February 2007 Archives

We hear Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon reassured USC coach Pete Carroll this week that he would transfer to USC next year.

One of the intriguing prospects invited to last weekend's unofficial junior day was Venice tailback Curtis McNeal, who is just 5-8 but considered one of the top tailbacks in Southern California.

Freshman Joe McKnight will receive the first Frank Gifford scholarship, which goes to a running back, quarterback or wide receiver who emulates Gifford's "life, success and spirit."
Maybe Kathie Lee Gifford can endow a scholarship for the song girl who emulates her annoying qualities.

Sophomore Allen Bradford has been told he will remain at running back when spring practice begins next month. Bradford currently weighs 226 pounds but his body fat has dropped from 11 to 9 percent since the end of the season.

You might have seen today that point guard Venoy Overton committed to Washington after previously being considered a USC commitment. What's interesting about this is that Overton committed to USC last summer before officially being offered a scholarship.

Checking in the topic of Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain, sources said to remain patient for a decision, especially since USC has an extra scholarship and is in no hurry to award it.

Anyone interested in walking on the football team must attend a meeting Thursday at 4 p.m. at Heritage Hall. Kickers are especially welcome. You might become the next Rocky Seto, a former walk-on who became a USC assistant coach.

Servite tailback D.J. Shoemate wants to serve as an unofficial recruiter to help convince other prospects to come to USC.
It's a role similar to one served by Chris Galippo this year and Mark Sanchez and Jeff Byers previously.

Unless he gets a scholarship offer from another school, Brook Van Muijen of Monte Vista High in Danville is also expected to enroll at USC as a walk-on.

With David Buehler the only kicker on scholarship, a coach at El Camino College told us that their kicker, Joe Houston, might walk-on next season. He would be eligible immediately.
The Trojans would like to add another kicker before the season, besides Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon, who must redshirt.

We mentioned Friday that we heard Dorsey wide receiver Rahim Moore might commit to UCLA soon. Well, armed with our information, USC quickly responded and offered Moore a scholarship that same day.
We don't know if it's too late, but just like that, there's another crosstown battle heating up in recruiting.

With 10 tailbacks currently on scholarship, it's ironic that one of USC's four commitments from the Class of 2008 is Servite tailback D.J. Shoemate. But during Saturday's junior day at USC, Shoemate talked about switching to wide receiver in college, a position he would prefer to play.

Rancho Verde offensive lineman Tyron Smith said he was offered a scholarship by USC and is also considering Notre Dame among other schools.

Did you notice during tonight's USC-Cal basketball game that Redlands East Valley wide receiver Chris Polk was getting the royal treatment? Polk sat next to USC coach Pete Carroll and committed tonight. Since offensive lineman Matt Meyer of Stockton committed earlier in the day, it turned out to be a good day for the Trojans and worth two commitments.

We hear Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon might take a trip to UCLA too. USC still believes Congdon will enroll in the fall, however, but he might be looking around since he doesn't need to go anywhere until the summer.

When Pete Carroll spoke to the basketball team before Thursday night's game, several USC football players were also supposed to address the team. But they showed up too late, forcing Carroll to do a solo act. Maybe they were part of the hundreds of fans who arrived late because they were stuck looking for parking in the nearby structures.

Some of the top high school juniors are scheduled to show up at USC tomorrow. One who might be there is Dorsey wide receiver/cornerback Rahim Moore.
We only mention him because word around town is that UCLA believes it might receive his commitment soon.
A UCLA official said this week that relations between the two programs are deteriorating for reasons we will detail later. At the very least, it should make recruiting more interesting.

With quarterbacks a hot topic, it's interesting to note USC is recruiting Dayne Crist of Notre Dame High.
With 10 tailbacks on scholarship, including Joe McKnight, maybe it's possible Crist would not be turned off by the quarterback glut if Mitch Mustain transfers to USC.

It looks like it could be awhile before Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain officially announces where he will transfer, according to sources. There's really no rush for Mustain, since he is enrolled at Arkansas for the semester. USC remains the frontrunner.

Actor Denzel Washington, a regular at Laker games, attended the USC game and got mobbed by the team in the locker room after the game. Washington signed autographs outside the locker room and then visited the coaches' offices afterward.

