Trojans are hot with recruiting, too

Without question, one of the big recruiting surprises this season is Southern Cal. The Trojans had a great season and finished with an impressive Orange Bowl win against a very good Iowa team. At the end of the college football season, USC was hot and playing as well as anyone in the country. In addition, Carson Palmer came out of nowhere and won the Heisman Trophy. Things are happening at USC once again. Head coach Pete Carroll has the Trojans back to where we were all accustomed to seeing them when John McKay or John Robinson were running the show.

USC is back and their big season has given the Trojans a big shot in the arm in regards to recruiting. In the latest TheInsiders.com Top 25 team rankings, Southern Cal checked in at No. 4 in the nation, trailing only Oklahoma, LSU and Texas. They are in very impressive recruiting company.

When you break down who has committed to USC, the list of prospects is extremely impressive. Offensively, they might sign the best group of running backs in the nation in Reggie Bush, Chauncey Washington and Lendale White. Bush, from La Mesa (Calif.) Helix High School, is an elusive back with super speed, vision and play making ability. Washington, from California, and White, from Colorado, are big backs who run with power. Any way you look at it, the Trojans would be bringing in three outstanding ball carriers. USC used to be known as Tailback U in their glory days of Charles White, O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett, Marcus Allen, etc. Maybe one of these guys will be the next great Trojan horse.

On the offensive line, the Trojans will sign the top two offensive line prospects from Pac-10 country. Mission Viejo’s Drew Radovich is the top rated tackle from the West while Sam Baker, from Tustin, Calif., is the top guard prospect. Both are headed to USC. Two other California offensive line standouts are headed to the Trojans as well, Travis Draper and Ryan Kalil.

As good as the running backs are, the defensive line class might even be better. First of all, what position will Chris Barrett play? He is a tight end and defensive end standout from Tustin, Calif. Barrett says Southern Cal wants him to play defense. He is one of the best two-way guys from the West Coast and is one of the best “big” athletes in the country. Opposite him is Lawrence Jackson, the No. 2 ranked defensive end in the nation from nearby Inglewood. Add Alex Morrow from Rohnrert, Calif., and you have the making of three excellent players coming off the edge for Carroll’s defense. At defensive tackle, the Trojans are bringing in three standouts in Sedrick Ellis, Matt Spanos and Fili Moala. All three prospects are from the Golden State and Ellis is one of the best in America, currently ranked No. 9 in the country.

And when you look at the linebacker position, USC is bring in the top two from the West in Thomas Williams and Drean Rucker.

When you break it all down, USC has 23 commitments with two weeks to go until Signing Day. This already is a super class but the Trojans would certainly love to add a wide receiver or two to the mix. They still are recruiting some of the best game breakers and play makers such as Whitney Lewis, Andre Caldwell and Steve Smith. They could get a few of these guys or maybe one or none. It’s going to be a dogfight for each and every one. Right now, Florida State is the team to beat for Lewis, the nation’s top receiver prospect from Ventura, Calif. But his family would prefer him to stay close to home and that’s why the Trojans have a shot.

Caldwell, from Tampa, is Reche Caldwell’s little brother. Reche is playing wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers. He also is good friends with USC freshman sensation Mike Williams, as they both played their high school football in Tampa. Speculation says that Florida or Miami is the likely college destination for Caldwell but USC has a chance.

The Trojans would love to sign Steve Smith from Woodland Hills, Calif. Smith is a dominant prospect on both sides of the ball and is currently favoring USC and Tennessee. He should have a decision soon and you have to like USC’s chances with him. Other big name prospects Southern Cal is waiting on are defensive end/ linebacker Lamarr Woodley, defensive tackle Ryan Watson, running back Maurice Drew and cornerback Chijoke Onyenegcha.

“This is the most dominating Pac-10 class anyone has had in the last 10 years,” said Greg Biggins of Student Sports and PacWestFootball.com.

The only thing missing is the big-time quarterback prospect. Kyle Wright, Chris Leak, Tommy Grady and others have decided to sign elsewhere. The Trojans are OK because they have several promising young signal callers already on campus.

Like it or not, the Trojans are back. They proved it this year and it has carried over into recruiting. This is a terrific class recruiting and one of the best in recent memory out west.

Five-star WR has great visit to Miami

At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson standout wide receiver Andre Caldwell made his official visit to the University of Miami this past weekend and came away very impressed.

"I loved it at Miami," Caldwell said. "It was a great visit. That's the first chance I got to see everything up close like that, you know, and it was great. Miami's tight."

The standout receiver said he got a chance to hang out with several players and recruits on his trip. "We were all just chillin’, you know," he said. "I met up with Tavares [Gooden] again and met some other guys from other areas. I saw Dee Webb and Ernie Sims too. It was fun chillin’ with those guys. The players at Miami are ready to start up another season. They're not too happy the way last year ended up."

