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Recruiting: Josh Shirley to UCLA

USC and UCLA basically swap linebackers. Heard rumors that Pullard and Shirley would be going to different schools but didn't think much of it since Josh has been USC lean for quite some time. Guess the rumors were true.

Predictions: 5/9

Recruiting: Predictions for National Signing Day

Here's my stab at who I think we sign on National Signing Day:

Seantrel Henderson, OT (start with a bang!)
Markeith Ambles, WR
Josh Shirley, OLB
Christian Thomas, TE
Nickell Robey, CB
Demar Dorsey, S
John Cullen, OT
Glen Stanley, LB
Soma Vainuku, FB
Sean Parker, S

I still consider Giovanni Di Poalo a commit (albeit soft) so it's a matter of him decommitting or not.  It'd be a complete guess, but I think he sticks with SC.  I also think, as I've mentioned before, that Dak Smith is out.

So with that said, we have 12 current commits, and I think we take 10 players on National Signing Day whether it's the list above or completely different.  You might be wondering, "Well that only adds up to 22 commits which is well short of the scholarships available!"

Here's where I go out on a limb and say Lane purposely keeps this class small in anticipation of the NCAA sanctions coming up later this month.  Yes, call me crazy.  I think the NCAA buckets everything under "lack of institutional control" and docks us 5-7 scholarships (over several years) which would round out the leftover scholarships.

Gotta give me some points for thinking outside the box ;).

Anthony Brown, RB/CB out of Kaiser, Commits to USC

From SCPlaybook.com:

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete showed his competitiveness at the USC Skills Camp, when he switched from playing tailback to defensive back, and was the top performer on the defensive side of the ball.

“It started at the Skills Camp where I did pretty good,” Brown said. “BC told me to come back to the Rising Stars Camp and I came with the same mindset. I just went out there and performed really well.”

At the Rising Stars Camp, Brown shined against some of the top wide receivers in the country and earned a scholarship offer from Pete Carroll with his play and work ethic.

“USC recruits the best and for me to get offered from them is an honor, so I just took it and ran with it,” Brown said.

After taking a few weeks to think things over with his family, Brown decided the USC offer was just too good to pass up and let the coaches know on Thursday that he wanted to be a Trojan.

“I emailed Brennan (Carroll) and told him that I had made up my mind. He told me to call him, so I did and told him that I was in.

Very solid pick-up.  It's interesting because previous to the Rising Stars camp, Anthony looked nothing more than a high-major running back.  Since his switch to cornerback at the camp, he looks like an entirely different prospect.  I definitely think he's flying under the radar on the defensive side of the ball.

As mentioned in the article above, the coaches currently have him pegged as an athlete with him competing for special teams early on and then possibly RB or CB; I believe his future lies at the corner position with his speed and physicality. He can definitely jam receivers off the line and he has solid recovery speed.

Another aspect to consider in this commitment is the recruitment of Anthony's teammate Josh Shirley who is a hybrid DE/LB prospect.  It will be interesting to see how Anthony's commitment will influence Josh.  I personally don't think it'll be that much, but still something worth noting.