USC coach Pete Carroll delivered a pre-game speech to the USC basketball team before its victory over Stanford. Not surprisingly, Carroll stressed defense as the key to winning and the Cardinal shot only 37 percent in the first half. The Trojans held Stanford to 41 percent in the second en route to a 69-65 victory.

Tight end Gerald Washington, who redshirted last season, is moving to defensive end. It's the second time Washington will try defense.
He preferred offense the last time he tried defensive end.

Word in the NFL is that the San Diego Chargers effectively ruined their own chances of landing Pete Carroll when GM A.J. Smith insisted on hiring Ted Cottrell as defensive coordinator. Cottrell, a former defensive coordinator with Minnesota and Buffalo, is close to Smith and was always going to be hired.
That meant any coaching candidate would need to accept outsiders on his coaching staff and everyone knows Carroll prefers complete control, something he spoke to the Miami Dolphins about last month.

Former USC and NFL offensive lineman John Michels wearing a stethoscope at the USC Health Sciences campus. Michels is in his second year of medical school.

NASCAR Chairman Brian France will speak on Thursday night at 6 p.m. and he's supposed to bring a NASCAR show car with him. The event will be held at Town and Gown.
For more information, read on:

Our spy at Orange Lutheran informs us that offensive lineman Michael Reardon also gained admission through USC with no problems and only awaits NCAA Clearinghouse approval.

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain still has not officially announced where he will transfer. He's considering USC and Tulsa.

Now who questioned the idea of the diversity presentation? Not when USC coach Pete Carroll made a critical comment about a newspaper (not the Daily News!) reporting about him and the NFL.
In the interest of commerce, books were being peddled afterward. And they took credit cards!

Nebraska kicker Jordan Congdon is expected to enroll at USC in the fall but we hear the kicker will probably visit Cal next month.

According to reports, police used tear gas on Manchester United fans who tried to climb a barrier because of overcrowding at their Champions League match with Lille.
Sounds a little bit like the USC-Nebraska game.

Tonight is the big diversity presentation at USC. Diversity is a buzzword for the administration these days and they figured inviting Pete Carroll would draw a crowd.
(Maybe if he promises to talk about recruiting).

Luckily, we have a spy at Orange Lutheran that informs us quarterback Aaron Corp already breezed through the admissions process at USC. Now Corp will just need to wait for the NCAA Clearinghouse, which is considered a formality.

The NCAA appears set to move kickoffs to the 30-yard line next season and eliminate the controversial time-saving measures from last season.

Last week, when I asked Pete Carroll who would get the Chargers job, he replied, ``I hope Norv Turner.''
Now, a normal question today would be, ``Will Turner try to hire Steve Sarkisian again?'' like he did with the Raiders.
Turner wants to call the plays in San Diego and Sarkisian is currently meeting with new assistant coach John Morton, so the answer appears to be no.

New wide receivers coach John Morton, who is also the passing-game coordinator, had second thoughts last week about leaving New Orleans but arrived in Los Angeles today and should sign a contract tomorrow.

USC is already rated No. 1 nationally in four different pre-2007 magazine or internet media polls.

When evaluating this year's recruiting class, the football coaches will closely monitor the academic progress of about seven prospects who are considered ``at risk'' academically. Usually, most of them make it, but as history shows, at least one will probably not get cleared by the NCAA in August.

Fox Sports West failed to get to the USC basketball game until well into the first half, missing the first 12 minutes, instead showing a faceless tennis match featuring Andy Murray (the Kings coach?) and somone named Ivo Karlovic.
Just when you wanted to know who won the tennis, they left it and switched to USC basketball. If you don't get multiple Fox sports channels, it had to be a frustrating evening. By the way, who won the tennis?

Looks like Matt Leinart and Tom Brady now have something else in common.
http://journals.aol.com/thecoolerblog/AOLNewsCooler/entries/2007/02/18/fumble/1688

Across the country, 75 players signed a letter of intent last week that participated in the Play It Smart mentoring program, which supports “academic” coaches that work with high school football teams in underserved areas.
Former USC wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett was a participant in the program and this year's only incoming Trojan to experience it was wide receiver/sprinter Bryshon Nellum.
``Play It Smart helped me in a big way,'' Nellum said. ``Knowing all the requirements to get to college, taking the SATs, meeting the clearinghouse and the credits to get to the next level, without Play It Smart I would have not known what to do.''

