Answer Monday! (Part 6)

Q: Caesar said:

Two top recruits out of Florida and one from Georgia, are there any Big 10 or 12 schools that get those kind of recruits from the south?

A: One of the reasons, I believe, for the Big Ten's decline is its inability to consistently land players from Florida and Texas. USC's done a great job over the years in New Jersey, Florida and Georgia, although New Jersey seems to be drying up a bit.
What interests me, as someone who covers USC, is why Texas remains such a tough area for the Trojans. You can point to Shawn Walters, Delon Washington, Mark Cusano or Emmanuel Moody, but USC's never gotten the guy from Texas. It's always someone that Texas or Oklahoma was willing to pass on.

Q: The Promenade said:
Bigger loss to USC in 2009 - Manti Te'o or Keli Snyder?

A: We really need to get a grip on reality here everyone. Obviously, Keli Snyder is the bigger loss.

Q: Trojan Conquest said:
Why does Burfict qualify for admitance at ASU but not USC? Don't all schools have the same NCAA standards they must meet and why wouldn't USC make an exception about their own higher standards to get the top MLB recruit?

A: There are some holes that are so deep that USC (not the athletic dept.) will not gain admittance. That does not mean the player will not eventually gain admittance but they are told they will need to fulfill certain requirements. On the other hand, Arizona State is more willing to accept up front and then see what happens. Every Pac-10 school is different. Stanford is the most difficult, of course. The one uniform standard is the NCAA Clearinghouse. No matter how easy it is to get into a school, everyone has to meet the same minimum standard.

Q: USC53 said:
Scott,

In your article today you state that Bates' personality is a bit akward, what do you mean by that?

"However, Bates is not being asked to create a system. He is being asked to adapt to USC's system. So far, the feeling around USC is that while his personality might be a bit awkward off the field, he does have great coaching skills and relates to players on the field."

A: What I meant is that several sources have told me he's been a bit socially awkward but at the same time is seen as doing an above average job relating coaching information to players. So there seems to be an on-field, off-field split.