And now the moment you waited for all summer: the Pac-12 preseason team! 2021 PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM   First Team Offense     Second Team Offense QB Kedon Slovis, USC   QB Jayden Daniels, Arizona State RB Jarek Broussard, Colorado   RB CJ Verdell, Oregon RB Max Borghi, Washington State   RB Rachaad White, Arizona State WR Drake London, USC   WR Johnny Johnson … Continue reading Four Trojans Make Pac-12 Preseason First Team

The 2021 Pac-12 football season will be remarkably like 2020, if you believe the media poll. Oregon was picked to win the North. USC to win the South. And the Ducks were picked with a USC-Oregon by 27 voters. USC was picked by 10 voters. Three voters picked Utah to win the Pac-12 title game. North Division   South Division   School Points School Points … Continue reading USC Picked To Win Pac-12 South; Lose To Oregon

A generic, dull, football media guide cover because no one cares at the top. I look at how USC is losing this battle too in today’s newsletter. Look at Oklahoma by comparison: Continue reading USC Mails It In Off Field Too

USC likes to wait until the last minute to update its roster, which means the day before Pac-12 Media Day. Offensive lineman Bernard Schirmer is no longer on the roster. And USC solved its No. 6 dilemma (three players wore it in spring) by having cornerback Joshua Jackson switch to No. 23 and QB Miller Moss switch to No. 7. But now Vavae Malepeai is … Continue reading USC Roster/Number Changes

Former USC assistant coach Todd McNair has settled his defamation lawsuit with the NCAA, according to ESPN. The settlement was reached through mediation. Financial terms were not announced. “After ten years of litigation, both sides have come together to resolve this matter to the mutual satisfaction of all parties involved,” attorneys for McNair and the NCAA said in a joint statement on Monday. I’m just … Continue reading Todd McNair, NCAA Settle Lawsuit

WINNERS Kedon Slovis He signed an NIL deal with Klutch Sports. Now all he needs is an offensive line. Nick Saban He destroyed Clay Helton without meaning to with this answer last week at SEC media day regarding logevity: “That’s simple, you have to win. What does it take to win? That answers the question better than anything. You have to have culture.” George Kliavkoff … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Winners And Losers Of Week

I always had Tate Martell labeled as a bust in high school and nothing that happened since changed as he flamed out at Ohio State and Miami. This is after he committed to three colleges in high school. But Martell, who is only 5-11 (Pocket QB), is now transferring to UNLV. It makes sense because he is from Las Vegas. And it’s more his level … Continue reading The Pocket QB Commits Transfers To UNLV

USC has not beaten Notre Dame since 2016. That’s the kind of thing I think about when looking at the football program today. It’s also what I think about when Mike Bohn or Brandon Sosna try to brag on twitter about football. The Clay Helton era has been a disaster for things like the USC-Notre Dame rivalry. Helton is 1-3 and avoided a loss last … Continue reading USC-Notre Dame Rivalry Reveals Something

The great thing about conference realignment is you can write just about anything and it cannot be denied. Here is an Ohio State site (BuckeyeScoop.com) saying that USC, UCLA, Oregon and Colorado want to join the Big Ten. The schedule challenges the four would face would be daunting. Along with executing a departure from the Pac-12. Oh, and getting Carol Folt to approve it. But … Continue reading Saturday Buzz: Or USC Could Just Join The Big Ten

Did you see former USC trustee Tom Barrack posted a $250 million bond today at his court hearing? That doesn’t happen at every university. The way USC doesn’t really play any one in non-conference games outside of Notre Dame make me feel some nostalgia with this USC-Alabama photo from 1977. This was the same season USC also played Texas A&M. Here is the Yankees’ roster … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column, Part II

Today’s column will be in part in two parts: The history part will come later. I view Kedon Slovis signing an NIL deal with Klutch Sports (of LeBron James fame) as a riskier move for the company than others probably do. I don’t think Slovis is a slam-dunk NFL star QB and there are a lot of questions to be answered athletically. Not to mention … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

USC announced it will sell tickets “near the student section” to recent graduates from the Class of 2020 and 2021 for the same prices as student-section tickets ($200). If I were a recent graduate, I would like this idea. It also reveals, to be fair, the desperation facing the athletic dept. in generating enthusiasm for a football team that does not excite its fan base, … Continue reading USC Selling Recent Graduates Seats At Student-Section Prices

Oklahoma and Texas are reportedly interested in joining the SEC. This opens up a lot of possibilities. Will the Pac-12 get involved? Texas is believed to be interested in a lot of options, including going independent? Kedon Slovis and Drake London will represent USC at Pac-12 Media Day on Tuesday. Here’s the full list: 2021 Pac-12 Football Media Day – Attendees & Participants  School Head … Continue reading USC Notes: Texas, Oklahoma To SEC?

