Why you're not including Gallipo & Tyler in your "aside" parenthetical is beyond me. There ain't a program in the nation that would drool over those two ass-kickers.

Hey, it's all taken with a grain of salt.

SC is pulling in a HUGE class with what they currently have. But everybody has to poopoo it since SC can't get everybody to go there.

IN PETE WE TRUST!!!

I guess that the personal relationship with UM's coach English was overlooked by the recruiting prognosticators. Apparrently English has close ties to Warrens father and his uncle Mark Carrier, and that regardless of the "lock" status reported by Scout.com and Rivals for SC..Michigan was apparrently in the lead for at least the past week or so. Couple that with the fact that Warren was quite aware of the depth SC has at corner, he thought that his chance of major playing time as a freshman could come at UM easier. What's that old line about "counting ones chickens"....?
Personally, I think that this decision will be young Warrens loss, especially if Lloyd Carr remains as HC at UM.

Scott,

You are seeing the aftermath of Pete Carroll trying to fix something that wasnt broken. The rah-rahs dont want to admit it, but three disasterous off-seasons now have the Trojan program on the backslide. USC is still USC, but now its called Florida and Urban Meyer.

_89 don't get too down on them...Florida is going to have a bad year they lost 10 defensive starters. We are so used to USC having the #1 class every year that it's easy to get angry. I am sure we will be fine with the guys we brought in. And don't forget, we were 5 points away from winning the NC again this year, which I believe after seeing Ohio st. play in the bowl game.

USC can't be #1 every year what fun would that be?

:o)

66:
I stayed late to watch his announcement. Even if USC does NOT get another recruit they have enough depth to win a NC.
Stay tuned!

I guess maybe Bushgate is having an effect on some level? Maybe Warren wants to play for a BCS school, i.e. a DIA school that is not banned from said bowl series for a couple years.

Here's my take on the situation.

The problem in this year's recruiting class isn't Bushgate or PC (just look at the average star rating of the 2007 recruits).

It's the last 3 #1 recruiting classes.

Eventually the ridiculous depth that USC has accumulated at every position was going to cost PC some recruits and IMO this is the year where we're seeing the first real effects. It was easy for PC to sell the "compete and if you're the best you'll start" mantra when the depth chart had a bunch of 3 and 4 star players but now most positions are 2-3 deep with 4 and 5 star players.

It was much easier to sell Reggie, Lendale, Cushing, Rivers and Booty on signing with USC three years ago when they could easily see themselves competing and winning playing time at their respective positions. This year the fact that almost every position is at least 2-3 deep with premiere athletes is costing USC some top talent. PC has built the program on the "compete to play" theory and he must have known that eventually attaining a certain level of talent would cost us some recruits. The fact is when you get the kind of athletes USC has the past 3 years you've now become a "compete to maybe make second string" team.

The fact that even with the losses USC has so far collected it's highest average star rating in PC's tenure this year should be the focus instead of hte numbers. PC's still getting the top quality talent just not in the quantities we're used to.

Warren had a much better chance of playing next year at Michigan and he knew it. Just because you don't want to battle 3 other 4-5 star CB's to gain playing time doesn't make you a loser.

IMO next year we'll see a return to the #1 class again. PC will be able to sell a lack of depth at some positions again (particularly OL, LB and DB). It will be much easier to sell the chance to play and not just a chance to compete to recruits again.

RealDouche -

What do you know about playing in a BCS game? Ugla hasn't sniffed a real bowl game this century (the Las Vegas and Emerald bowls don't count).

As for recruiting, Dullard and Fucla have no 5-star recruits that will even talk with them, much less condsider wasting their time wearing powder blue.

The fact that you're always posting lame comments here just confirms there is nothing going on at Westwood High.

USC was actually his third choice, according to the coaches at LB Poly. He dropped UCLA because they really wanted an answer early. They had one scholie left and didn't want to lose both Warren and the DE they just got, so they asked him to let them know a couple of days ago, and he said he was choosing between them and UM, but he was leaning to UM. UCLA said best of luck and offered the other guy.

