting to see if the media still makes USC the favorite or goes for Cal or maybe a darkhorse (Oregon, Arizona State, Arizona State).
Otherwise there will be the usual meaningless quotes from the coaches and I will tell Oregon coach Mike Bellotti my annual Rick Neuheisel joke.
Feel free to make your own preseason predictions.

So now we know why USC canned its cheerleaders. The Pac-10 released guidelines today on acceptable cheerleading activities. Actually, it probably affects USC the least because its spirit squads are not known for any acrobatic stunts.
Here's the guidelines:

ESPN's piece on Frostee Rucker hardly cast the former USC defensive end in a positive light. But Rucker was originally only one small part of the story as the network spent several months investigating the entire football program, including Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, etc.
If nothing else materializes besides the Rucker piece, which came partly because producers developed a close relationship with alleged victim, Joelle Barchan, USC can probably consider itself fortunate.

USC was No. 1 last season in at least one category. Trojan rookies amassed impressive fines last season in the NFL.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that wide receiver Mike Williams was fined more than $400,000 last season for being overweight and late to team meetings.
Williams needed to earn more than $600,000 to pay the fines, which are imposed after taxes, the paper reported. That means he plays last year and this year for free, because his salary is $580,000 for his first two years. The paper also reports Williams might not even make the Lions' roster this season.
He wasn't the only Trojan in trouble last season. Sources in Miami said defensive tackle Manuel Wright was also fined more than six figures by the Dolphins for similar reasons, which meant he also forfeited most of his salary.
No wonder Williams said in January he missed USC.

According to a source in the City Attorney's office, prosecutors offered former USC defensive end Frostee Rucker a sentence of 120 days for misdemeanor charges of spousal battery and vandalism. Rucker declined the offer.

Summer workouts are killing USC coach Pete Carroll, because NCAA rules prohibit coaches from watching them. Specifically, Carroll would like to see his newfound speed, with Jamere Holland, Travon Patterson, Taylor Mays, Vincent Joseph and Taylor Mays among the swiftest of the group.
If nothing else, USC should be faster on special teams this season, which could be especially valuable on the punt team, where an untested punter will start the season.

Freshman quarterback Mark Sanchez can't wait for a chance to play in the season-opener against Arkansas for more than one reason.
Sanchez thinks road games will be more interesting if he is the target of abuse from fans eager to taunt him following his off-season drama. But instead of dreading it, Sanchez looks forward to it and believes it will make him play even better.

Before O.J. Mayo decided the air got let out of his balloon and delayed his not-so-secret announcement to commit to USC, the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit told friends he would either attend USC or an African-American university.
In the mid-1980's, tailback Russell White said he might attend Bethune-Cookman but of course, ended up at Cal.

USC and UCLA are also locked in a battle for Long Beach Poly cornerback Donovan Warren. But a Pac-10 coach recently told me some members of Warren's family want him to attend Ohio State.

In a previous post I mentioned Anthony Davis would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. I also said I wondered if he would charge for autographs in South Bend, like he does at the Coliseum for the Notre Dame-USC game.
Reader FDOG sent in this post that is worth looking at:

Whenever USC coach Pete Carroll was asked about this year's Pac-10 race, whether by the media or at Trojan clubs, he usually failed to mention UCLA. But when an athletic dept. employee deliberately omitted the Bruins during a conversation about this season, Carroll quickly rebuked them about overlooking the crosstown rivals.

Many believe Notre Dame band director Ken Dye is the heir apparent to Art Bartner. This no doubt rankles quite a few of you reading this, but that is probably because you did not realize Dye attended USC and is respected for the job he has done at Notre Dame.
He is also perfectly suited because the Notre Dame band sits in the end zone at Notre Dame Stadium, so he won't need to go through any adjustments.

Word is that Valencia High cornerback Shane Vereen is strongly considering Cal, at the expense of Stanford. That leaves the Golden Bears, UCLA and USC. The Trojans got a late start on Vereen and I hear UCLA is confident it will land him.

