January 2009 Archives
Following up on the previous post, maybe it's better if Vontaze Burfict goes to ASU. At least there will not be two No. 7's on the team next year since Matt Barkley is also wearing it.
Manti Te'o told an observer on campus today that USC placed the No. 5, No. 55 and No. 58 jerseys in his locker during today's portion of the recruiting visit where players see their future lockers.
By comparison, Vontaze Burfict said he was given No. 7.
Defensive end Jarvis Jones of Columbus, Ga., is visiting LSU this weekend but we hear he remains interested in USC and continues to contact the Trojans even though his official visit was back in October and he could be in the mix through Wednesday.
There's been a split during the recruitment of Randall Carroll with most schools allowing him to play wide receiver while USC envisions him as a cornerback. A college coach who unsuccessfully recruited Carroll at another school as a wide receiver said today he actually thinks Carroll would have a better career at cornerback.
For what it's worth, we hear he's been upbeat during his visit, asking questions about the linebackers' roles and practices. He is scheduled to return home tonight.
Tight end Blake Ayles said he still does not have full range of motion in his knee following his December surgery. Ayles said he expects to be fully recovered by the time spring practice begins in late March.
In case you missed the chat, we mentioned that Manti Te'o was met by Rey Maualuga, Stanley Havili, Abe Markowitz and Martin Coleman yesterday. All our Polyneisian, of course, while Te'o and Markowitz went to high school together.
Maualuga and Havili are acting as his official hosts.
I asked earlier this week if it was one of the worst years for a West Coast tailback prospects in recent memory? The consensus seems to be Cierre Wood, who is going to Notre Dame, is the top-ranked among the ``experts.'' I'd probably go with Tyler Gaffney. But it's just a light year no matter what.
Have you bought your $175 ticket for next week's recruiting dinner at the Galen Center. Recession? What recession? Win Forever!
Almost lost in the shuffle is that safety Patrick Hall and linebacker Chris Metcalf are also visiting this weekend.
Is this what you call rolling out the red carpet for linebacker Manti Te'o? Linebacker Rey Maualuga, USC assistant coaches and staff wait for the recruits arrival on campus.
Here's our rankings of how solid the soft commitments are on a scale of 1-4 with four Euros meaning ``done deal'' and one Euro meaning there's a better chance Pete Carroll does his own twitter updates.
James Boyd €€€€
Vontaze Burfict €
Randall Carroll €€
Alshon Jeffery €€
Why isn't Brutus making a playing for Vontaze Burfict? Brutus and Burfict!
The same college coach who heard Randall Carroll is looking at USC and ASU said the Sun Devils might be the only school that can handle Burfict academically unless he makes big improvements, a pitch that seems to be working on the talented linebacker as Wednesday approaches.
Did anyone else notice people leaving the basketball game during the timeouts with 14 seconds left and the Trojans clinging to a one-point lead? Many were the fat booster types, which is even more shocking because they are supposed to be the die-hard supporters.
Quite a sight for one of the most thrilling endings at the Galen Center.
Linebacker Manti Te'o and defensive end James Boyd, who started their official campus visits earlier than usual, are scheduled to have lunch at the Galen Center today. So if you are on campus, you can have the rare privilege of seeing Te'o during his recruiting visit and ask him where he really will go to school.
Even if you cannot stand women's basketball, this might be worth watching.
Bobby Knight, the winningest coach in Division I men's college basketball with 902 victories, will provide color commentary on Monday night's Tennessee-Oklahoma women's basketball game as Vols coach Pat Summitt goes for her 1,000th career win on ESPN2.
"Anyone who wins 1,000 times at anything is special," said Knight.
That doesn't quite sound like he respects women's basketball, so who knows what he might let slip during the actual telecast.
We held out for a couple weeks, but from now on Washington coach Steve Sarkisian will officially be known as Brutus on this blog, after his strategy to try and turn USC commitments James Boyd and Simione Vehikite to the Huskies backfired.
It might not be unethical (it's competing!) but it's sure frayed a relationship that seemed like a father-son pairing over the years at USC.
The nickname was sealed when you consider Caesar's quote, ``You too my son, will have a taste of power.''
So far, that power seems to be getting misused as much as anything else. But perhaps this is somewhat fitting, as Norm Chow's considered his one-time protege a Brutus for three years now.
Do we get prophetic points for coming up with the Caesar nickname for Pete Carroll now?
Defensive end James Boyd attended Thursday night's USC-Stanford basketball game. Linebacker Manti Te'o's flight from Hawaii arrived too late to attend the game but he was met by members of the coaching staff and will be on campus today.
Former USC cornerback Dennis Thurman will be the secondary coach for the New York Jets.
A college coach whose school is not involved in the recruiting of Randall Carroll said the buzz today is that Carroll is considering USC and Arizona State.
It looks like Art Bartner's getting some competition. If you look at the songs Pete Carroll ``writes'' he is listening to on his twitter updates, we're stuck back in the 1960's and 70's.
We'll be doing a chat tomorrow, most likely in the late evening, for those of you going through withdrawals.
Defensive tackle Fili Moala is preparing for the NFL draft by working out at the Home Depot Center in Carson. It's the same place where his former teammate, Travis Tofi, is working out as he attempts to become a boxer.
It will be interesting to see what the attendance is at tonight's basketball game. USC drew its smallest Pac-10 crowds in two years against the Arizona schools two years ago as both crowds were less than 6,300.
It's time to grade the current commitments, including those who are ``soft'' commits but might end up elsewhere. Of course, the standard currency here is the Euro, on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.
Matt Barkley €€€€
James Boyd €€
Vontaze Burfict €€€€
Randall Carroll €€€
Hebron Fangupo €
De'Von Flournoy €€€
Kevin Graf €€€
Kevin Greene €
Patrick Hall €€€
Jake Harfman €€
Torin Harris €€€
Alshon Jeffery €€
Devon Kennard €€€€
John Martinez €€€
T.J. McDonald €€€€
Chris Metcalf €
Marquis Simmons €€
Simione Vehikite €€
We hear former USC center Ryan Kalil is living in Los Angeles so he can work out with his brother, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, in the offseason.
We talked to an NFL scout who said Clay Matthews gained the most at last week's Senior Bowl because he was the least known player to most teams. The buzz is Matthews could become a late first-round pick if he keeps impressing teams.
So far Washington's main recruiting strategy seems to be to try and steal kids who already committed to Hawaii and USC.
Can USC possibly land Bryce Brown, the No. 1 tailback in the nation, with four tailbacks returning next season? Brown informed USC this week he might visit after signing date, possibly with wide receiver Orson Charles.
Safety Byron Moore, who famously committed to UCLA and then USC, will announce his third school choice on Wednesday at 7 a.m. Notre Dame is the favorite.
La Mirada forward Derrick Williams, who signed with USC last fall, is averaging 24.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocked shots and 2.3 steals per game. His stock has probably risen more than any recruit in the state since last spring.
Offensive lineman Stan Hasiak of Kapolei High School in Hawaii will not be visiting USC this weekend. Frankly, if someone needs to take another visit after committing to two schools, there are some issues.
Taj Gibson and Daniel Hackett are playing, Nicola Vucevic's role increases and Tim Floyd talks about why a home sweep is different than in the past.
If USC (13-6, 4-3) defeated Washington (6-1, 15-4) last week, there would be a five-way tie for first place today in the Pac-10.
Here's something the Oakland Raiders just released.
``Raiders name Paul Hackett quarterbacks coach.''
Forward Taj Gibson's lungs cleared up today although he is still not 100 percent recovered from pneumonia. Gibson said he will play against Stanford, however. Guard Daniel Hackett sat out parts of practice and is suffering flu-like symptoms but is expected to play. Forward Leonard Washington's sprained ankle remains an issue but he practiced and is able to play.
This will be the official icon of the song girl forum answer sections.
In this segment, I discuss a specific need I feel is missing in this recruiting class.
Offensive lineman Stan Hasiak, who committed to UCLA and then Cal, is pondering a trip to USC this weekend.
Imagine how different USC would look today if it had Ryan Francis or Angelo Johnson at point guard? Or even Venoy Overton, who committed and then went to Washington?
The lack of a point guard is the single-biggest factor in making the Trojans the up-and-down group they have so become these days.
Recruiting (of course) and next year's schedule are the topics on the table!
Georgia's April 11 spring game will be aired on ESPN. Conversely, USC's spring game will be aired on TrojanTV, CaesarTV and WinForeverTV. If you have DirecTV, you can also watch it on the Podium Channel.
Back to the most important forum.
More on Devon Kennard's commitment and Mark Sanchez selects an agent in the Morning Buzz.
