College football analyst Phil Steele has USC ranked No. 7 in his top 40 preseason poll. Steele puts a lot of time into his research, probably more than any other preview magazine. But all rankings are a guess/prediction. Remember that Steele had USC ranked No. 3 in his Top 25 for 2015. USC went 8-6. Steele ranked USC No. 6 on his list of surprise … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Even Well-Researched Predictions Can Be Off

Four-star cornerback Zabien Brown of Mater Dei will make his college commitment on Sunday. His finalists are USC, Alabama and Ohio State. Continue reading USC Notes: Recruits Keep Deciding In July

Are you reading the preseason preview magazines? How many of them list USC special teams as a concern? I know one does because I wrote the preview for it. Who else? This is the time of year when it’s easy to overlook special teams. Don’t forget USC had the worst special teams in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked the Trojans No. … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Are Preseason Magazines Highlighting This?

It seems like more football recruits are committing this summer than normal. And in a way, it makes sense. The culprit is the transfer portal. High school players are worried these days about getting a scholarship because colleges are using the transfer portal so much to build their rosters. So if you want to play it safe, it’s better to commit to a school in … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Early Commitments Symptom Of Modern Game

This is a busy season for high school football and basketball recruits, though not necessarily the best examples of the sport. Club basketball offers little defense, less coaching, questionable effort and often shows how unskilled players are on the perimeter. And 7-on-7 football seems to be following suit in offering a product that bears little resemblance to actual football, especially at the club level. Fundamentals … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Busy Time For Recruits, For Better or Worse

USC and Oregon each have a 3.65 average star rating for their current recruiting classes. Deyvid Palepale, a three-star defensive lineman, committed to USC on Saturday. Offensive linemen JacQawn McRoy, a three-star offensive tackle committed to Oregon. Whatever you want to say about the Ducks, they seem to get offensive linemen. They still expected to land four-star offensive tackle Brandon Baker from Mater Dei. Continue reading Sunday Buzz: USC And Oregon Neck And Neck