TrojanNYC.com

USC Commitment: Crenshaw OL Marcus Martin Commits to USC

The momentum in recruiting continues on even with all the sanction news.  This is a BIG commitment, both literally and figuratively, for us since we need to stack up on offensive guards.  No question Marcus has the size (6'3 350lbs) but his biggest sell is his great feet; he has all the makings of being an elite guard at the next level.

This also has an impact in terms of current commitments; Marcus is teammates with DeAnthony Thomas (DeAnthony is close with Victor Blackwell and Max Wittek) and friends with Antwaun Woods.  This only solidifies the class and keeps the bonds stronger.  Obviously there's no guarantee that these commitments stick, but this is one tight core and we all know how important that was when Pete left; the core of Demetrius Wright, Robert Woods, Kyle Prater, D.J. Morgan, and Randall Telfer held the 2010 class together.

Recruiting: Update on the 2010 USC Recruiting Class

Quick updates on our current commitments:

• Dillon Baxter, RB
  Status:  Soft Verbal
  Prediction:  USC
  
  Dillon took the news of Pete leaving hard and has been looking around. He's scheduled to take an official visit to Oregon this weekend and Florida the following.  Chip Kelly is selling Dillon on being the next running QB in the Oregon spread offense; Urban is selling Dillon on being an all-everything back/receiver.
  
  In the end, I think Dillon stays committed to SC, although I'm not as confident about it as before. Right now SC has the advantage in that the competing schools are far from home and run a very different system from SC.  The cohesiveness of the current class should help, especially with kids like Kyle Prater and Robert Woods constantly in his ear.  I think a solid visit from the coaches will seal this recruitment.

• Robert Woods, WR
  Status:  Solid Verbal
  Prediction:  USC
  
  Robert didn't seem phased at all by Pete's departure.  Robert and his dad are set on SC, and with Damian headed to the draft, Woods has a solid shot to earn PT as a freshman.  My knock on him has always been his route-running, but watching him at the Army All-American game/practices, I was very impressed with how much he's tightened up his routes.

• Kyle Prater, WR
  Status:  Solid Verbal (Early Enrollee)
  Prediction:  USC
  
  After a shaky weekend, Kyle solidified his recruitment with the hiring of CLK and will enroll in classes on Monday.  It's always made sense for Kyle to come to SC due to our pro system.  Kyle needs to be in a pro-set to fully utilize his size and talents as a possession receiver.

Xavier Grimble, the Top Rated TE in the Nation, Commits to USC

From LasVegasSun.com:

The nation’s top high school tight end has committed to play football at Southern California.

Bishop Gorman senior-to-be Xavier Grimble, who is rated by recruiting Web site Rivals.com as the nation’s top tight end, said Thursday he picked Southern California over Florida and Oklahoma.

“I liked everything about USC, especially that it was so close to home,” Grimble said.

Xavier is currently rated the top TE in the nation.  This is a great pick-up for SC because it not only completes the TE class for 2010 with Randal Telfer already on board, but brings balance to the position for the incoming class.  Whereas Randal Telfer is more an athletic receiving TE that will stretch defenses, Xavier brings prototypical size and athleticism to be either a dominating blocker or possession tight-end.

With the commitment, Christian Thomas, the 2nd rated TE in the nation, is likely the odd man out.  This should be positive news for UCLA as they will now likely be the favorite to pick up Thomas.  It's still a long time till signing day, so I wouldn't rule Thomas completely out just yet.  Lot of things can happen.

Randall Telfer Commits to USC

From SCPlaybook.com:

"I just felt at home when I went there and I can see myself going there and being a Trojan for the next four or five years," said Telfer.

Telfer told assistant coach Brennan Carroll the news.

"I committed to Brennan Carroll and he was very excited," said Telfer. "He was telling me about being a Trojan for life and stuff like that."

Randall is a 4-star and top 5 TE in the nation.  I wonder if the recent heat of Xavier Grimble almost committing to SC had anything to do with Randall pulling the trigger?  Either way, Randall was considered an SC lean for a little while now. He's an athletic TE that can stretch the field.  Now we just need to seal the deal with either Christian Thomas or Xavier Grimble.

USC Leads for Elite 2010 TE Recruit Christian Thomas

From ESPN.com:

"USC is still my top school, no question about it. I've always been a fan of winners and that's all they do is win. I've been a longtime fan of them and it was huge when they were the first school to offer me. Are you kidding me? The best college team in the country is the first school to offer me? That was great."

Christian was recently rated the #2 TE in the nation in the Rivals100 and top TE in CA.  SC has extended offers to 4 TEs thus far:  Christian Thomas (CA), Randal Telfar (CA), Xavier Grimble (NV), and Delvin Jones (FL).  Right now it looks like Thomas and Telfar might be the TE duo out of the 2010 class.

Orson Charles Chooses Georgia Over USC

My gut feeling was he would end up at Georgia, so no surprise here.  Wish him the best of luck in Athens.  If I had to root for any team in the SEC it would be UGA, so glad he chose them over Tennessee and Lame-ass Kiffen.

So with Orson out of the picture, what happens to our recruiting at the TE spot? SC's top priority will likely be Christian Thomas out of Palmdale.  I personally think Christian is by far and away the top TE recruit in CA and many believe he's an SC lean, although that might have changed recently if you believe his choice to attend UCLA's Junior Day over SC's is an indication.

Outside of Christian, Randal Telfar is another local prospect that has shown a lot of interest in SC.  He was recently at USC's Junior Day.

2009 USC Football Junior Day: Sean Parker Quotes, Malcolm Jones Offer, Cassius Marsh's Near Commitment, and More...

Some thoughts on USC's Junior Day:

• D.J. Morgan (above) and Dillon Baxter, both commits for 2010 class, are really making a concerted effort to try and recruit players to join the class.  Baxter, who's been very involved in the program, reminds me a lot of D.J. Shoemate who also committed early and was vocal early on.

• Cassius Marsh, DT from Oaks Christian, was ready to commit at Junior Day but refrained from doing so out of respect of his parents' advice to cool off and think things over.  Many still expect him to be a Trojan at some point.

• One of my favorite recruits of 2010, Sean Parker, took a break from the FBU camp over at the Coliseum to take in Junior Day.  Lot of schools are starting to pick up on Sean and he's getting a ton of offers.  The early word is he's looking to go to school out of state, but lately he's been open to staying local and is showing interest in SC.  He had this nice quote:

"Just being around the players and coaches on Saturday was incredible. They have so much energy and you get fired up being around them. They have a great football program and who wouldn't want to be a part of a team like that."

One of his best friends and former teammates is '09 commit, Byron Moore, so hopefully that'll provide some pull in bringing in Sean.