Linebacker Manti Te'o is scheduled to arrive Thursday for his visit to USC because he cannot stay until Sunday due to religious reasons. Rey Maualuga is scheduled to help host Te'o.
We asked Sunday night why Washington is not trying to get cornerback Torin Harris to decommit from USC? We did some digging in Nevada and it turns out his father will not let him consider the Huskies.
When even Florida sources are telling me linebacker Frankie Telfort is unlikely to end up with the Gators, that's another sign USC is the leader for the Miami native.
USC's 38-24 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, drew an 11.7 rating, up six percent from last year's game between USC and Illinois.
Minnesota did not just sign a home-and-home series with USC in 2010 and 2011. It also lined up powerhouses South Dakota in 2010 and North Dakota State in 2011.
A Ford dealer in Lexington, Ky., has honored Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks with a customized "Brooks Ford-150" pickup truck to celebrate the Wildcats' three recent bowl triumphs. In other news, a podium manufacturer in Vernon, Calif., has come up with the ``Caesar 150'' podium to be used in future press conferences to rip underclassmen who turn pro.
Is the Caesar era about to undergo a change next season?
In this segment, a reader make a valid point. Where's the Laker girls scrutiny?
So USC's recruiting class should feature the nation's top quarterback (Matt Barkley) and defensive end (Devon Kennard), two of the top linebackers (Vontaze Burfict, Manti Te'o) and two of the top safeties (Patrick Hall, Tim McDonald). Is that enough?
Well, there's the noticeable lack of cornerbacks, which becomes a real issue a year from now. And then there's the lack of a tailback. A year from now, USC will probably have only Marc Tyler around and be a bunch of incoming freshmen to break in at training camp.
So a tailback this year would have been great to groom for 2010. That's why Tyler Gaffney made so much sense. But he didn't want to be a blocker for four years.
I'll say this, the readers take this seriously.
Obviously there will be playing time available next season. But will Devon Kennard arrive this summer ready to go or will his knee still require time to heal from last fall's reconstructive surgery? That should be the question that determines his role for next season. On the positive side, it's unlikely he will arrive and turn off teammates immediately like fellow Arizona native Everson Griffen.
So now that Devon Kennard committed, how long will you be happy? Or is it time to move on until Manti Te'o commits?
Did anyone see Oregon hired former Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost as its wide receivers coach? I mean, really, over keeping Amanda Pflugrad happy?
In case you missed it, Devon Kennard, one of those secret or not-so-secret commitments, announced earlier this morning he would attend USC. Kennard is rated as the top defensive end in the nation according to some recruiting services.
So should we keep the readers' names in front of the questions? Thoughts?
Still time to submit questions in the Weekend Forum.
In this segment, we examine how Carl Smith twice viewed USC as rest stop until he could get back to his beloved NFL.
A question about playcalling and recruiting in this segment.
What's going to happen next year? Domination or just another good Pac-10 team?
Tailback Tyler Gaffney said he will attend Stanford. Gaffney wanted to be the next Toby Gerhart, not the next Stanley Havili.
Should USC recruit more cornerbacks?
Questions about silent commits and podiums. What else is there to talk about really?
And now some staff-related questions on this WinForever edition of Answer Monday.
Should we also start the Song Girl Forum answers today?
More recruiting questions in this edition of As the Open Forum turns.
The readers' names are included so you can tell who's asking the ``freakin questions.''
It's time to answer questions, sponsored by the new WinForever channel (not available in Oregon). Like Caesar, you can follow us on twitter at twitter.com/InsideUSC.
Today is the day when defensive end Devon Kennard makes his announcement. Along with running back Tyler Gaffney.
But more importantly, it's also Answer Monday!
I'm a little surprised USC commit Torrin Harris, the CB from Nevada, is not visiting Washington or at least considering the Huskies. He is close to new Huskies secondary coach Demetrice Martin (the former USC assistant). I don't think Martin would try to get him to change his mind. But Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian would be if he adopted his mentor Pete Carroll's ``competing'' attitude.
``We've hired a tremendous coaching staff. If not the best coaching staff in America, one of the best."
-- Washington coach Steve Sarksian
Mark Sanchez is already considered the No. 2 QB in the draft. But was Graham Harrell of Texas Tech so bad in the Senior Bowl, it raised Sanchez's stock even further, especially since he already played in a pro-style offense?
When Pete Carroll tried to convince Mark Sanchez to return next season, one reason listed was that Sanchez might be the country's top quarterback next season.
The rebuttal argument I heard to that from others around USC: ``If he was that good, why didn't he start the previous two years?''
One reason I'm not overly interested in Morrell Presley, Byron Moore or Randall Carroll's flip-flopping: An average recruiting class usually revolves around seven or so true impact players.
If you look at the current class that just completed its junior year, Mark Sanchez, Taylor Mays, Stafon Johnson and Shareece Wright have been impact players. Others, like Charles Brown and Alex Parsons, became starters this year. Will Harris was a late starter. And Vidal Hazelton made a one-year impact. Damian Williams came into the class late, so he's not a true recruit.
So in this current recruiting class, if USC lands Matt Barkley, Devon Kennard, Vontaze Burfict, Manti Te'o, Patrick Hall and Tim McDonald, Jr., that's six of the nation's top 25-30 players before anyone else contributes. If someone like cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick commits, even better. That's why Kennard's expected commitment tomorrow and Te'o are probably the key moments of the next 10 days.
There are several areas of the new Cinematic Arts building named after Hollywood legends. For example, there is the Harold Lloyd lobby, the Mary Pickford lobby court east, and the Fanny Brice theatre.
But the one that caught my attention was the Hugh M. Hefner exhibition hall. Or maybe they meant exhibitionist? It's not too far from the Spike TV balcony.
Kicker Jake Harfman, who committed to USC last month and is making his official visit this weekend, was wanted by Washington coach Steve Sarkisian. But while Sarkisian was still deciding whether to offer him (and still coaching at USC), the Trojans offered Harfman a scholarship. And he immediately accepted.
Former USC quarterback Pat O'Hara, who was interested in the quarterbacks coaching position, looks like he will coach for a team with the new United National Gridiron League, which starts next month and aspires to be a developmental league for the NFL.
Walt Ransom, a backup quarterback on the 1978 national championship team, died on Wednesday. Ransom alleged that USC fraudulently denied him a degree in 1981 but the university retroactively awarded it in 2006. He filed a $2.1 million lawsuit in 2007 that was dismissed because the statute of limitations expired.
It's all over in Pullman as the Trojans pull away down the stretch. USC is 13-6 and 4-3.
Marcus Johnson puts USC ahead after a goal-tending call on his drive to the basket.
Taj Gibson's three free throws and slam dunk bring USC back with 4:51 remaining.
With 6:02 left, the Cougars extended their lead as Klay Thompson hits a 3-pointer. For some reason, USC did not recruit Thompson aggressively until after he committed to Washington State.
With 11:27 left, it's a painfully slow game but the Cougars maintain their cushion. I don't know who recruited most of these Washington State players, outside of Klay Thompson. But I do know who recruited most of these USC players. It matters little at the moment.
The Cougars mounted what qualifies as a run in this game with Klay Thompson hitting a 3-pointer. So far, the lone bright spot is Nikola Vucevic, who was a surprise starter today.
It's halftime in Pullman of a truly dreadful game. Will the Trojans score as many points as the football team did against the Cougars? Doubtful.
With 5:15 left, Washington State went 10 minutes without a field goal and missed 11 straight shots while USC was 3-8 from the free-throw line.
I know who Brandon Granville is on the Fox telecast. I have no idea who Francis Williams is? But I'm just glad he is not Dave Miller.
We hear the fact USC wanted Tyler Gaffney to play fullback caused him to cancel his visit this weekend because he really wants to be Toby Gerhart. Gaffney will announce his choice Monday and Stanford is the leader.
The Trojans will wear their black uniforms today against Washington State. Check out Thursday poll results to see what the fans think of the idea.
USC's lost its past five games at Washington State, with four of the losses in Pullman and one in Spokane. The Trojans 12-6 and 3-3 record is identical to a year ago.
USC plays Minnesota in 2010 at the Golden Gophers' new stadium, which is currently under construction and opens in September. Capacity will be 50,000 so don't expect a huge road-team allotment.
So what's on your mind? Byron Moore decommits? Tyler Gaffney canceled his visit? Future opponent Minnesota? Or whether this weekend will actually clear things up for Randall Carroll?
No one really knows yet where safety Jawanza Starling of Tallahassee, Fla., will commit. But I'm reminded that last year his high school teammate, cornerback T.J. Bryant, essentially told USC in the summer he would commit but then kept it secret for the entire fall and winter until signing day. Could Starling follow suit?
Mark Sanchez did stop by the football offices earlier this week. Of course, Pete Carroll was out of town at the time recrutiing.
