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Video: USC Fall Camp Coliseum Scrimmage Highlights

Great TD run from De'Von Flournoy.  Also clips of Ronald Johnson's kick-return for TD and Joe McKnight's punt-return for TD.

Breaking Down USC Football's 2009 Recruiting Class: De'Von Flournoy, WR

Name:  De'Von Flournoy

Height:  6'0

Weight:  180lbs

Forty:  4.47

HS:  Birmingham HS (Van Nuys, CA)

GPA:  3.1

Awards:  N/A

Final Rank (Rivals):  4-Star, #33 WR, #226 Overall

Est. Starter:  2011/2012

Positives:  Speed, Route-Running Potential, Coachability

• De'Von is an interesting recruit because he didn't really start playing football till high school.  The late start has given De'Von the "raw" tag throughout his HS career.  Entering SC, De'Von won't be able to shake the tag off just yet and likely will be a redshirt candidate to work on his frame for the rigors of college football and develop off-the-line and route techniques as a receiver.  

Even though De'Von is a project, he has a lot of speed which makes his potential high.  He's quick off the line, which makes up for his lack of strength against aggressive defensive backs.  As for route-running, he's a bit stiff, but contrary to the so-called "experts", I think he's much further ahead than people give him credit for.  He's a straight-line guy who's going to make a living off running tight routes much like Steve Smith.

Another thing I really like about De'Von is he's a high-character kid who's willing to learn, which will work out well for him his first few years since he's not expected to produce right away.  This will hopefully allow him to develop properly and maximize his potential.

Negatives:  Strength, Lacks Go-To Skils

• As mentioned before, one of the reasons why De'Von will likely redshirt his 1st year, apart from the WR depth situation, is his lack of strength.  At the high school level, De'Von was able to out-run defensive backs, but in college, it will be an entirely different story when he lines up against DBs that are just as strong and quick as him.

I really don't think De'Von will ever be a go-to receiver at SC, but I like his potential to be a solid 2nd or 3rd option.  When you consider the careers of Keary Colbert and Steve Smith in recent years, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I've alluded to it before, but I think De'Von will be black/white in terms of success; he's either going to develop and flourish or be a 4-year bench warmer.  I just don't see him being a middle-of-the-road guy.  It will be interesting how it unfolds. There is a definite shot that we'll see De'Von earlier than expected as a kick returner, but barring a load of injuries to the WR corp, he likely won't see significant minutes till at least 2011.

Previous Posts:

Matt Barkley, QB

Patrick Hall, ATH

James Boyd & De'von Flournoy Reaffirm Their Commitment to USC

From WeAreSC.com:

“I wasn’t really feeling Washington, I really didn’t want to go up there and I just decided to commit to USC,” said Boyd about his decision to cancel his official visit to Washington. “I have ended the recruiting process and I am 100% committed to USC.” - James Boyd

"I'm 100% committed to USC," Flournoy said. "It came down to just wanting to play for Pete Carroll. Coach Carroll told me the second I committed last year that football or no football, I would always have a home at USC. - De'von Flournoy (link)

Definitely great news.  Even with the commitment of Devon Kennard on Tuesday, James Boyd was a key recruit to retain since he not only adds depth to the weakside DE position, but can also play the hybrid LB/DE role we've recently seen from Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews in 3-4 situations.  He's probably a good candidate to redshirt his 1st year because he is undersized, but from what I've seen, kid has nice potential.  Definitely someone that can flourish under Coach Carlisle.

USC also got another reaffirment from De'von Flournoy, the 4-star receiver from Van Nuys, CA.  Although WR is not a priority at the moment, our depth actually works in favor of De'von since he is another player that can benefit greatly from a redshirt year.  I really like what I've seen from De'von; he's not a player that will dominate at the next level but has a chance of being a great #2 receiver.  His route-running is above-average and he has great quickness.  The bulk of his work will be in the weight room getting his frame up to the college level and also technique for physical CBs that will inevitably try to jam him at the line.

Scout's First 2009 Football Ranking

From Scout.com:

1.  Matt Barkley, QB - Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, CA)
29.  Vontaze Burfict, MLB - Centennial HS (Corona, CA)
40.  Patrick Hall, S/RB - St. Bonaventure HS (Ventura, CA)
50.  Kevin Graf, OT - Agoura HS (Agoura, CA)
71.  Devon Flournoy - Birmingham HS (Van Nuys, CA)
75.  Morrell Presley - Carson HS (Carson, CA)
87.  Marquis Simmons - Dominguez HS (Compton, CA)

198.  Randall Carroll - Cathedral HS (Los Angeles, CA)
204.  T.J. McDonald - Edison HS (Fresno, CA)

Rivals has Randall Carroll at 63 and T.J. McDonald at 97, so that's a pretty steep dip for those two players on Scout's ranking.  Nevertheless, we still have 7 players in the top 100 and it's only March, so pretty much Pete is killing it and that's all that matters. 

De'Von Flournoy ('09) Commits to USC

From WeAreSC.com:

Birmingham head coach Ed Croson has been Flournoy’s coach for the past two seasons and was one of the first to learn of the commitment.

“He (Flournoy) called my son last night and told him he committed (Croson’s son also plays football for Birmingham).  Flournoy was fired up about it.”

The Trojans beat out several schools, including a hard push from Notre Dame, for Flournoy’s services and Croson believes this is a commitment that will stick all the way through the recruiting process.

“USC is a school that he’s wanted to go to from the get go,” Croson said.  “The coaches have known about him since his sophomore year and in the back of his mind, he was always hoping they’d offer.  When they did, he jumped on it.

“I think he’ll stick with his commitment.  His entire family really likes ‘SC and everyone has a ton of respect for the job they are doing.  They want to be a part of it.”

At first there was talk that De'Von backed off his commitment, but according to Rivals and WeAreSC, he has reaffirmed his commitment to SC and doesn't look shaky about his decision.  If you read the rest of the story above, you'll find out that De'Von has only been playing football for 2 years, but has immense talent and potential.  According to a LA Daily News story, Birmingham fans are already saying that "Flournoy could be the best player ever to come from the school".

De'Von is listed at 6'1 180 with a 4.47 40-yard time and will come into SC as a receiver prospect.  After watching this YouTube clip, you can see why people are so high on De'Von despite his lack of experience.  Looks like Barkley's commitment is already paying dividends.