First off, you will get a better picture of the madness that exists within USC football if you read this. Meanwhile, the silence from USC regarding the arrest/indictment of trustee Thomas Barrack is deafening. Not a single comment yet from Rick Caruso, Carol Folt or the university. Here’s Barrack talking at USC (with actor Rob Lowe, of course) about the Middle East and getting his … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Can Change Really Happen?

There is a segment of USC fans, not to mention a perception created by the athletic dept., that no one is more cutting edge than USC when it comes to NIL, endorsements and social media. But look what Nick Saban said today about his new QB, Bryce Young. “Our QB has already approached ungodly numbers, and he hasn’t even played yet. If I told you … Continue reading USC Is Not Center Of NIL Universe?

This video below is the USC created under Mike Bohn today. Image. Hype. Talk. Fooling. Preening. Perception. Superficial. Hollywood. All geared to recruits or people under 20. What never gets emphasized? Winning. Performing. Developing. Improving as a group. Coaching. Comradery. Respect. Common purpose. Leadership. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝙷𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚢𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍.#BLVDBound🌴 pic.twitter.com/u6cjZdbq8p — USC Football (@USC_FB) July 18, 2021 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: An Image From Hell

Remember I said I would include an incident that hurt USC in the recruitment of five-star QB Malachi Nelson. Here it is. USC is promoting today that it is sending 61 past, present and future athletes to the Olympics in Tokyo, which it says is the most in its history and most for any school in the nation. But . . . not mentioned is … Continue reading USC Notes: More On Malachi Nelson

WINNERS Malachi Nelson Can you really argue with a blue-chip QB picking Oklahoma over USC? Or compare the state of the USC and Oklahoma programs? Oregon Another week, another top offensive lineman. This is what happens when you allow Clay Helton to hold the program hostage. Three-star offensive linemen They are the sweet spot of USC recruiting. Drake Jackson Defensive end made watch list for … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Winners And Losers Of The Week

Los Alamitos QB Malachi Nelson committed to Oklahoma over USC today. The 5-star QB is the No. 2 player overall in the nation per Rivals. I will have a story in Monday’s newsletter on how USC slipped up during his recruitment. “It’s been a crazy time, but I’ve loved every minute of it,” Nelson said on CBS Sports. Continue reading Malachi Nelson Commits To Oklahoma

Dave Iuli, a four-star offensive guard from Puyallup, Wash., committed to Oregon on Saturday. He was a big USC target and also considered Oklahoma and Washington. Iuli (6-5, 330) is the first four-or-five star prospect from Washington to commit to Oregon since 2005. More importantly, Oregon keeps building its offensive line with big, highly regarded prospects. It also has linemen from Texas, Mississippi, California and … Continue reading Sunday Buzz: Oregon Snags Another USC Target

USC has offered a scholarship to offensive lineman Sam Yoon of Loyola. Yoon is a three-star prospect per 247Sports. He has not been awarded any stars yet by Rivals. USC, UCLA, Cal and Oregon State are among the schools that offered Yoon. Now offers are ultimately meaningless and do not matter. But . . . after USC brought in a number of elite offensive linemen … Continue reading An Offensive Line Trend Continues

Can you believe USC is still selling Pac-12 South Division champions T-shirts and STILL charging $29.99 for them? Talk about not knowing your audience. Then again, it’s not the worst thing USC has done this year when trying to sell a bad T-shirt. Continue reading USC Saturday Buzz: The T-Shirt That Won’t Go Away

Here’s a typical no-holds barred interview I did with Phoenix station SportsZone 1060-AM on USC and what to expect-or-not-expect this season. Is USC Football expected to be the top of the Pac 12 South? @InsideUSC joined Bob Kemp discussing the Trojans and the Pac 12. https://t.co/iPhLXx32jT#Pac12FB #USC — KDUSAM1060 (@KDUSAM1060) July 17, 2021 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Continue reading Radio, Radio

I spoke to another long-time season-ticket holder Wednesday who told me that he was going to attend the LSU-UCLA game on Sept. 4 at the Rose Bowl instead of the USC-San Jose State game. “I’d rather see LSU,” the booster told me. “USC will be there the following week and I’m not sure I’ll go that time either, but I’m sure I’m not going to … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Season-Ticket Holder Makes Tough/Easy Choice