Now that I had some time digest the home-and-home series with Minnesota, could USC have scheduled a series with a more maligned conference than the Big Ten? How does this help for BCS purposes?
Frankly, I'd be more impressed if they scheduled UConn?
Here's a few others better than Minnesota: North Carolina. Ole Miss. Vanderbilt. Kentucky.
Bobby Robertson, a member of the 1939 national championship team, died on Jan. 17. He was 91.
I wasn't going to say last night's loss to Washington was a fiasco, but apparently USC thinks it was. Look at the last three words for the link to the box score on usctrojans.com.
http://usctrojans.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/usc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/PostWashFiasco
PostWashFiasco . . . indeed.
According to Scout.com, tailback/fullback Tyler Gaffney canceled his trip to USC this weekend and will announce his college choice on Monday.
"I'm not visiting USC," Gaffney told the website.
So much for Gaffney being this weekend's most important visitor.
You might have heard that Pete Carroll's secretary, Morgon Fraser, departed this week. We hear that the new football operations guy, Matt Capurro, is taking over Fraser's office and that Carroll will probably not hire another secretary. He's had at least four in the past eight years. And office space appears to be at a maximum right now.
We also hear Oregon State offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh could be going to the Rams next month. What could be a better job referral than the game tape of the Beavers' offensive line handling USC's defensive line last September?
USC will play Minnesota in 2010 and 2011. I'm sure this is not the matchup some of you hoped for. Details after the jump.
Because the Open Forum gets buried sometimes, here's a chance if you have not asked a football/basketball question. One per person please.
Oregon State offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf is considered a strong candidate to go to Miami, Fla., as its offensive coordinator. Two victories over USC in three years will get you a promotion.
With all the talk about Morrell Pressley, Devon Flourney and Randall Carroll, Byron Moore's decommitment came out of nowhere. Or did it? He is good friends with Shaquelle Evans of Inglewood, who (softly) committed to USC before switching to Notre Dame. Now Moore is looking hard at Notre Dame. Two guys who recognize playing time is freely available at Notre Dame.
Like I said when Pressley decommitted, wake me up if it's Tim McDonald, Vontaze Burfict or Patrick Hall.
A tough night for Leonard Washington against Washington: 1-8 FGs, 2 points, 5 fouls, 1 technical foul.
Narbonne safety Byron Moore decommitted from USC on Thursday. In the most-recent chat last week, I was asked who were three of the Trojans' most-expendable recruits. I listed Moore as one of the three.
With Tim McDonald Jr. and Patrick Hall joining Drew McAllister, Shane Horton and Marshall Jones as reserve safeties next year, the smart move was to look elsewhere I suspect the reaction among USC's coaches reaction will be the same as the Bruins coaches when Moore decommitted from UCLA to USC last summer: ``No big deal.''
Three USC starters fouled out in a very long game in Seattle that looked over until the Trojans rallied late. DeMar DeRozan, Keith Wilkinson and Leonard Washington fouled out and the Trojans were already without Dwight Lewis (sprained ankle). Romeo Miller was sent to the scorer's table but called back in the final minute.
O.J. Mayo gets his second NBA coach after just 41 games . . . Dwight Lewis did not suit up for the Washington game . . . Sprinter Allyson Felix, who attended USC but did not run track, and former football player Jason Sehorn were named to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
So who do you think is the biggest recruit to visit this weekend?
Randall Carroll? Vontaze Burfict? James Boyd? Patrick Hall? Tyler Gaffney? Tana Patrick?
Jawanza Starling? Jake Harfman?
Don't scoff at Harfman. It might be the punter and/or kicker next season. I'm leaning toward Gaffney myself because I consider him a tailback/fullback with quite an upside and I believe Burfict will honor his verbal commitment.
Caesar ``joined'' twitter.com today. It should be entertaining to follow his updates, especially since he will not be writing them.
It's not raining but the temperature in Seattle is in the high 30's right now as the USC basketball team prepares to face Washington tonight.
Washington will retire former star basketball player Brandon Roy's jersey at tonight's game against USC.
Before he turned pro, one of the people Mark Sanchez spoke to was Peyton Manning. So it comes as no surprise that Manning's agent, Tom Condon, is being prominently mentioned in the stakes to become Sanchez's agent.
Here's the remainder of those Song Girl Forum questions.
We still count 3 silent commitments in the dreaded recruiting practice that sees players commit but hold off their public announcment.
Just ran into former USC defensive lineman Travis Tofi, who was training with a group of athletes who are trying to become professional boxers.
Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis is projected as a first-round draft choice but well below USC linebacker Rey Maualuga.
``He doesn't miss tackles like Maualuga does because (Maualuga's) going for the all-out kill shot,'' NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said.
Former defensive back Justin Wyatt, who Pete Carroll wanted to be a graduate assistant last year, is applying for admittance to USC law school.
Here's NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock on USC defensive end Kyle Moore.
``Kyle Moore is not a first round guy but he fits into the 3-4 scheme well.''
Here's NFL Network analyst Charles Davis on Brian Cushing at the Senior Bowl.
``Oh my. We're watching Cushing. Is he going to be a middle linebacker or a strongside linebacker? He's very instinctive. His best football is ahead of him. When healthy, he's one of the best guys out there.''
Caesar found time to stop at the Senior Bowl yesterday in Mobile, Ala., on his way back from Tampa, Fla. No word if he stopped by Gadsen, Ala., to visit cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.
We're still answering song girl questions today.
Time for another photo of legendary actress Greta Garbo with legendary USC track coach Dean Cromwell in 1925.
USC guard Dwight Lewis (sprained ankle) did not practice Wednesday. He also missed Tuesday's practice. Tim Floyd said he expected Lewis to play against Washington tonight.
This item from Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times ought to start tongues wagging inside Heritage Hall.
Q: Any salary details for Jared Blank and Dennis Slutak, who is the new director of football operations
A: Slutak will make $120,000 a year, Blank will make $70,000 a year.
Personal reaction: It's good value for money compared to the $600,000 Nick Holt is getting paid.
Steve Sarkisian runs afoul of recruiting rules.
Looking at USC's laudable hiring of Jeremy Bates as quarterbacks/play caller, how much was this hire due to the fact that Aaron Corp/Mitch Mustain will be the quarterback next season, so there can no longer be any cronies holding up such an important position?
Scanning the SG questions, a great idea from a reader to raise basketball attendance. Invite the Oregon cheerleaders.
Maybe this is one reason Florida coach Urban Meyer is successful. He just hired a 23-year coaching veteran who worked at Wisconsin, Syracuse and Washington to be his tight ends coach, a spot usually reserved for someone without much experience.
It took awhile but we finally bested the Open Forum questions.
USC volleyball player Taylor Carico is transferring to Duke.
UPDATED: Our source tells us that no final decision has been made and Carico is still considering schools like American University in Washington, D.C., and other East Coast schools.
USC linebackers coach Ken Norton at Punahou High School in Honolulu, home of prized recruit, linebacker Manti Te'o.
USC coach Pete Carroll visited Plant High School in Tampa, Fla., where he saw wide receiver Orson Charles. Charles is scheduled to make an official visit in early February and lists USC as one of his five finalists.
We ran into former USC defensive end Kenechi Udeze. He said he is feeling fine right now and is taking classes at USC.
More from NFL Network Mike Mayock on Mark Sanchez.
``My concern with the underclassmen, Sanchez can make every throw, I'm totally impressed with his arm strength, mental ability, toughness. My problem is I don't think they're ready in the immediate future. He's got 16 college starts. I think another 13-14 starts would have helped him. I question whether he can make every NFL throw right now. Pocket awareness and presence I question with him and (Matthew Stafford).
USC defensive end/linebacker Clay Matthews is at the Senior Bowl this week. Here's what NFL Network's Mike Mayock, who is watching practices, said today.
``The Matthews kid is really interesting. He can help your team in a lot of different ways. He can play outside. He might be most ideally suited for weakside linebacker in a 4-3 defense. He'll get on the field with special teams. He's got a chip on his shoulder because he didn't get a scholarship offer to USC. He's got that healthy chip on his shoulder. This guy could be a second-round pick.''
I've also heard from an NFL GM who is intrigued with Matthews' special-teams ability and believes he could get drafted on that aspect alone.
NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock, who is at the Senior Bowl this week, said today, ``I'm not sure we have a top 10 quarterback in this draft.''
Asked where Mark Sanchez would get drafted, Mayock said: ``I think for Sanchez and (Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford), they're a little bit of a project. I don't know where he's going to go. Teams are going to look at, if they draft a quarterback, do you want him to play immediately? I don't think Sanchez or Stafford play immediately. If i need a quarterback immediately, I'm not sure I take them in the top 10. I don't think they are top 10 picks because I don't think they are ready to play immediately.