With freshman receiver Vidal Hazelton on campus and practicing with his teammates during summer workouts, it serves as a reminder of how important the second week of training camp will become. At the end of that week, it should become clear if Hazelton is certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

The emotional high point (low point) at the ESPYs probably occurred when former USC quarterback Matt Leinart talked about losing the Rose Bowl. Former tailback Reggie Bush appeared near tears. This would normally be where I might point out something about Leinart much to his fans´ dismay.
But I will refrain, because I just found out Leinart bought a bulldog puppy to live with him in Phoenix this season. Now that´s a family member no one could object to.

Rob Taft of Fallbrook High and Greg Woidneck, formerly of Arizona State, were officially accepted into school and will join Taylor Odegard as punters. All three are currently walk-ons.

Former USC tailback Anthony Davis will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame next month.
He lost 60 pounds last time I saw him following gastric bypass surgery. Hopefully he won't be charging for autographs in South Bend at the ceremony.

A week ago, Howard Jones Field was just a bunch of dirt. But no one would know that today, as new sod looks like it's been in place for months. Of course, after about two weeks of training camp, the middle of the field will probably look like dirt.
At least this job looks smoother than last October, when the team was forced to practice on Cromwell Field because the sod was not properly laid.
Another sign that training camp is approaching: New carpet and paint in the football offices.

Every summer, there's a freshman who impresses people with his performances in 7-on-7 drills. This year, it's Long Beach Poly wide receiver Travon Patterson, makes up for his small size with speed.
``Some guys are fast but not necessarily football fast,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He's just as fast on the field and his speed really adds something to our team.''

Pete Carroll finally weighed in on the band's move to the Sun Deck for next season's football games.
``I think it will be a positive thing,'' Carroll said, noting the band's new location is supposed to make it louder and more accessible. ``It's supposed to be even better with the new sound system.''
Who knew high school bands occupied the prime position in the Coliseum all these years?
On a related note, a friend suggested that if the NFL renovates the Coliseum into a 68,000-seat facility, maybe the band could play outside and have the sound piped into the stadium.

P.S. Some in the athletic dept. are now suggesting band director Art Bartner proposed the move.

Colin Campbell, an 800-meter runner on the USC track team, is going to try to walk-on to the basketball team this season. Campbell, a 6-4 guard/forward, averaged 16.8 points at Ventura High and was the first four-year letterwinner in school history.
He redshirted last year in track because of an ankle injury.
Meanwhile, USC is taking a hard look at Fairfax point guard Ja'shon Hampton, who will be a senior next year.

Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed back surgery on quarterback John David Booty last spring, observed Friday's workout at USC and gave a positive evaluation about Booty's performance. All signs continue to point to Booty being fully recovered for training camp.

Has anyone else noticed that in the preview for the the EA Sports NCAA 07 college football game, USC tailback Reggie Bush appears to be white?
Check it out http://usctrojans.cstv.com/#

There's an interesting twist in the Frostee Rucker case. Photographic evidence of the alleged victim taken on a cell-phone camera is dated from November but the incident took place last August.
It could just be that the date on the phone's date is incorrect, however the person who took the photos is currently out of the country, which places the matter in limbo. It's one reason why the case was continued Thursday until Aug. 11

Former Lynwood High forward Davon Jefferson did not achieve the necessary test score last month, which means the earliest he could qualify for college would be December. In a best-case scenario, he would enroll at USC in mid-year.
Jefferson also needs to complete additional academic work besides his test score.

Frostee Rucker's arraignment hearing today was continued until Aug. 11. Rucker intends to plead not guilty, according to his attorney, Leonard Levine.
More information later, but it looks like this case is headed for a trial.

There's been some confusion among readers about what it means to have 19 freshmen football players currently enrolled in summer school. That does not mean they were cleared by the NCAA.
A NCAA source in Indianapolis said more than 10 of the freshmen are already cleared. However, if the NCAA Clearinghouse does not approve any of the remaining freshmen taking summer school, it does not affect their eligibility.
An athlete's five-year eligibility clock only starts with full-time enrollment during a regular session (such as fall or spring not summer). The NCAA allows schools to pay for pre-freshman year summer classes now so students get a head start academically and on eligibility.