Someone within the football program who spoke to Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain said, ``I think it's a done deal'' regarding his transferring to USC.

We hear incoming freshman defensive end Everson Griffen is already being discussed as a starter for next season. Maybe he should have been given a retired number when he signed with USC.

USC coach Pete Carroll said Thursday he was not interested in the San Diego Chargers job despite speculation he could be a candidate.
Earlier this week, Carroll refused to comment about the Chargers job. But Carroll said Thursday that was not a sign he could be lured to San Diego.
``I just got tired of answering questions about the NFL, because there’s always a follow-up question from (the media), no matter what I say, so I decided I wouldn’t say anything,’’ Carroll said. ``I wasn’t looking at it. I like where I’m at. I’m not going anywhere.’’
Sources indicated there was communication between the Chargers and Carroll this week, but Carroll said he was never interested.

Arkanas quarterback Mitch Mustain attended a winter workout today as part of his tour of USC.

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain is still visiting USC but has not officially committed . . . yet.

We almost forgot that when Pete Carroll was hired by USC in 2000, NFL sources in Boston claimed the San Diego Chargers did their ``due diligence'' on Carroll as a prospective coach. The front office change since then although the Spanos family remains in charge.
Another interesting connection is that Carroll attended Pacific, just like Chargers owner Alex Spanos.

Our Laker spies tell us Pete Carroll will attend tonight's game against the Cavaliers. It should be a chance to relax and escape recruiting/NCAA/San Diego Chargers speculation.

Freshman offensive tackle Martin Coleman is supposed to start running next week as part of his recovery from a broken ankle.
If he can get cleared, Coleman wants to participate in spring practice. Coleman said USC coaches told him his spring performance will determine if he redshirts next season.

For what it's worth, two sources offered the same answer when asked whether Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain would transfer to USC after he arrived Wednesday.
``It looks like he is,'' they both said, unaware of the other's answer.

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain is out with former teammate, current USC wide receiver Damian Williams, right now as part of his visit to the campus.

Next Tuesday, USC coach Pete Carroll will moderate a discussion at Bovard Auditorium on diversity and athletics featuring John Papadakis and Sam Cunningham. You, the general public, can attend for $15.
None of these guys is hurting for money, so my question is why isn't the event free?

It looks like the Chargers do not have Pete Carroll as a candidate at the moment. Still, Carroll could have said, ``I'm not interested'' yesterday instead of ``I've got nothing for you. I'm not talking about it,'' to ease fears of antsy fans.

Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain arrives shortly and there won't be any misunderstandings, especially after he is on the verge of transferring after one season.
``We've laid it out to him,'' a source said. ``Plain and simple. We aren't sugarcoating anything.''

Pete Carroll on the Chargers job.
"I've got nothing for you. I'm not talking about it."

Petros Papadakis says Pete Carroll will be his top story at 4 p.m.

Even a well-known member of the football program asked about the San Diego Chargers situation this morning and the possibility they would contact Pete Carroll.
``I've got my antennas up,'' he said.

Speculation is already beginning about the San Diego Chargers and Pete Carroll. Last week, we spoke about rumors that Carroll would require $6.5 million per year for the job and Carroll said he had not spoken to the club.

A high-ranking UCLA official is convinced USC coach Pete Carroll spoke to the Miami Dolphins in an attempt to get a raise from the university.
Personally, I think Carroll was just intrigued by what the Dolphins wanted to say, because he didn't even inform USC before speaking to Miami.
"That's the best way to get a raise, to let it get out through the media," the UCLA official said.

Regarding the Joe McKnight situation, the last time Pete Carroll sounded this confident about an NCAA controversy was Dwayne Jarrett's living arrangement.
``I'm not backing down on this one,'' Carroll said of the McKnight case.
The attention on the recruit's comments surprised Carroll, but that is one of the byproducts of the Internet.