``What I remind people is that (Ravens QB) Joe Flacco and (Falcons QB) Matt Ryan were fifth-year seniors.''
We need to readers' help in this segment regarding of the ``gate'' controversies.
It's been awhile since we paid tribute to that beautiful, big black cat. His grin suggests he is pointing toward a broken soft-serve machine.
Greg Robinson, the former Syracuse coach and FOC (friend of Caesar) was hired as Michigan's defensive coordinator. Someone asked me why he was not a candidate at USC? Because he would want to call the defensive plays.
Dwight Lewis' sprained ankle was described as mild. He said he will try to play this week. Here's some reaction from Lewis and Tim Floyd.
USC guard Dwight Lewis in street clothes and a boot on his left foot, limping slowly in to watch practice at Galen Center. More later.
I'm curious if Mark Sanchez will go to the NFL combines and actually throw because of his competitive nature instead of just getting weighed and measured.
Questions here about your favorite cheerleader.
In this segment, a question about Taylor Mays' new role next season.
The Denver Broncos are willing to ship a podium to USC when Jeremy Bates arrives this weekend.
After the jump is a long quote from Denver quarterback Jay Cutler on Jeremy Bates going to USC.
And now on to pressing matters.
I did ask Caesar at the end of yesterday's Jeremy Bates conference call if he would have a podium at the next Heritage Hall press conference. He said he hoped so.
Is the football program finally going to settle down now or will something else happen?
In the end, USC upgraded at quarterbacks coach, defensive line and defensive coordinator. Who knew?
Pete Carroll talks about hiring Jeremy Bates and someone is scheduled to attend the Presidential inauguration.
Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News from last summer with background information on new quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates.
``I think you coach and it's about knowledge. As long as you can feed them information so they can be successful on Sundays, they respect that more than anything . . . I think the players respect me, and I respect them."
-- Jeremy Bates in the Rocky Mountain News
``Jeremy is one of the bright minds in the NFL,'' Pete Carroll said. ``There's no doubt he's going to be a big-time head coach. Denver had a fantastic year in offense last year. (Former Broncos coach) Mike Shanahan said Jeremy was instrumental in developing (Broncos quarterback) Jay Cutler.''
It's time to bring back our Euro scale to gauge quarterback coach Carl Smith's departure. The scale goes from one Euro € to four Euros €€€€ with four being best.
Here we go:
Carl Smith (zero Euros)
It should be noted that Jeremy Bates was not retained in the coaching changeover following the firing of Mike Shanahan. He was scheduled to interview with the Oakland Raiders tomorrow for a job.
Pete Carroll said he also spoke to New York Jets assistant Brian Schottenheimer. One advantage for hiring Bates is that Carroll said the Broncos run a similar offense to USC.
Jeremy Bates will call plays from the sidelines while John Morton remains in the pressbox.
Denver Broncos assistant coach Jeremy Bates was named assistant head coach for the offense and quarterbacks coach this afternoon. We'll figure out who calls plays shortly.
Mark Sanchez continues to dominate the airwaves.
I wonder if Washington fans remember some of those questionable plays called against Oregon in 2007?
There's a lot of ``freakin' questions'' in the forum.
Still looking for that freakin' podium manufacturer, by the way.
More questions on Mark Sanchez, of course.
So Matt Barkley will wear No. 7. Was that decision made before or after No. 6 became available?
We hear USC volleyball player Taylor Carico is looking to transfer to an East Coast school, preferably in the Washington, D.C. or Virginia area.
Does anyone work for a podium manufacturer, Roman Meal would like to donate one to Heritage Hall.
Welcome to Answer Monday, brought to you Roman Meal, which is proud to announce it will sponsor a freakin' podium for the next Heritage Hall press conference.
Find out what Mark Sanchez did regarding the 72-hour grace period with the NFL draft while Vidal Hazelton makes his transfer decision official.
As of right now, Carl Smith still has not officially been hired by the Cleveland Browns.
Here's USC tailback Marc Tyler's opinion on Mark Sanchez going pro.
``I would've gone. If somebody tells me I'm going first round, I'm going to fulfill my dreams. I can see how some people can say he's not ready, that he's not experienced, but I think he'll be ready. He throws a great ball. He's a good guy, a great leader. He always kept us motivated. He's always the one who got us going.''
We just confirmed that Browns special coordinator Brad Seely (mentioned in the post below) was under consideration to become USC's special teams coach before Brian Scheneider was hired.
Why would the Cleveland Browns hire Carl Smith as quarterbacks coach? Well, consider the backgrounds of the hires made by new Coach Eric Mangini. The Browns special teams coach is long-time Patriots special coach (and Caesar crony) Brad Seely. The Browns' offensive coordinator is Brian Daboll. The defensive coordinator is Rob Ryan.
Everyone we just mentioned worked together for the Patriots from 2000-03. And Smith worked for the Patriots from 1997-99.
Defensive end Kevin Greene of San Francisco committed to USC today. This should provide insurance in case James Boyd decides to go to Washington.
One thing I don't like regarding Mark Sanchez's decision to turn pro is the way people suddenly changed their view of him just because he didn't return to school. I've been as critical as anyone during the season (see my report cards) but just because he turned pro I don't think less of him.
The same cannot be said for a segment of USC, including some officials, who suddenly find fault with a quarterback they spent the past few months pumping up to everyone. And I attribute a lot of this to people who feel Caesar signed off on such an opinion based on his public comments last week.
Dexter Hazelton, the father of USC wide receiver Vidal Hazelton, denied a report that his son decided to transfer to Cincinnati but added the Bearcats are definitely the frontrunner. He said Vidal Hazelton is also considering Syracuse. One reason Hazelton favors Cincinnati is because all of his units from USC will transfer over successfully.
The USC-Arizona basketball game attendance was announced as just 5,356. That follows a crowd of 6,235 for the Arizona State game. I'm not sure if it's the economy, fallout from the loss to UCLA or the novelty of going to the Galen Center is wearing off.
I do know the novelty of paying for those personal seat licenses is wearing off, as one booster told me he got the price cut in half for his seats when he balked at the original price.
We hear Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt recently asked for some USC defense practice films and his request was denied by Pete Carroll.
Be sure to check our five-hour chat after the jump in case you slept during normal hours Saturday.
Daniel Hackett hit the game-tying basket and made a free throw with 1.2 seconds left to give the Trojans the victory.
Perhaps a fat booster's next donation should be a podium so that the next press conference involving Caesar and an underclassman who declares early will have a ``freakin' podium.''
This is not a particularly huge recruiting weekend, unless you are concerned about the status of wide receiver De'Von Flournoy's commitment.
As recently as the UCLA game, we wondered why Pete Carroll left Mark Sanchez in the game until the final two minutes with a 28-7 lead. Doesn't that become an even bigger question now that Aaron Corp could have gotten some valuable playing time?
Whether it's Corp or Mitch Mustain, they easily could have gotten more playing time this season and didn't.
Since the Open Forum's gotten overshadowed by the all the Sanchez posts, here's a chance to ask a question if you did not already submit one in the Open Forum. One per person please. And you can follow us on twitter.com/InsideUSC
I did an interview with a Seattle radio station tonight and the first question was about Pete Carroll's body language during Thursday's press conference.
With all the drama from yesterday, I never got around to offering a little insight into Mark Sanchez's decision. What stunned people is that he always played the role of the rah-rah guy who loved USC and would never criticize a teammate or coach or say anything bad about USC.
That made people assume he would stay in college as long as possible. But it overshadowed an extremely serious side to Sanchez that wanted to be an NFL quarterback more than anything else. He didn't want to be the poster boy for USC and King of L.A. He wanted to play pro football. That made his decision easy.
There are already draft projections discussing Mark Sanchez being a top 10 pick. But how bad would it be to get picked in the 15-18 range? Chances are you get selected by a better team and would not be force-fed into the lineup right away.
When Pete Carroll and Mark Sanchez discussed Sanchez's future, did Carroll inform him that Carl Smith was probably not going to be quarterbacks coach.
USC senior Amy Rodriguez was the No. 1 overall pick in today's WPS Draft by Boston and joined by her teammate, Ashley Nick, who was selected by Boston in the eighth round.
I got asked a lot on the chats about offensive lineman Stan Hasiak from Hawaii, who recently changed his commitment from UCLA to Cal. The truth is USC never really recruited him that hard. At this point, USC will either sign offensive lineman Xavier Sua'filo of Provo, Utah, or wait and sign more linemen next year.
Here's more from Pete Carroll on Mark Sanchez.