USC submitted the paperwork to the NCAA seeking reinstatement for wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who was ruled ineligible because of his living arrangement with former USC quarterback Matt Leinart.
Pete Carroll remains confident Jarrett will not miss any games. Jarrett needed to repay Leinart's father about 10,000 in backrent, because Leinart's father paid a portion of their rent at a luxury downtown apartment.

Wide receiver Whitney Lewis is expected to enroll at Northern Iowa, where he will have two years of eligibility.http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/07/12/sports/s112416D73.DTL
UPDATE: A source said Lewis was considering transferring to Florida State, his original choice, even though it meant he would have only one year of eligibility.

The latest guess-timate is that the Galen Center's first sports event will be Oct. 12 when the women's volleyball team plays Stanford.

If there are two interested parties in the moving of the band, it’s USC coach Pete Carroll and band director Arthur Bartner.
Carroll did not want to comment on the situation directly when I asked him last week, choosing to instead praise the band. He’s remained silent this week even though he admitted that he was previously made aware of the move by the athletic dept. Few coaches champion the band like Carroll, so one would expect a little bit more of a comment.
As for Bartner, considering he’s been at USC since 1970, I’m just surprised he didn’t put up a little bit of a fight.

This is the time of year when coaches watch film during free time for the upcoming season. An opposing head coach watched USC play Notre Dame and Arizona State this week and believes the Trojans’ secondary is a potential soft spot.
``I think they were more aggressive in Pete Carroll’s first year,’’ the coach said. ``They play more conservative now and lay off the wide receivers. They could be vulnerable.’’
USC’s secondary will have some new starters as Josh Pinkard returns to safety, leaving three other spots. Kevin Ellison is currently listed as the other safety. Cornerbacks Terrell Thomas, Kevin Thomas and Cary Harris will compete for two starting spots.

St. John Bosco guard Daniel Hackett said he hopes to know by the end of the month if he will be able to graduate early and attend USC this fall.
Hackett is taking an English class every day, ``even on Sunday,’’ he said, as he attempts to cram a year-long course into a month.
``We’re trying to make it happen,’’ he said.
Once he finishes his classes, he still needs the approval of St. John Bosco and the NCAA Clearinghouse before going to college.
Hackett remains optimistic O.J. Mayo will commit to USC.
``He wants to come, he just wants some time to make his decision official,'' Hackett said.

Here's USC current TV schedule (and the rest of the Pac-10):

Former USC defensive end Frostee Rucker's arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.
Meanwhile, former USC players Reggie Bush, Willie McGinest, Rodney Peete and Sean Salisbury are guest speakers at the NFL 101/201 fundraiser in Hollywood on Thursday night that will enlighten fans about football.

Point guard Derek Glasser spurned USC and accepted a scholarship to Arizona State because he was upset the Trojans gave a scholarship to forward Kyle Austin last week. Glasser, who was a walk-on, expected to be offered a scholarship.
Arizona State, which hired his Artesia coach Scott Pera, offered Glasser a scholarship last Friday and he quickly accepted.

Sunday's World Cup Final between France and Italy will be played in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. The architects of the Olympic Stadium actually based their design on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the 1932 Olympics, four years before Berlin hosted the games.
The arches used for the peristyle end of the Coliseum (the new home of the band) are similar to the arches that go completely around the Olympic Stadium.
Nearly $500 million was spent renovating the Olympic Stadium, which includes a new upper stand, new seats, sky boxes and a new roof. On the inside the stadium is spotless and unlike the Coliseum, the track was preserved.
Attention Coliseum Commission: Berlin completely rebuilt the inside of its Olympic Stadium without any soccer or NFL Europe games being played elsewhere.

USC's point guard crisis might be solved if St. John Bosco guard Daniel Hackett decides to graduate high school a year early.http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4026392
Hackett needs two classes to graduate and is already taking one. He said he will make a final decision in the next few days. He almost made an announcement at the ABCD camp that he would graduate early but stayed in Southern California to see if graduating early would be possible.

An NCAA source in Indianapolis said more than 10 of the incoming freshmen football players were already cleared by the NCAA's Clearinghouse. That’s actually considered ahead of schedule for early July and one reason the Trojans were able to enroll 19 freshmen in summer school.