ReelbRuin- Who said anything about not being eligible for the bowl series? Aren't you jumping ahead a bit? And where is UCLA's recruiting class ranked? I don't see them anywhere close to the top 25. Is that why you feel the need to pay such close attention to USC? Yes, okay, we all know about 13-9. UCLA then took that win, the supposed start of great things, and lost to probably the worst FSU team in decades. Pete and co. took the devastating loss and used it as a springboard to the Rose Bowl victory, and a preseason #1 ranking for 2007. Enough said.

The supposed "decline" in recruiting is probably due to several reasons.

1. USC is returning 17 out of 22 starters on a team that has a great chance to dominate again. They are already loaded with talent. Florida, although it won the NC, needs to reload, needing to replace 10 starters on defense alone. Recruits see this and it may influence their decisions.

2. Some confusion over Carroll even entertaining the thought of leaving USC. More confusion during the Raiders situation.

3. Bush situation influence would seem to be minimal. If Bush and his family did what they are accused of doing, it shows an astounding lack of respect for the institution, and an staggering amount of greed on their part. USC can only be penalized for the future if the NCAA can prove that USC knew about the goings on, which it appears they did not. These shady characters are not USC boosters. For more information on shady boosters, see UCLA basketball, 1960's-1970's. ; )

4. Is this really a decline? Even with "only" 14 recruits committed so far, USC is still number one in the country with a 4.5 average rating, and are number 4 overall. We will have to wait until next week to see how it all works out, but I think that USC will once again end up in the top 5.

Tyler, I agree with you 100%!!

I think us Trojan fans have been spoiled, and for good reason. We have had that consistency of unheralded talent coming in each year with every class. So being used that, people start to freak out or down Carroll if we miss out on a few players. But when one looks at the big picture, we still have amazing talent, so this year's class doesn't worry me one bit. Pete knows what he's doing....

The perks and dollars are significantly more in Bushgate than anything that happened in the Sam Gilbert days at UCLA. USC and One-Pete will have a hard time convincing the NCAA and Pac-10 that it had no knowledge what was going on. Mr. One-Pete let all the agents and their runners have full rein on on the players during practices and games. Even Bush's current agent was in on the act. The NCAA and the Pac-10 has to punish them or it will be open season at all the schools. One-Pete should have taken the Miami job because once the dust settles on all this, the only job that Carroll and Coker will be able to get is Westwood High!!

Cheat On!

Here is some good news for a change: Rivals.com is predicting we will be getting Ronald Johnson.

"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"

ummm... what am I missing here??

Jordan Campbell - 4*
Brandon Carswell - 4*
Aaron Corp - 4*
Chris Galippo -5*
Everson Griffen - 5*
Da'John Harris - 4*
Marshall Jones - 4*
Kristofer O'Dowd - 5*
Michael Reardon - 4*
Malcolm Smith - 4*
Samson Szakacsy - 3*
Marc Tyler - 5*

??? Broderick Green - 4*
??? Joe McKnight - 5*
??? Ronald Johnson - 4*

It sounds like "Bill" is about 5 years old crying because he team sucks...haha...How many "-peats" does Dumbass Dorrell have?

UCLA pulled one of the biggest chokes in the history of modern college football last year vs. Notre Dame, their recruiting class sucks and their coach will be saying "do you want fries with that?" soon and all he can do is come on here and read more lies from Yahoo!...wow

Here some more interesting reading.."U.C.L.A. was placed on football probation for one year, 1980, by the conference. The sanction was imposed because some Bruin players on the 1977 team had illegal transcripts...."

As far as Carroll "not being able to hide" stuff..he has nothing to hide. And also, considering that neither side has said much of anything in 1 1/2 years, and although everyone has been talking about these "tapes" no one has produced any tapes yet. That's because what's one them would hurt their case not Bush's. So they keep talking about tapes but never playing them.

Anyway whoever this guy is must be really bored.

So, if we can pick up Ronald Johnson and Joe McKnight and Trapou, our class would be pretty decent..