Q: What will you tell NFL teams that call you
A: I'll tell them what he could become. I think he's a fantastic football player. I love the way he plays the game. It just is a very difficult position. I just hope that he can buck the percentages of three-year guys that get drafted in the first round. He's going to have to overcome that. he's well-aware of that, but that's a stat that's held up over a long time. So he's going to have to overcome it. He's got all of the makeup and the background and work habits to do that.
ABC want a USC game on its Championship Saturday in December and the USC-UCLA game is not being moved from November, so that's why the Trojans moved their game with Arizona to Dec. 5.
UPDATED: One reason the USC-UCLA game was not moved to December is because Fox Sports controls the decision.
``Mike Williams just had to go as soon as he could possibly go. He couldn't wait to get there.''
-- USC coach Pete Carroll on Mike Williams
This was the official explanation at USC on why Carl Smith missed yesterday's team meeting.
``The third new coach, quarterbacks coach Carl Smith, had travel issues and couldn't make the meeting.''
Is that what they call trying to get an NFL job before you even start at USC these days?
Here's Pete Carroll talking about the hiring of new special teams coach Brian Schneider.
Here's another comment from Pete Carroll following yesterday's team meeting.
Q: Would you have thought Mark Sanchez would go pro at the end of the season?
A: That's part of the reason I found myself really compelled to really drive home the points because i didn't think this is how Mark would go and I think most of his teammates would've thought the same way.
It wouldn't be first and foremost on his mind to get to the league as soon as possible. I wanted to make sure that we uncovered whatever issues had been leading him in that direction. I was representing his family on this as well. They really wanted us to pound it out and get to the point of everything.
USC forward RouSean Cromwell is back in school after taking a semester off for personal reasons. Crowmwell said he will rejoin the team next season and have one year of eligibility remaining.
Pete Carroll told me that if Carl Smith is hired by the Cleveland Browns, he does not know if John Morton or the new quarterbacks coach would call the plays.
Here's the entire chain of events of a wild Thursday at USC with Mark Sanchez and Pete Carroll.
My Daily News colleague, Ramona Shelburne, wrote a good column on the Carroll-Sanchez saga.
As if this strange day did not have enough drama, USC quarterbacks coach Carl Smith interviewed with the Cleveland Browns today. That means Smith might never work a day at USC after being hired earlier this month.
Pete Carroll was asked if Sanchez could wind up at the top of the draft?
``Yeah. Somebody falls in love with him. It only takes one team. that's what mark is really banking on that they'll see how smart he is, how well prepared he is, regardless of how long he played. The biggest thing he has to overcome is the lack of starts, the lack of games.''
Pete Carroll explained his feelings further tonight.
``He just wants to. He just wants to go do it. It didn't matter what the facts were, he just wanted to go do it. It was in his heart to go take this challenge on and that just overrode everything that was out there.''
We hear little-used point guard Donte Smith could start tonight instead of guard Dwight Lewis against Arizona State. Lewis practiced with the scout team Wednesday, so if the move is made, that was the first sign.
At the outset of today's team meeting, a player yelled, ``RIP Mark Sanchez,'' and there was laughter afterward.
Pete Carroll just talked about why he was unhappy at Mark Sanchez's press conference.
``I was agitated because we didn't have a freakin' podium,'' Carroll said. ``The freakin' podium wasn't set up right.''
``I'm not going to say I'm as enthusiastic as Mark is at times, but I can be.''
-- USC quarterback Aaron Corp
It's too bad tonight's basketball game is not on TV. You could see how many times Arizona State's James harden draws fouls after he initiates the contact. He might be the best in the country at it.
Pete Carroll's put out some quotes on his own website stating how he disagrees with Mark Sanchez's decision. It illustrates how bitter this thing unfolded and continues.
Freshman Aaron Corp on Mark Sanchez's departure.
``I'm very excited. I'm thrilled for this opportunity,'' Corp said. ``I said before I wouldn't change my preparation but there's a level of excitement knowing it's a wide open race.''
Considering Pete Carroll's demeanor and actions at Mark Sanchez's press conference, I'm wondering what he will tell NFL teams when they call about Sanchez. Because he plays quarterback it might not matter, but one has to think Carroll will give an unvarnished opinion now that Sanchez left without his seal of approval.
There's quite a bit of anger being expressed within the athletic dept. at the highest levels right now regarding Mark Sanchez's departure.
I'm getting the feeling Mark Sanchez will not be honored at any functions in the near future.
Taylor Mays on Mark Sanchez leaving.
``I don't think (it was the right decision) but I don't know the situation.''
USC coach Pete Carroll was extremely ungracious during the Mark Sanchez press conference. He stormed out of the room and did not even sit at the table before Sanchez addressed the media. Something he never did when Matt Leinart, etc., announced their decisions.
Carroll never sat down at the table but stood with his palms on the table. His anger was clear if you spend time around him.
Not a great moment.
UPDATED: Carroll did sit at the table at the outset but said tonight he wanted to stand at a podium but none was provided by USC officials, so that's why he stood and appeared frustrated.
IN casual conversations with a couple football players, the feeling seemed to be, today's events don't really matter they will just win with Aaron Corp.
Remember we interviewed an NFL scout after the UCLA game who said Mark Sanchez should turn pro.
``I think he should come out now. How much better will he get in a year?'' the scout said. ``He should turn pro and be a backup next year with an NFL team. It would be better preparation for him.''
A week later, we offered our own opinion: ``Specifically, does a season playing against some of the worst teams in the country in an offense that enthusiastically removed the deep-passing game from its arsenal qualify as an immediate ticket to the NFL? The answer is probably yes.''
I realize the NFL only cares about what the NFL cares about, but it seems like everyone forgets there were a few rough spots for Mark Sanchez this season, like the Arizona State game (179 yards, 3 INTs), the Stanford game (136 yards passing) and the Cal game, where's USC's game plan was to be as conservative as possible and let the defense win.
This will be the first time a USC quarterback is not primarily coached by either Norm Chow or Steve Sarkisian in Pete Carroll's tenure.
Here's some reasons USC quarterback Mark Sanchez is going to the NFL.
1. He should be no worse than the second QB taken in the NFL draft.
2. He could get injured next season.
3. He will graduate this semester.
4. Next year's draft will include Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford.
It took a couple days but here's the last batch of football questions.
Someone wants a poll.
It's tough work answering questions about cheerleaders.
Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford is supposed to announce this afternoon that he is staying at Oklahoma. That will bolster the argument for those who believe Mark Sanchez should leave for the NFL draft.
More questions and more answers.
A question about NCAA entrance requirements and the H-back position.
Maybe if USC can get a win this weekend, it can move ahead of Long Beach State in the RPI rankings.
UPDATED: USC is currently No. 136 in strength of schedule, one behind Long Beach State as well.
Why did we run this picture? Why not?
Back to the, um, serious questions.
New assistant coaches, new song girls . . . so many changes this week.
USC (6-1), LSU (4-0) and Ohio State (4-3) have the most BCS wins since 1998. USC, Ohio State and Oklahoma (2-5) lead all schools with seven overall appearances in BCS bowls.
We're getting through the questions but keep getting delayed by firings, hirings and possible early player departures.
Mark Sanchez leans toward going pro, Dave Watson comments on his departure and Taylor Mays talks about a new role for next season all in the Morning Buzz.
Tuesday night saw the return of the ruthless side of Caesar, which of course I admire. He analyzed his staff and saw that he needed a special teams coach more than two defensive line coaches.
I haven't seen that decisiveness since he promoted Rocky Seto to a full-time coach and fired offensive line coach Keith Uperesa to create an opening because he valued Seto's contributions as a defensive graduate assistant.
Now maybe he was just doing a favor for someone who knew Lane Kiffin, but USC needed a special teams coach. The punting game suffered this season. There wasn't much going on with the return games. And next year, USC needs to break in a new punter and kicker.
So next year will be crucial for special teams.
Pete Carroll fired defensive line coach Dave Watson and hired former Raiders special teams coach Brian Schneider, a crony of Lane Kiffin. Apparently, Caesar and I are on the same page even though people told me in Monday's chat that special teams did not need a coach.
What's interesting is USC sent out a statement around 10 p.m. tonight, obviously trying to bury the firing. Or did Caesar send it out after I told him I was writing about it for tomorrow.
Taylor Mays said he never received his NFL evaluation. But he did say last week's BCS title game influenced his decision.
``I was going back and forth and then I watched the Florida-Oklahoma game and I got upset a little,'' Mays said. ``It frustrated me.''
A little later tonight I'll have something on a new role for him.
Former USC linebacker Eric Scoggins, a member of the 1978 national championship team, passed away last Friday. He was 49.
Forward Jordan Cameron was cleared by the compliance office and will be eligible for the Arizona State game.
