Adios Perez
Freshman safety Antwine Perez is home in New Jersey and did not return from the weekend break. Sources said he will not return to the team and will transfer, although USC coach Pete Carroll would not confirm that Tuesday night.
It's hard to blame Perez, with Kevin Ellison, Taylor Mays and Josh Pinkard all first-or-second year players and highly touted safety Marshall Jones of Oaks Christian committed for next season. Perez played in seven games this season with three tackles.
he's not at home wolfie he's still @ sc
I saw him at pratice last night
That is a damn shame, a four star recruit wasted. Don't be surprised if coach Orgeron at Ole Miss goes after him just like Jevan Snead QB from UT did!
Good luck Antwine!
KABOOM!!
I called it on wearesc!
Next up: Stafon Johnson!
KABOOM
Sorry to see anyone leave, but his inexperience really showed against UCLA. He was often caught in "no mans land" trying to decide to rush Cowan or drop back into coverage.
who's gonna be the next to go, bradford or johnson?
Great. I wonder if Allen Bradford isn't far behind given how he's been jerked around this year by Carroll.
that sucks, he was repping south jersey, oh well
Pinkard is a true Jr.
Also, true or false: AP proved to be a bit slower and smaller than coaches thought?
Thanks,
This is too bad. I was impressed that this guy left HS early and came out to play. I know he was highly regarded coming out, so I was excited to see what he could do.
Obviously it's impossible to know if he got shortchanged, or if he wasn't performing to expectations and sat as a result. I'm afraid the same thing could happen with Stafon Johnson.
I guess this is what you get from 4-5 years of top rated recruiting classes - excellent talent leaving for lack of PT/opportunities.
What is with these kids who can't see the forest through the trees? Haven't they seen how many people that go down to injury, ineligibility etc? Man your time will come. Now you transfer and sit out a year; how can that be better?
Good news is there is one more scholarship available for a bigger need (ie: Offensive or Defensive Lineman). Also, Perez won't transfer inside the Pac 10, which makes it unlikely that SC would have to face him in the future.
Scott,
Help me here, how many scholarships will SC have to give out this year...I know things are always changing..but U got an estimate?
good posts all of them. I would assume S. Johnson will be leaving soon too, probably after the Rose Bowl. And Allen Bradford. They both got a raw deal from USC. S. Johnson was hte #2 RB recruit in the USA and he sits around on the bench reading a book while Desmond Reed plays. I know PC wanted him to grow up but I think he has learned his lesson. Same for Bradford, he always said he never wanted to play FB but they make him do it anyway. Watch out for V. hazelton to leave, too. His father never wanted him to be at USC and after he spends all year next year sitting on the bench next to Jody Adewale he will be outta here. No idea why he doesn't play, either. I guess C. McFoy needed some more reps....
It turns out Perez wasn't nearly as fast (or quick) as thought to be. His chances of climbing up the depth chart were really poor. That's the way it goes in a program that thrives on competition...he just couldn't compete at the level of Mays, Pinkard or even Bradford.. and Ellison, and would probably get beat out by the new stud from Oaks Christian HS.
Now with the rumor of Stafon becoming the next kid to leave...I'd imagine that if he'd have come to SC with a little humility and with more respect for the program and his position in it..he'd have never found the doghouse. Heck he may have even gotten more reps on Saturdays. It would probably be a great test of his maturity and character if he were to stay and fiercely compete.
Why would Bradford want to leave? He got the opportunity to initially compete at safety, then various stints at RB and FB and even a chance or two at kick return. He's just on the cusp of breaking out into something special. I personally see him as a big rumbling I back, both powering over the line of scrimmage and becoming a weapon in the short passing game. I still scratch my head in wonderment as to why Kiffin didn't call his number more against ACLU. Short checkoff passes and Bradford becomes a nasty weapon.
So you called it on WearSC huh Guru?
Just which poster are you then? Haven't seen you post on that board in a long long time.
As for calling it, that goes to GM or Ryan on USCFB.com.
East Coast Kids from the NYC Metro area that choose to travel across the country to compete at such a high level really need to be special kids as a far as their personal confidence when things don't go the way they foresaw during their recruitment. These kids see and feel the excitement on TV and the Internet and fall into the trap of hype. Not that their not willing to compete, but it's not always gonna happen for them as fast as they want. The accomplishments of DJ and Cushing are noted and inspiring, but what might have happened to them if they weren't able to find early success. Hey, the fact that Patrick Turner travelled, and is still competing for the time indicates his personal self confidence, which will only help him if is able to get to the next level. Bottom line, hopefully the East Coast kids that are attracted to USC in the future, fight to stay with with it, because those ones that succeed are truly special. But recruiting is an imperfect science. So Good Luck to AP whereever he ends up, hopefully he learned how to be a great Safety/Football Player while he was at USC.