Caldwell said he also had the chance to meet with coach Larry Coker again. "He's a nice man, I like him," he said. "He was just asking what I thought and stuff like that and I told him I'm definitely interested."

Caldwell now has visited each of his two favorites -- Florida and Miami. "Man, it's going to be tough," he said. "They're both good. Florida really needs receivers. Even though they lost Grossman they have some guys coming back. Miami's going to compete for the championship again and I really like it there. They're going to get you ready to play in the league too."

Caldwell said while playing time is important, it's not going to be a major factor in his decision. "Just like everyone else, I want to play," he said. "But I know they'll play the best.”

The standout receiver has two visits remaining before he'll be ready to make a final decision. "I got LSU and Florida State left," he said. "But I'm thinking Miami and Florida will be a big part of my decision."

-- Mike Bakas, TheInsiders.com

Hawkeyes land elite WR

The Iowa Hawkeyes picked up a sidekick to go along with tight end Marcel Frost and wide receiver Herb Grigsby in helping secure the future of the Hawkeye offense. WR James Townsend gave the Hawks their 18th verbal this weekend on his official visit.

"I was basing my decision on where I felt most comfortable academically, and where I would relate best with the coaches and players," James stated. "That place was Iowa for me. I had a great time, and they told me they expect me to contribute right off the bat."

James, who was hosted by redshirt wide receiver Calvin Davis, has not yet fully qualified. He said his visit to Michigan State this weekend is up in the air, but that his commitment to Iowa is solid.

-- Josh Clark, HeartlandRecruiting.com

Speedy linebacker commits

With three starting linebackers from their SEC Championship team headed to the NFL this season, Georgia has made a commitment to recruiting linebackers to fill the spots of Tony Gilbert, Boss Bailey and Chris Clemons. Jarvis Jackson and speedy Marcus Howard have made a commitment to Georgia.

"My trip to Athens went good," Howard said. "It went so good that I committed to them … I'm done taking visits. I'm committed to Georgia."

Howard brings safety speed to the linebacker position. He had 110 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 4 interceptions as a senior. He was also named defensive MVP for his team in the North/South All-Star game in December.

-- Scott Kennedy, BorderWars.com

DE enjoys Miami visit

At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Denton (Texas) Ryan standout defensive end Jarvis Moss took an official visit to Miami this weekend and came away very impressed. "The city of Miami was good," Moss said. "I really liked it there. The school was nice too. The coaches are doing a good job with the team and they seem to have a lot of great players that want to work hard."

The standout defensive end had already visited Texas. He compared the two visits. "They had a lot of things in common," he said. "Both places are big time football programs. Football's a big thing at both places and the players work real hard. Competition is going to be tough no matter where you go. The difference was the city life outside of school and obviously the location. Texas is closer to home and when I was in Miami, I got to hang out with my girl."

So how big a factor will distance be in the final decision? "It's not really a big deal to me," he said. "I've pretty much decided that I'm either going to stay home and play for Texas or go to the state of Florida and go to college there. If I do that, it's looking good for Miami."

Moss said he still has two more visits left before making a final decision. "I'm probably going to see Florida and Florida State over the next couple weeks to see how they compare," he said. "But Miami was fun. They're right there with Texas right now. A lot of the guys on the Miami visit are already committed and they were real excited and all that."

Moss said he's in no hurry to make a decision. "I'm not sure when it'll be," he said. "Maybe after these next two visits I'll know for sure."

-- Mike Bakas, TheInsiders.com

DL staying in-state

Kyle Caldwell, a 6-foot-4, 250 pound defensive lineman Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro has committed to Arizona State. Caldwell made his announcement in front of a small gathering of friends, family and local media at his grand fathers house.

"I knew Sunday when I got back home from UCLA that I wanted to be a Sun Devil," Caldwell said. "There was a lot of factors that went in to it but basically, I just felt like I wanted to be a part of what ASU is doing and help them get back to where they were when my dad played there.

Caldwells' father Bryan played for ASU in the early ‘80s, and his 1982 team had the No. 1 ranked defense in the country and knocked off Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

"They're going to let me wear my dad's old No. 50 jersey so that's cool," Caldwell said. "I'm just so close to the program here and feel comfortable with the players and coaches. It was a tough decision and UCLA had a lot to offer. Their coach, Gary Bernardi, coached my dad in high school and I was real close with him throughout the whole process.

"I'm just excited to have this decision out of the way now. It's been a fun process but I'm glad it's over and I hope to make an immediate impact at ASU when I get there next year."

-- Greg Biggins, PacWestFootball.com

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