Forward Leonard Washington said he will practice tomorrow and play against Arizona State and his sprained ankle is about 85 percent healed. However, Coach Tim Floyd said he does not expect Washington to play because he cannot run yet.
We hear Josh Pinkard got his sixth year of eligibility but there's been no official word.
Taylor Mays said he is not sure what Mark Sanchez will decide but added, ``If Mark leaves I'll play quarterback and we can run the spread.''
There's a lot of buzz going around at USC that quarterback Mark Sanchez will announce he is going pro.
The silent P is in honor of a question concerning Amanda Pflugrad, of course.
Here's the press release on Taylor Mays returning to USC.
A reader emailed this picture he took at Sunday night's basketball game with six of the new song girls. The new squad makes its debut on Thursday at the Galen Center when USC plays Arizona State.
I spoke to USC song girl Keli Snyder at the basketball game Sunday night and told her the readers were disappointed she was not selected for the new squad. Keli told me recently got some good news when she received an internship at a local TV station.
It's time to tackle those Open Forum questions again.
There's been a fair amount of discussion here about a lack of a nationwide search for some coaching positions. But look at what Washington's doing on the defensive side of the ball.
So far, three positions are current or former Idaho assistant coaches. Did we mention Nick Holt was a longtime Idaho assistant and briefly the Vandals' head coach?
Coaches are unable to speak to recruits between now and Thursday. That's so a lot of assistant coaches can go to the coaches' convention and try to get jobs.
Be sure to check out the brief three-and-a-half hour chat (by our standards) to see if one of your questions got answered.
Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting.
Remember you can follow us on twitter at twitter.com/InsideUSC.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow underwent successful surgery on his right shoulder Monday morning to remove a bone spur and chronic inflammation related to an injury he sustained during the 2007 season. A star QB undergoing surgery after a national title. He's just like Matt Leinart. Except for the part about never signing autographs and chasing celebrities.
Tentative plans are to have a chat around 4 p.m. today because I realize some people cannot stay up all night.
Time to talk about the Pac-10's future (or lack of).
It seems a bit odd that Tim Floyd would hold a 90-minute practice (not a walk-through) the morning of a game against UCLA where four players went at least 36 minutes.
Here's a question on recruiting, which seems to be the readers' biggest concern.
Mike Gerrity, a former Mater Dei High guard who played at Pepperdine and North Carolina-Charlotte, said he will enroll at USC this week and join the basketball team. He is expected to be eligible next fall.
There was a difference of opinion on whether UCLA forward Drew Gordon's elbow that hit USC guard Daniel Hackett was intentional.
USC is 1-3 in Sunday games this season (beat Oral Roberts, lost to Missouri, Oregon State, UCLA). Not to mention last year's loss to UCLA at the Galen Center was also on a Sunday.
The Trojans have one more Sunday game: At Arizona State.
This was an entertaining game tonight, but USC's depth was an issue and again I thinks this points to some recruiting decisions. Specifically, USC is really getting contributions from only two new players this season (DeMar DeRozan, Leonard Washington) out of five scholarships awarded. That doesn't cut it, especially when you need a point guard and another forward.
I heard from quite a few students who said they did not get into the game tonight and the line was huge before tipoff. If you have a story, it might be good to relay it hear to see if the problem can be avoided in the future.
``We needed to knock down a perimeter shot or two and couldn't. We had three turnovers at the 8 or 10 minutes mark that hurt us.''
-- USC coach Tim Floyd
Tim Floyd said after the game he would not remove Taj Gibson from the game if he could do it over again.
The Trojans rallied and cut the lead to two at the half. Most of it occurred without Taj Gibson, who has three fouls. USC shot 40.7 percent in the first half while UCLA shot 44 percent. The Trojans have just three turnovers and DeMar DeRozan has 11 points.
One thing is clear: Neither of these teams looks as good as a year ago.
There was one interesting moment in the game where UCLA's Drew Gordon caught USC's Daniel Hackett in the chin with his elbow. The refs did not consider it worthy of anything more than talking briefly to the players.
For some reason Tim Floyd left Taj Gibson in the game after he picked up his second foul with 16:27 left in the first half. Gibson picked up his third foul with 14:12 left and has not returned since.
If you went to the game tonight I'd like to hear from you because I found the student line 15 minutes to tipoff to be a total mess.
Going to the basketball game tonight should be nice considering the fact UCLA's cheerleaders are banned from Galen Center in that ridiculous agreement that was made between the schools last year.
In the past 10 years, an average of 2.8 quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
The women's basketball team led 58-55 before UCLA went on a 17-2 run that put the game away.
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow told the Gators fans, ``Oh, by the way let's do it again. I'm coming back."
This will not affect Mark Sanchez's decision, because the Mel Kipers of the world believe Tebow is a mid-round H-back.
But it does have a consequence. It means the Gators will probably start next season as the preseason No. 1 team.
I don't really know who will be Boston College's coach next season, but I know things are not it total disarray becasue the Eagles are interested in former USC wide receiver Vidal Hazelton.
Former tailback Michael Coleman is still waiting to hear from the university about whether he will be re-admitted for the spring semeser.
New USC defensive line coach Jethro Franklin is a friend of former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Derrick Kennard, who is the father of highly regarded prep prospect Devon Kennard.
That should ease any questions Kennard had following the departure of Nick Holt about who might be his position coach if he commits to USC.
It's time to pick the score of tomorrow's big game. I'll start things off; Manchester United 2, Chelsea 1. Oh wait, you can pick the score of the USC-UCLA game too if you want to.
One thing someone like tailback C.J. Gable needs to worry about is the idea of being a low-round draft pick. More than the money involved is the idea that you are treated differently when you join a team as a fifth or sixth-round pick instead of a third-round pick. You can get cut quickly and then it's over.
Now I'm sure someone like Gable already thinks they are a third-round pick. But the delicate balance is weighing where you get picked vs. what you might become next year?
He might feel he won't play enough next year to improve his draft stock. And there are no assurances with playing time, especially with Marc Tyler now experienced enough to compete.
Just one reason these decisions do not come quickly.
There's been a lot of focus on quarterback Mark Sanchez's big Rose Bowl performance, but does anyone remember how awful USC's running game was against Penn State. If the Trojans are going to be BCS contenders next year, someone needs to show clear improvement next season because it didn't happen this season.
With no recruits visiting this weekend, there is not much going on at Heritage Hall right now, except for some final cleaning out of offices by the new Washington employees.
When Carl Smith was assistant head coach of the offense and Ken Norton assistant head coach of the defense, the titles sounded vaguely familiar (and ridiculous). Then I remembered the last time I heard them was when Norm Chow was going to be demoted in 2005 to make Lane Kiffin offensive coordinator, that was going to be his make title.
I have my doubts about the proposed NFL stadium in Industry when it cannot even spell the name of the stadium that hosted two Olympics correctly. Especially when the owner, Ed Roski, is the chairman of the USC Board of Trustees.
Here is a statistical comparison between Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow.
Passing gp effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/g
Tebow, T. 14 172.37 192-298-4 64.4 2746 30 70 196.1
Sanchez 13 164.64 241-366-10 65.8 3207 34 63 246.7
Tebow also rushed for 673 yards. But ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said today Sanchez could be the second quarterback selected in the draft while Tebow would be an H-back in the NFL.
I just did a radio interview where I explained how no matter who is an assistant coach at USC, the Trojans won 11 or more games a year for the past seven years. An unprecedented feat.
At the same time, is it enough? Last year after the Oregon loss, I wrote about the end of an era. I proclaimed the Caesar era 2003-05 A.D. USC won or played for the national championship each of those seasons.
From 2006-08, the Trojans won the Rose Bowl, but did not play for the national title.
So is it enough? Or is something missing? You decide.
USC basketball coach Tim Floyd is holding two practices today. Maybe this is what they mean by rivalry week. Or what happens when you lose to Oregon State.
Forward Leonard Washington (sprained ankle) did not practice today and remains doubtful for Sunday's UCLA game.
"If I'm Utah, or if I'm USC or if I'm Texas, I might still have some quibbles."
-- President-elect Barack Obama.
``I'm working for the best head coach in America now.''
-- Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt
I've generally been ambivalent with most of the hires made by Steve Sarksian at Washington so far. However, that could change with reports he is considering Oregon wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad.
Florida won the Grantland Rice Trophy, which is awarded to the No. 1 team picked by the Football Writers Assn. of America and the MacArthur Bowl, which is awarded by the College Football Hall of Fame and National Football Foundation.
USC also finished No. 2 and No. 3 in last year's final top 25 polls. The Trojans were No. 2 in the coaches' poll and No. 3 in the AP poll. Just like today.
Randall Carroll spent Thursday afternoon at USC and met with Coach Pete Carroll. He remains a soft commimtent officially and is scheduled to visit UCLA this weekend. He is also supposed to visit Florida later this month.