Point guard Derek Glasser, who committed to USC in April, accepted a scholarship to Arizona State on Friday. He will be reunited with former Artesia High coach Scott Pera, who accepted a job with the Sun Devils this spring.
That further depletes the Trojans at point guard, following the death of Ryan Francis and Gabe Pruitt's ineligibility the first nine games.
UPDATE: Glasser is getting a scholarship because guard Kevin Kruger transferred to UNLV.

The USC marching band is getting a new home at the Coliseum this season. Read on for the details.
http://www.dailynews.com/ci_4021818

England soccer star Michael Owen, injured in the World Cup, underwent knee surgery this week at the same Colorado clinic that offensive lineman Jeff Byers and women's basketball player Brynn Cameron went for hip operations.

Pasadena High forward Kyle Austin faxed his scholarship agreement to USC today and will be on scholarship next season. Austin is only 16 but intrigued USC with a strong performance at last month's basketball camp on campus.

One reason the NFL and USC do not see eye-to-eye these days is that the all signage and corporate sponsorship revenue inside a renovated Coliseum would be controlled by the NFL.

This article provides some of the reasons O.J. Mayo made USC his No. 1 choice.http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_4017508

I asked a legal expert what kind of penalty Frostee Rucker faced if he's fould guilty of two misdemeanor counts of spousal battery and two counts of vandalism.
``He'll get 180 days and serve 20,'' the source said.

So ESPN reported that O.J. Mayo told people during his campus visit he wanted to attend USC. That's not exactly news if you've read this blog or other recruiting websites today.
Mayo is supposed to commit to USC this week at the ABCD camp. Everyone is just waiting for him to make it official. I hear Mayo's grade-point average is above 3.0, so eligibility probably will not be an issue.

About 15-to-20 people gathered today for a goodbye lunch for former baseball coach Mike Gillespie. It's not the first time Gillespie's been back however, since he actually worked at USC's baseball camp last weekend.

With five home night games already scheduled, quite a few records will be established this season. The five night games is already a school record, breaking the previous mark of four in 1971.
The Trojans' first home night game was in 1944.
Here's some other firsts:

USC offered a scholarship to Pasadena High forward Kyle Austin, who graduated last month but is just 16 years old. Austin, who was impressive at Tim Floyd's basketball camp two weeks ago, would enroll in August if he accepts the scholarship but is being recruited by other schools, including UTEP.
Meanwhile, it looks less likely this week the Trojans will bring in a European point guard for next season, meaning USC would try to survive with Gabe Pruitt, Derek Glasser and Kevin Galloway at the spot.

Why did USC enroll so many freshmen (19) in the final session of summer school? There are several advantages but one of the main reasons is USC coach Pete Carroll heard Oklahoma previously instituted a similar practice and he didn’t want to lose an advantage to Bob Stoops and Co.
All three Long Beach Poly recruits – Vincent Joseph, Travon Patterson, Alfred Rowe – are taking a summer class along with Stanley Havili, who rebounded after experiencing serious academic problems in the winter when he stopped attending high school classes.

Reggie Bush’s punt return against Washington is nominated for Top Play at the ESPY Awards. Bush is also nominated for Best Male College Athlete while Matt Leinart is up for Best Male College Athlete and Undeniable Performance.
A few of USC’s nominees are not listed:
Worst Call on 4th-and-1 (Empty Backfield)
Best Male Athlete not on field on 4th-and-2 (Bush)
Misued Timeout In Final Minute (Rose Bowl)
Most Money Lost From Celebrity Lifestyle (Leinart)

Forward RouSean Cromwell will undergo knee surgery this week and be out about three-to-four weeks. That follows center Abdoulaye N’diaye’s earlier summer knee operation. Coach Tim Floyd’s concerned that his two big mean did little this offseason to improve physically, especially with incoming forward Taj Gibson still trying to get eligible.

Highly regarded defensive end defensive end Everson Griffen nearly committed during last week's football camp at USC, according to a source. ``USC put on a hard sell and he nearly cracked,'' a source said.
There was speculation Griffen might have become a silent commitment but he says he is still considering USC, UCLA and Arizona.