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Transfer: Uona Kaveinga Leaving USC for BYU

The transfer rumors began a few weeks ago when Uona was seen hanging with the BYU coaches/team at the Las Vegas Bowl.  Now it's been made official with SC granting his release from the program. 

Uona originally committed to BYU in 2008 before making a late-switch to SC right before signing day.  Uona is a mormon, so I'd imagine it played a major part in his decision to go to BYU.

Uona showed flashes of potential at times but always remained behind Chris Galippo on the depth chart. With his departure, the MLB position becomes dangerously thin.  Expect SC to pick up at least 2 linebacker recruits this class.

Recruiting: George Uko Commits to USC

  

First off, Happy Holidays to everyone.  Haven't been around a computer for the past week, so I'll have to use the late pass on this one.

George was a big lean to SC after the off-season camps but began to waver around the Fall when opposing coaches started using the "you'll never get any playing-time" card; SC was always kept high on the list, but at one point, it felt like Oregon, Cal, or UCLA could sway George their way.  In the end, the battle between getting a free-pass to a starting position versus playing at the school he loved (and family also loved), tilted towards the latter.

Biases aside, I think this is a good move for George.  He's a tall DT (6'4 300lb) which differentiates him from the current set of tackles at SC.  People say he's raw, which is true, but his size/agility will give him a chance to contribute early.

Expect UCLA to continue to recruit George, especially if Brian Price leaves for the NFL.  I wouldn't be too worried since George seems adamant about his commitment, plus Jethro Franklin is a tough coach to recruit against.

Quick Recruiting Update: Tony Jefferson Expected to Commit to Oklahoma Tonight

That's the word on the street.  Will have a update later after he announces his decision.

Injuries: Josh Pinkard Has Torn ACL Again (x2); Will Miss Emerald Bowl

Terrible news for Pink who flirted with the NFL draft last season but decided to come back to shift from the corner spot to his natural position of Free Safety in hopes of improving his draft stock.  The shift never happened due to Shareece Wright being ruled academically ineligible at the start of the season, which kept Josh at corner.

Josh has already had 2 torn ACL injuries at SC, the 1st against Arkansas in '06 in the season opener and the 2nd during '07 Fall camp after a year of rehabbing. This latest one will likely be a major setback for Pink's pro career since it will raise automatic red flags with teams.

To add insult-to-injury, the injury occurred on the last passing play of the last regular season game and Pink, who was playing press man coverage, got beat for the game-winning TD.  The man has no luck.

Wish him the best.  Hope he keeps strong and works his way to the league.

UPDATE - Recruiting: Trajuan Briggs Switches Commitment From USC to Cal

From ESPN.com:

After Chris Martin (Aurora, Colo./Grandview) committed to Cal, one of the first things he said was he planned to do some serious recruiting for the Bears and added there were a lot of players on the weekend visit who are on the verge of joining him.

Two players mentioned specifically were USC commit Trajuan Briggs (Van Nuys, Calif./Birmingham) and J.R. Ferguson (Chatham, Va./Hargrave Military Academy). Briggs chose the Trojans over the Bears in a tight battle back in the summer, but Cal never let up and the back reportedly loved his visit last weekend.

Lot of talk going around about Trajuan backing off his commitment from USC after his official visit to Cal this past weekend.  Based on what I've heard, it sounds like it's only a matter of time before he opens up his recruitment.  This news is a bit surprising considering Trajuan had a great OV to USC a few weeks back.

Disappointing news, but RB is a position where we can afford to lose players. With D.J. Morgan already committed and the rumors regarding Lache Seastrunk to SC, we'll be perfectly fine.  To be quite honest, I'd prefer if we ended 2010 with only 1 RB commit (yes, meaning pass on Lache) to save room for some of next year's SERIOUS prospects (follow-up post coming soon).  Some of these 2011 RB are no joke.

Update: Trajuan, as expected above, decommitted from USC today and gave a verbal commitment to Cal.

USC Video: Pete Carroll Introduces New "Trojan Drill"

Ish gets me hyped!  Bring the swagger back.

So Long to the "Dadgum" LEGEND

Been too busy to throw up a post but I felt the need to write about one of the true legends of the game cause some of my earliest memories watching college football were around the FSU dynasty during the 90's.  I actually came to like college football watching guys like Charlie Ward, Warrick Dunn, Peter Warrick, etc. and the speed-kills style of Florida State football; the 1st college football chant I knew was War Chant with the Tomahawk Chop.  I didn't even start following SC football till the Hackett years - which probably makes no sense.

Through those years, and even through the 00s, I've always had a respect for Coach Bowden for his humble approach, sense of humor, and genuine love for the game.  He let it loose on the field and killed coaches on the recruiting trail.  Sad to see the legend go.  Wish him the best of luck and I'm hoping he ends up being an analyst on ESPN.  Can you imagine Lou Holtz and Bobby Bowden on College Football Live?  It would be WILD.