USC edged out Texas by three points for the No. 3 spot in the AP poll. Final AP poll. Here's the final poll results.
I'll be on ESPN at 8 a.m. to discuss the AP poll. Or is it ESPN 2? Or ESPN News? One of them.
USC was picked No. 2 in the preseason coaches' poll and No. 3 in the preseason AP poll. So the Trojans were status quo.
With the BCS title game tonight, no one will notice Oregon State, the team that beat USC, lost to Arizona State 69-38.
Florida blocked its ninth field goal of the season tonight. That's why we harp on special teams, especially when you have two defensive line coaches.
Florida sent out halftime BCS notes. This is the lowest halftime score since the 2001 Oklahoma-Florida State game (6-0).
There's a new director of football operations. Matt Capurro, who spent the past six years (2003-08) as the assistant to the head coach of the Oakland Raiders, where he worked for Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Art Shell, Lane Kiffin and Tom Cable. That's five coaches in six years, so I guess he is used to disaster management.
It's time to revive our popular rankings we used last spring for the quarterback rankings, but for the coaching departures' affect on the program. On a scale of one to four Euros.
Steve Sarksian €* (1.5 Euros)
Nick Holt
Washington defensive coordinator Nick Holt's got a three-year rollover contract. If Washington wins four games next year, he starts a new three-year deal. If the Huskies win six games in Year 2, he gets another three-year rollover. His initial contract pays $600,000 per season with a $200,000 housing allowance.
USC safety Taylor Mays has not received his early evaluation back yet from the NFL but it is not considered crucial because he is a consensus first-round pick.
It's worth noting that while several USC underclassmen sought early NFL evaluations, a year ago when defensive end Clay Matthews applied for one, it came back, ``incomplete'' because of the league cited a lack of game film.
A year later, Clay Matthews is being projected as a second-round pick.
After an exhaustive two-month investigation, we have received the official confirmation we sought on the Tricia Pillsbury major mystery. The answer is after the jump.
With the changes that took place, it's worth noting that the chemistry of the defensive staff will probably be one of its strengths. Rocky Seto and Ken Norton are extremely close so there won't be any communication problems between them. So in that respect, it's a plus.
Several Pac-10 schools are represented on the FWAA all-freshman team.
``I think USC, which had a great Rose Bowl, beat Penn State pretty badly, they've got a pretty good claim to be No. 1.''
-- President-elect Barack Obama on CNBC today.
Who else besides UCLA did Pete Carroll forbid Vidal Hazelton from speaking to as he seeks a new school?
Pete Carroll said he spoke to former USC defensive line coach Ed Orgeron but did not offer him the defensive coordinator's job.
``I did talk to Ed in case it didn't work out with the other guys,'' Carroll said. ``I talked to a lot of guys. This is a pretty popular job.''
Rocky Seto is the DC. Jethro Franklin is the new defensive line coach and Ken Norton is assistant head coach for the defense.
Pete Carroll will announce his defensive coordinator in the next hour.
If Steve Sarkisian is paying $700,000 a year to Nick Holt, why not just ask his athletic director for $7 million and hire Pete Carroll as defensive coordinator.
I just toured the new Lucas Cinematic Arts buildings and I recommend anyone who is on campus to stop by and check it out. The amount of money that was put into the construction clearly places it above the typical buildings on campus.
One building is named after George Lucas and the other after Steven Spielberg. It's a truly grand structure.
Recruit Randall Carroll, who claims he still is committed to USC, will make an unofficial visit to campus tomorrow.
It's no surprise Georgia QB Matthew Stafford announced he would leave school for the NFL. But if he said he was going to come back, it would have put a lot of pressure on Mark Sanchez to leave early.
Now Sanchez will need to see what Oklahoma's Sam Bradford does. If Bradford leaves, then Sanchez will probably need to stay in school. If Bradford stays, it's dilemma time.
Who should be USC's next defensive coordinator? Ken Norton? Rocky Seto? Ed Donatell? Discuss.
Here's the name of someone who's already discussed coaching the defensive line along with a wild-card candidate for defensive coordinator.
Offensive coordinator John Morton said he expects Mark Sanchez to return for his senior season.
Pete Carroll on the departures of Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt.
``Often when you make changes, we get stronger,'' Carroll said. ``I know no one can see it that way. I'm counting on us being better.''
Forward Leonard Washington (sprained ankle) remains questionable for Sunday's basketball game with UCLA. He is ``progressing'' according to trainers but has not yet practiced.
Mark Sanchez just met with Pete Carroll. He said he still has not made a decision but he did get his NFL evaluation back. Sanchez said he spoke to Carson Palmer and hopes to speak to Matt Leinart tonight for their input.
``I'm still on the fence about everything but it's always been my dream to be an NFL quarterback and I love everything here and don't want to say goodbye,'' Sanchez said. ``It'll come down to numbers and who is coming out.''
Sanchez said he endorsed the hiring of Carl Smith.
``I'm not coming back to a 6-6 program. This is an unbelievable place,'' he said. ``Ninety percent of quarterbacks would want to be the quarterback here.''
Pete Carroll said John Morton will be ``the face of the offense,'' handling coaches' meetings, leading conversations with the team, dealing with the media, etc. The main reason is because Carl Smith, 60, no longer needs or seeks those duties. Another could be a lack of charisma.
Morton apparently will do everything except call plays. Carroll likened it to when Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian worked together on everything in 2005-06. However one slight difference: Kiffin did call plays.
Pete Carroll announced Carl Smith will call plays and be the QBs coach. He refused to discuss the defensive coordinator's position because he said he had not made a decision. Rocky Seto and Ken Norton appear to be the candidates. Carroll said he would NOT become the defensive coordinator officially, like in his first six seasons.
Carroll also said he hired Mark Jackson as senior associate athletic director for football, a new position because Carroll said the program's grown and needs someone to handle the added duties.
Mark Sanchez is meeting with Carroll right now. Josh Pinkard and C.J. Gable met this morning with Carroll. No one has made any decisions yet. Pinkard is still not sure if he will get a sixth year of eligibility.
We're supposed to talk with Pete Carroll later this afternoon. We'll report back afterward.
This segment features a question about our favorite cheerleader and the coaching staff.
Is USC better off that it did not land offensive lineman Andre Smith after his recent troubles?
It's part 3 of our Rose Bowl photoshoot with friendly ESPN reporter Erin Andrews.
I haven't received an email from a Utah fan in at least 15 minutes, so I'm taking a break.
Looks like the readers have another issue to discuss here.
Did you know when Ole Miss scored 47 points in the Cotton Bowl, it was the second-most points the game's history to USC's 55 points in 1995. Both times the opponent was Texas Tech.
In a poll conducted by the mobile service ,Predicto™, 64 percent of voters think Florida will defeat Oklahoma in the Bowl Championship Series title game.
Does a vote for anyone but Utah as the No. 1 team increase the chances of the college football playoff because of the backlash if the Utes do not get rewarded for going undefeated?
Nick Holt's departure really does not make that big a difference for the defense. Pete Carroll calls the defensive plays and is the unofficial defensive coordinator, so it's really status quo. That's the main reason Holt left. What will be interesting is if Carroll hires the deserving candidate (Rocky Seto) or decides to try and make a splash with recruits (Ken Norton).
As I suspected, Nick Holt was supposed to accompany Pete Carroll on the recruiting road today. Oh well.
Washington scared the local media by postponing the Nick Holt press conference. So the university just announced he is the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the Huskies. Glad we got that out of the way.
Apparently, Holt might not have made it to Seattle this morning.
If you wonder why I take pictures of cheerleaders, it's to provide some sanity when trying to figure out what Nick Holt is doing.
Washington just announced it was postponing its 3 p.m. press conference to announce a defensive coordinator ``due to unforeseen circumstances.''
UPDATED: The press conference is now scheduled for 12:30 p.m. tomorrow.
In this segment, we answer a question on a familiar feud.
This segment is brought you by Corvallis, Ore., the only Pac-10 city that wishes USC would play every game there.
Scan through these answers and you might be surprised by a player reaction to the Penn State cheerleaders.
We'll do a live chat as soon as we recover from the 8-hour session we did last week.
Since Nick Holt is out, isn't this the perfect chance to hire a full-time special teams coach?
We're in answer mode. Follow us at twitter.com/InsideUSC.
Washington announced a press conference for 3 p.m. to announce its new defensive coordinator.
Here's the crown jewel of the spirit squads, the USC cheerleaders. They were a hidden gem all season but no more. And they made me an honorary advisor immediately after the Rose Bowl. Support the cheerleaders!
After a one-week hiatus for the Rose Bowl, we are back and answering all questions.