Former USC tailback Reggie Bush has agreed to participate in a documentary directed by Kirk Fraser, who directed ESPN’s “30 for 30: Without Bias.” It will be made by Believe Entertainment Group, the studio behind the Oscar-winning “Dear Basketball.” If Bush is cooperating, that means the documentary will probably be favorable to the former Heisman Trophy winner. It will be interesting to see how balanced … Continue reading Reggie Bush To Participate In Documentary

A USC administrator told me yesterday that one reason the athletic dept. hired an “interim” equipment manager for 2021 could be in case a new football coach wanted his own person in a year. “But I wouldn’t read too much into that,” the administrator said. “They offered the job to about 10 guys who turned it down so they wanted a full-time guy but they … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Insiders Try To Read Clay Helton’s Future

Here’s a small but telling example of USC’s dysfunction in today’s USC newsletter that shows how the ship has no captain. USC track coach Quincy Watts has hired former UCLA sprinter Joanna Hayes to be assistant coach of sprints and hurdles. Continue reading USC Notes: Does The Ship Have A Captain?

WINNERS Isaiah Mobley He gets to be the center piece of USC basketball next season despite averaging only 9.9 points per game last season. Arizona It sounds like the Wildcats are the leader for tight end Keyan Burnett, who decommitted from USC last week. USC losing a prized recruit to Jedd The Fisch? Or even worse, assistant coach Brennan Carroll. That’s criminal. Marcelo Mayer The … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Winners And Losers Of The Week

This week, I spoke to someone close to the USC recruiting staff. “They think they are killing it in recruiting,” the source said. So imagine his shock to see USC took a three-star offensive lineman that was projected to go to Oregon State? “It’s unbelievable,” he said. Former USC quarterback JT Daniels has signed a deal with marketing agency ESM. USC swimmers Marlene Kahler (Austria) … Continue reading If It’s Friday, It’s Time For A USC Notes Column

Is this a winning formula for USC? There’s an interesting quote from someone who previously worked with Mike Bohn. Continue reading Notes: A Winning Formula For USC?

One trick Clay Helton has pulled the past 5-6 years is getting early commitments and then dropping the recruit later. It creates early buzz and also acts as an insurance policy if better players don’t want to commit later. I’m not saying he is doing that now but whenever I see three stars commit, I feel like that is in that back of USC’s mind. … Continue reading Morning Buzz: USC Playing Chess Or Checkers?

Jake Smith, a wide receiver who played at Texas the past two seasons, is transferring to USC. Smith had 568 yards receiving and nine touchdowns the past two years. He might a good pickup. Smith started six games last season but missed three with a hamstring injury. But receivers tend to be a dime a dozen and wouldn’t it better to get an offensive lineman … Continue reading Does USC Need Another Receiver From Texas?

In the USC newsletter, some positions are proving elusive for USC in recruiting. And it’s time to revisit a memorable comment from a USC practice. Former USC linebacker Palaie Gaoteote has been seen in photos with other Ohio State linebackers but his transfer has still not been announced. Phil and Penny Knight have made a second $500 million gift to the University of Oregon’s new … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Recruiting Giveth And Taketh

I can’t figure out the point of this statement. Is it OK to “break a rule” but not “cheat.”? How many hundreds of cases investigated by the NCAA did not give an athlete a competitive advantage? Marv Goux sold player tickets to help the players. He broke the rules. Did he cheat? Did the players run faster? Reggie Bush broke the rules and knew he … Continue reading More Reggie Bush Revisionism

Four-star tight end Keyan Burnett from Servite sent out a tweet Saturday night that sounded like he decommitted. And now Burnett has confirmed he decommitted to TrojanSports.com. Of course, the non-shocking thing in all of this is that a tight end would decommit from Graham Harrell’s Air Raid offense. Continue reading Keyan Burnett Did Decommit From USC

WINNERS Oregon The Ducks got a commitment from 5-star offensive tackle Kelvin Banks of Houston. He is the No. 2-ranked OT in the nation per Rivals. I thought USC was focused on Texas recruiting? More seriously, the Ducks are stockpiling quality offensive linemen and becoming Lineman U. Imagine the reaction from some in the media if Banks had committed to USC? Devin Brown The USC … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Winners and Losers Of The Week

Five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau committed to Ohio State today over USC, Oregon and Washington. He is rated the No. 3-ranked player in the nation by 247Sports and No. 6 by Rivals. He is also a Class of 2021 prospect who waited until the last minute to commit, so he will be with the Buckeyes this season. Continue reading J.T. Tuimoloau Commits To Ohio State