Our choice for the USC women's soccer job, Iain Dowie, appears set to take a similar position at Coventry City.

Every time I visit Trani's restaurant in Long Beach, I seem to learn something. One of the autographs on the wall belongs to defensive back Jerry Shipkey, who played football at USC in 1943 on an 8-2 team that won the Rose Bowl, went to World War II and returned in 1947 to play football at UCLA. He was then a three-time Pro Bowl pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For you baseball fans, Mike Torres' two-run double gives USC a 3-0 lead over San Diego in the third inning.
USC holding 3-2 lead in bottom of the ninth. San Diego just ties it with a run-scoring single.
The Trojans just took a 4-3 lead in the 10th. USC wins and improves to 5-3 overall.
Freshman Robert Stock gets his second save of the season.

According to sources, Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain is completely aware of the quarterback situation at USC.
``He would be to Mark Sanchez what Sanchez is to John David Booty,'' a source said.

The Arkansas quarterback will visit Wednesday or Thursday before making a decision on whether to transfer to USC.

Pete Carroll said Joe McKnight did ask about the NCAA investigation into Reggie Bush last week and Carroll even considered the idea of a conference call but was quickly told it was against the rules.
``I was told we couldn't do it, so I knew it wasn't going to happen,'' Carroll said. ``Reggie will tell you it never happened too.''

Pete Carroll is emphatic that nothing illegal took place in the recruitment of Joe McKnight, including any conversations with Reggie Bush.
``It didn't happen,'' Carroll said. ``So we won't get penalized. You can look at the phone records. I'm not worried about it one bit. That conversation with Bush never existed. Reggie and everyone else will tell you it didn't happen.''
Carroll said he is eager to obtain an audiotape of McKnight's press conference to see if his words were misinterpreted and said he thinks the recruit's words might have been twisted.
``(Bush and McKnight) never talked and never had a conference call or speakerphone conversation,'' Carroll said.
Carroll believes LSU fans created the controversy because McKnight chose the Trojans over his home-state school.
``They went crazy about it,'' he said.

We'll have something around 3:30 p.m. on it.

We hear from a Pac-10 coach that Michigan told cornerback Donovan Warren he would start if he signed with the Wolverines.

One recruit that has not generated a lot of attention is Malcolm Smith, the little brother of wide receiver Steve Smith. Where will he play? Pete Carroll plans to start Smith at weakside linebacker, a position currently manned by Keith Rivers.

Servite linebacker Chris Galippo is a middle linebacker but Pete Carroll did not rule out using him at another linebacker spot.
``I don't know yet, I don't want to pigeonhole him anywhere,'' Carroll said. ``He could (play alongside Rey Maualuga).''

Pete Carroll was emphatic about next year’s top recruiting priority: Defensive ends.
``The defensive end spots will be a real area of need next year,’’ Carroll said. ``Everson (Griffen) will help there but we need to sign more guys there.’’

Allen Bradford remains one of the 10 tailbacks on scholarship.
``We need to find a role for him,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He's a tailback in our system.''

USC has 10 tailbacks on scholarship, or nine with Michael Coleman's switch to fullback. That might be a national record.
Anyone care to speculate who might be playing a different position next season?
Remember a year ago, C.J. Gable was being discussed as a cornerback/athlete.

USC made a splash on signing day but even bigger news could be looming for the Trojans as Arkansas quarterback Mitch Mustain will visit in the next two weeks with the hope of transferring in the fall.
Mustain, who started eight games for the Razorbacks, would be more than just a finishing touch on recruiting class that was ranked No. 1 by ESPN. Although he said he would leave Arkansas last month, he only recently contacted USC despite his teammate, Damian Williams, transferring here in January.
Coincidentally, USC saved a scholarship just in case Mustain decides to transfer.

Check back around 11 for some interesting news.

That would be defensive end Everson Griffen, who is perhaps the top prospect ever recruited by Pete Carroll.
``I think he is the most unique prospect. I've never seen a guy that impressive for that spot. He's a lot like (Baltimore Ravens defensive end) Terrell Suggs but Everson is quite a bit faster.''