The potential for huge sanctions against USC is there, but they have to prove that McNair really knew something, and Pete was more than just suspicious, as the articles state. Just because Pete was suspicious of Bush doesn't mean he knew anything was going on. The NCAA has a heavy burden of proof to bare to prove that McNair knew and prove that Pete was more than just suspicious. I don't think they can prove anything.

If you were a freshman standout looking to start next year, SC is not the place to be. Other teams are recruiting against the trojans by telling prospects that they won't play at SC, they're too loaded. It makes sense... We knew numbers were going to be lower because we were not graduating starters. Also SC will not just take anyone. If we loaded up with 10 more 3 and 4 star players we'd be in the top 2 or 3, but PC doesn't want to do that. That's not this program anymore. What till next year when Pete has needs to fill. That class will blow your mind.

Regarding UCLA, it's a disastrous recruiting class. They only have 11 recruits and no 5 stars and just a few 4 stars. I guess ReelBruin's prediction of PAC 10 dominance and a BCS type program is coming true... well maybe not. One game doesn't turn a program around. Now go back in your hole.

I wouldn't say that UCLA's class is disastrous. They only had 11 rides to five, according to what I have heard. I see that they have (7) 4-star commits and (4) 3-star commits. Their average star per player ranks 5th or 6th in the country, according to my quick and dirty research. That's much better quality than they have had in years. The quantity is not there, but the quality is there. Heck, the beat USC out for at least 4 of those 11 guys.

First off, who the hell cares about the Bruins. They can't match up to the classes that SC has been putting together, so let's not waste our time.

Second, some great points made above. I think that the problem here is that everyone is used to being in the game for and landing several big names at signing day. Carroll has just been that good and reliable for the past several years. This year, it just doesn't seem to be happening. Who knows why this is the case - could be many things: recruiting coordinator leaving for the NFL, Carroll flirting with Miami, Bush reverberations, SC appearing more mortal with a couple of losses during the season - perhaps all of these things together are swaying the recruits, but who really knows?

Losing a 5-star last month to Florida probably helps make this feel anticlimatic as well, but it's his state school if you think about it so it's not too surprising.

Step back and look who's already committed, though - it's still a stellar class despite the fact that SC is so deep in every position.

Whah, whah, whah.

SC gets 3 straight No. 1 recruiting classes in a row, and now has commits this year that include 5 and 4 star players like Kristofer O'Dowd, Everson Griffen, Chris Galippo, Marc Tyler, Aaron Corp, Marshall Jones, Martin Coleman, Malcolm Smith, Jordan Campbell, Michael Reardon, Brandon Carswell...AND we still have a shot at getting Joe McNight, Marvin Austin, or RoJo. That is a pretty f@#$-ing ridiculous!!! (Sorry El Cap for the language, I know it does not help strengthen my point, but I just get so excited when I see the talent coming to SC next year that I can't control myself!

FYI - SC doesn’t quite have the quantity of players as UF and TN, but the average player rating in our class is better than any other school.

Gillyking - Warren made a great choice “for him.� SC is loaded at CB and safety with young guys, with experience, and he wouldn’t see the field for a while. And Michigan is losing lots of experience at the corner and safety positions, and Warren will get significant PT next year under a solid D Coordinator in English. Warren will follow the likes of Ty Law, Charles Woodson, Marlin Jackson (playing this Sunday) and now Leon Hall (if he can recover from the Rose Bowl).

Reel Bruin - If UCLA had this SC class it would probably go down as the best class in Bruin history. And SC did not get Warren because Warren wasn’t going to see the field. But you are correct in that Warren wanted to play for a BCS caliber team, which is clearly why he did not choose a team that lost in the Emerald Bowl, and that will probably lose next year in whatever inaugural bowl UCLA plays in next year.

Man that "reelbruin" is annoying....kinda like UCLA itself....haha. That guy needs some help and/or meds...like that LSU loser who was running a website for 3 years trying to prove that USC did not deserve 1/2 the NC that year, and ended up shutting it down at the request of his therapist? haha...Man the USC haters are really pathetic.

Anyway, we are still heavily in the running for Ronald Johnson, Deonte Thompson and McKnight and still can have the #1 class...I don't know why everyone is in such a hurry to hang themself in the closet and proclaim USC dead...