Here's more detail on Nick Holt's interview with Washington including the important answer as to why he would entertain the offer in the first place.
The recruiting dead period is over and coaches are supposed to hit the road tomorrow. So let's recap: Steve Sarkisian is the head coach at Washington. Nick Holt is going to be in Seattle. That means USC is down two assistant coaches for recruiting.
Nick Holt is flying to Seattle tomorrow to decide if he wants to accept the defensive coordinator's job at Washington. And it means he lied Saturday when he said he was not interested in the position.
``We're talking,'' Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. ``It's not done. Hopefully we'll know one way or the other pretty soon.''
Uh, not quite. USC's loss to Oregon State today is different because it is debatable who really cares? As I explained two weeks ago, this is not Chapel Hill, N.C., or Lawrence, Kan., or Westwood. If it were, there would be accountability.
So the indignation will be reserved to a few die-hards and that's about it. Frankly, more people are interested in whether Randall Carroll comes to USC.
The men's basketball team lost to lowly Oregon State in Corvallis today. Just like football. And women's volleyball.
This is not going to help the old RIP, er RPI ranking. But it's a huge victory for Beavers coach Craig Robinson, who is one of the good guys in the Pac-10.
One of the schools listed on USC wide receiver Vidal Hazelton's transfer release form is UCLA.
At the rate the Oregon basketball is going, it's probably a good candidate for the play-in game of the Pacific-10 Tournament. Why does it matter? Because the Ducks' cheerleaders might only be at Staples Center for one night.
It's part 2 of our Rose Bowl photoshoot with ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. Photo by Michael Owen Baker.
Linebacker Rey Maualuga had his own encounter with Erin Andrews at the Rose Bowl.
I'm guessing this clip is not what Pete Carroll referred to when he talked about Maualuga maturing over the years.
What started out as a trickle is now a landslide of emails to AP voters to choose Utah as the No. 1 team. I'm getting emails from McLean, Va. to San Clemente. Here's another example.
There was a mention in a Seattle paper today that Nick Holt might remain a candidate at Washington for the defensive coordinator's job. But I spoke to Holt and he said nothing's happened since he initially declined the position nearly a month ago.
This is why recruiting is out of control. Adam Hall, a wide receiver/safety from Tucson, said on TV today that USC was not one of his final three schools (Arizona, Cal, Oregon). So where will Hall visit next week? USC, of course.
Here's a Utah fan's case to vote the Utes No. 1.
• Utah is the only unbeaten team in America.
• Utah has four wins over current top 25 teams (Alabama, TCU, BYU, Oregon State)
• Utah has two wins over top 10 teams (Alabama, TCU)
• Utah won a conference that is arguably the 3rd or 4th strongest in college football this year, and went 6-1 against the Pac- 10 in the regular season.
• Oklahoma's best win came against TCU, Florida's best win came against Alabama, and the only team to beat USC was Oregon St. Utah beat all three of these teams this season.
• Utah soundly beat an Alabama team that was one quarter away from a national championship game birth.
According to this report, Oregon coach-to-be Chip Kelly will not retain wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad, the father of our popular Oregon cheerleader Amanda Pflugrad.
We recommend Pete Carroll immediately shuffle the staff and hire Pflugrad as his wide receivers coach. Right now!
Here's the final report card of the season.
Pete Carroll said Joe McKnight dislocated four toes during the game. ``They thought he dislocated one toe and reset it but then he still wasn't OK,'' Carroll said. ``Nobody had seen anything like that.''
USC coach Pete Carroll said tonight he was not interested in the Denver Broncos job.
Pete Carroll was asked about Mark Sanchez's future.
``We just have to see how compelling an argument you can make for him going. It's not clear. This is going to be a challenge for us to put the information together, and I'm way beyond trying to hold on to guys. That's not how we do this.''
We're doing a live chat somewhere around 10:30 p.m. tonight because there is just too much to discuss from this Rose Bowl.
Former USC swimmer Roy Saari, a gold medalist at the 1964 Olympics, died this week. He was 63. The official release is after the jump.
The team that handed Florida its only loss of the season just walloped No. 7-ranked Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl. Think Ole Miss fans miss Ed Orgeron?
Other than kicking a field goal instead of going for a TD down 17 points, failing to attempt an on-sides kick and not going for two points down 31-13, Joe Paterno coached a pretty good game in the Rose Bowl.
Pete Carroll said last night the Pac-10's 5-0 bowl record ``obviously proves the regard for our schedule wasn't accurate.''
But the truth is the Pac-10 has the worst bowl arrangements in the country, so it plays a lesser opponent. For example, Oregon, the Pac-10's No. 2, defeated Oklahoma State, the Big 12's No. 4. And Cal, the Pac-10's No. 4, played a home against Miami, the ACC's No. 6/7.
So it's not quite so simple as lauding the conference's bowl record.
ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was gracious enough to take a picture for our blog. Photo by Michael Owen Baker.
Looks like CBS sportsline columnist Dennis Dodd will not vote USC No. 1.
``It almost made the stomach turn to hear muted speculation about No. 5 USC possibly gaining a split title in the AP poll. The Trojans would have to leap past the winner of the BCS title game.
``Let's break this thing down, shall we? Florida lost by one at home to an Ole Miss team that is playing in the Cotton Bowl, then steamrolled the opposition. Oklahoma lost a top-five matchup with Texas, then steamrolled the opposition. USC lost to a bunch of Beavers who got 65 points hung on them at home with the Rose Bowl berth on the line. Oregon State then proceeded to scrape together a field goal and shut out Pittsburgh 3-0 in the Sun Bowl.''
I'm already getting emails urging me to vote USC No. 1 in the AP poll. A little history shows I'm one of the most open to such an idea. I voted USC No. 1 in the AP poll when the Trojans split the title in 2003 and I voted Georgia No. 1 last season in my final poll.
So, here's my question. Someone needs to make the case that beating Penn State gets you to No. 1. I was disappointed (again) at how bad a Big Ten team looked at New Year's Day. So what did I miss in regard to Penn State?
Mark Sanchez's brother asked me outside the locker room if I would give the quarterback position a grade of B on my report card. Hmmm. That depends if I include a one-grade deduction for playing a team that ran a conservative Cover 3 defense against a Pac-10 offense.
Linebacker Kaluka Maiava, who broke up two passes and made four tackles, was the defensive MVP. That means all three linebackers that started for USC (Maiava, Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing) won a Rose Bowl defensive MVP award in their career.
Joe Paterno talked about the disadvantage of playing in the Rose Bowl for a Big Ten team after the game.
``There's a lot of things in coming out here. The traveling, practice, 45 minutes on the bus to get there, 45 minutes to come back. There's a lot of little things that go on in there that I think in all fairness, when you play Southern Cal, they're home and and they practice where they normally practice, it's a lot easier for them to get ready.
``I think the Big would do itself a favor if we could play a week or two after the season we have right now.''
``I don't know anybody that can beat us. This is a great football team we played. I don't think anybody can beat us. We play too good on defense.''
-- USC coach Pete Carroll
C.J. Gable was not in a good mood after the victory following his removal for a fumble.
``It's kind of hard to enjoy it,'' Gable said. ``I guess they didn't want me to go back in to the game. What can I say?''
Gable previously said he would ask the coaches for their advice on whether to turn pro.
``Probably not anymore,'' he said. `I don't know what I'm going to do.''
Time to talk about the game. Mark Sanchez is just the third QB to pass for more than 400 yards in the Rose Bowl. The last one was Danny O'Neil (Oregon) against Penn State? What a shocking coincidence.
Did USC's playbook become less cluttered once it took some of the plays designed for Joe McKnight out?
Mark Sanchez's played a near-perfect game today. Too bad USC doesn't play a Big Ten defense every week.
Penn State delivered a rousing performance of Queen songs at halftime that was much better than the Nittany Lions' performance in the first half.
Well, that was a nice Rose Bowl. All 28 minutes of it. And this is precisely why all the propaganda about how happy USC was to play in the Rose Bowl is irrelevant.
This is not the opponent that gets you to No. 1. Or No. 2. And that really should be all USC worries about because it's now been three years since the Trojans played for the national championship.
I'm calling this game over unless Penn State starts showing a little more zip offensively and its defense can stop the passing game.
But this is what we have to say every Rose Bowl about the weak spots for the Big Ten.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian tries to impress Washington fans and junks the game plan? Someone who does not play regularly replaces fullback Stanley Havili? The law of averages decides eight straight losses by the Big Ten is enough in the Rose Bowl? Quarterback Daryll Clark becomes Vince Young overnight?
Will today be another easy victory or will Penn State prove to be more difficult than past Big Ten opponents?
Meanwhile, Pete Carroll's already looking toward next season.
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