Pete Carroll said Joe McKnight signed with USC because he brought something no other current or incoming back has on the team.
``Joe saw we did not shift guys out of the backfield last year like we did with Reggie (Bush) and he can do that. He is an incredible football player,'' Carroll said.

Why did quarterback Samson Szakacsy switch from USC to ASU?
``He looked and saw his opportunity to play there was really different than here,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said. ``He looked at a place where he felt comfortable and they are really thin at quarterback.''

USC's last prospect was wide receiver Deonte Thompson, who signed with Florida.
``He was a great guy, he was the last one we waited on,'' USC coach Pete Carroll said.

Tailback Michael Coleman will switch to fullback in spring practice and Norco linebacker Jordan Campbell will also play the spot next season with Brandon Hancock not returning.

USC made a final attempt today to convince cornerback Donovan Warren of Long Beach Poly to change his mind but Warren stuck with Michigan.

Just to be clear, the NCAA is investigating recruits at another Pac-10 about possible violations at that school, not USC.

We hear Da'John Harris of Serra sent his letter of intent to USC this morning, although some recruiting services have not mentioned it yet.

The NCAA is interviewing recruits who committed to another Pac-10 school for possible violations.

We hear Broderick Green ended his saga by signing a letter of intent with USC. That's quite a class at running back with Marc Tyler and Joe McKnight.

USC offensive lineman Travis Draper will take a medical redshirt scholarship, which means the Trojans have another scholarship to give out to a recruit today.

Will Joe McKnight's commitment be enough to give USC the No. 1 class? Rivals and PrepStar initially said no. We'll see.

For what it's worth, the buzz at USC on Tuesday night was that Joe McKnight and Ahmad Paige would sign with the Trojans today.

USC is scheduled to send out 21 letter-of-intents Wednesday.

Cornerback Omar Bolden of Ontario is scheduled to sign with Arizona State tomorrow, according to our sources.

Where will Joe McKnight go tomorrow? Even the experts are torn regarding the nation's top tailback.
``McKnight is LSU’s to lose but at the same time, he might surprise some people and choose USC,’’ Bobby Burton of Rivals.com said.
But recruiting analyst Jeff Duva of PrepStar said he thinks McKnight will choose USC.
``My gut tells me USC,’’ Duva said. ``I think he’ll shock the recruiting world. That’s a long shot, by the way.’’

The Coliseum scrimmage is set for April 7.

Here's the dates for spring football:

From today's New York Post: ``Sunday night, CAA had a party at Mokai, where Tom Cruise danced on tables with wife Katie Holmes and actress Allysa Milano made out with Arizona Cardinal quarterback Matt Leinart.''

Recruiting analyst Bobby Burton of Rivals.com thinks Ahmad Paige, ranked the No. 14 wide receiver in the nation, will commit to the Trojans.
``Right now I think it's Southern Cal,'' Burton said. ``Earlier I would have said Tennessee.''

Just as we suspected, sources confirmed former USC assistant coach Kirby Wilson was among those contacted for the coaching vacancy. Wilson, just hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, preferred to stay in the NFL. He was considered because he can coach several positions, including receivers and running backs.

New assistant coach John Morton will not be officially introduced for about a week, because he is out of town while his wife is expecting to have a baby any day and he has not signed a contract yet. Morton will be passing-game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Maybe the Donovan Warren-Ronald Johnson comparisons are moot. USC likes Johnson as a wide receiver.

Matt Leinart and his long-time personal passing coach, Steve Clarkson, are apparently not as close as they used to be according to sources very close to the duo.

Word on the grapevine is that Sacramento defensive lineman Christian Tupou committed to USC over the weekend but Tupou has not officially announced any decision so nothing is final.

As we first mentioned last week, New Orleans Saints assistant coach John Morton was hired to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Lane Kiffin to the Oakland Raiders. Morton, 37, will coach the wide receivers and will also fill the role of passing-game coordinator.
He worked for the Raiders when USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was an assistant there.

USC video director Joe Schrimpl resigned to work for a sports technology company.

The commitment of Camarillo quarterback Samson Szakacsy always felt not quite right around here, coming right on the heels of John David Booty's back injury and Mark Sanchez's arrest last spring. Well, today, Szakacsy committed to Arizona State.
The big season Orange Lutheran quarterback Aaron Corp had also was a big reason for the switch, from what we hear. USC also picked up a commitment from defensive end Trey Henderson, who visited over the weekend and originally committed to Washington State.

A couple days after losing Long Beach Poly's Donovan Warren to Michigan, USC takes wide receiver Ronald Johnson of Muskegon, Mich., from the Wolverines.

Norco linebacker Jordan Campbell, who already committed to USC, showed up at the USC-Oregon basketball game to mingle with the recruits making their weekend visit.

Expect defensive tackle Marvin Austin to commit to North Carolina. USC remains in the hunt for out-of-staters Joe McKnight (tailback), Ronald Johnson (wide receiver) and Deonte Thompson (wide receiver). Thompson actually had USC as his No. 1 choice this week, but Ohio State, Florida and Florida State swooped in for home visits after the Trojans.

USC guard Lodrick Stewart told the coaches he was just kidding after Friday's practice when a controversy started from this comment in the Daily Trojan: "Man, I get one dude and he gets 10?"
Stewart referred to reporters surrounding Nick Young after the game. Stewart told the coaches his comment was a joke and he didn't mean to be quoted.

We hear USC is looking at recruit Trey Henderson as a defensive end more than a tight end.

"We wouldn't have won this game a year ago at the Sports Arena,'' USC coach Tim Floyd said after the victory over Oregon.

USC continues to recruit Verbum Dei linebacker Akeem Ayers, even though he is firmly committed to UCLA. He is the one player the Trojans covet from the Bruins' recruiting class.

We hear former USC secondary coach Greg Burns might end up at Stanford.

How surprising was Long Beach Poly cornerback Donovan Warren's commitment to Michigan? A source said the Trojans listed Warren as committed during recruiting meetings.
Warren's decision only reinforces a growing feeling that this class doesn't quite measure up to the confidence last summer about how many bona-fide stars would come to USC. There's still time for a home run (Joe McKnight? Marvin Austin?) but unless it happens, the lasting image of this class (aside from Everson Griffin) could be how some thought-to-be-locks (Warren, James Wilson) slipped away.

A paper sign, yes paper, which seems to be the official sign material of the Galen Center, said, ``no ice cream today'' at the Galen Center during Thursday night's basketball game against Oregon State. But the medium lemonade was still available for $2.75.

Kalyn Keller, a 2004 Olympian who finished fourth in the 800-meter freestyle, quit the USC swim team and dropped out of school this week to train in Michigan, just days before the dual meet with UCLA. We know you don't care, but it's akin to Dwayne Jarrett quitting the football team the week of the crosstown rivalry.
It would actually matter if there was a chance USC could win the Lexus Gauntlet this year, a worthless award concocted to make sponsorship dollars off results between the two rivals.

Don't be surprised if former USC guard Rodrick Stewart does not return to Kansas for his senior season.

USC basketball players Daniel Hackett, Gabe Pruitt, RouSean Cromwell, Taj Gibson and Abdoulaye N'diaye all suffered varying degrees of food poisoning after eating at the team hotel in the Bay Area last weekend. N'diaye blamed it on the steaks.
``We ate rare steak, which I don't like,'' N'diaye said. ``I like well-done steak.''

Less than a week after quitting his job for the Raiders, video assistant Yogi Roth changed his mind and will remain at USC. Roth was expected to be an assistant to the wide receivers coach for the Raiders, but will instead help out quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian.

According to an NCAA source, if Reggie Bush is declared ineligible, USC could be forced to ``vacate'' its victories from the 2004 and 2005 seasons instead of forfeit. What's the difference? A vacated result does not count as a loss, it simply gets erased from the record books.
Maybe Pete Carroll can get the NCAA to vacate the result of the UCLA game.

As signing date approaches, these are five players USC thinks it can land before Wednesday.

USC coach Pete Carroll visits tailback Broderick Green in Arkansas then it's down to Louisiana to see tailback Joe McKnight and wide receiver Ahmad Paige.