Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Impact of Hatcher's commitment to USC
By Brent Sobleski
ESPN 300 defensive end Jason Hatcher (Louisville/Trinity) rebuffed the overtures from local programs Louisville and Kentucky. He, instead, chose to recommit to USC. Hatcher's presence among USC's class will impact the Trojans on two fronts.
"Hatcher's recommitment shores up one of the hybrid defensive end-linebacker spots that USC has coveted, with the other being Torrodney Prevot," WeAreSC.com's Blair Angulo told Rumor Central. "The Trojans have taken a hit in defensive line recruiting as both Eddie Vanderdoes and Kylie Fitts decommitted. Though Vanderdoes and Fitts have USC among their finalists, their signatures on Feb. 6 are by no means guaranteed.
"If Hatcher follows through with his commitment, the possible loss of Fitts and Vanderdoes would be less severe."
Hatcher's commitment doesn't simply fill a hole within the class and, eventually, the roster. His willingness to recommit to USC should build some momentum for USC as national signing day approaches.
"It's huge in that the Trojans absolutely needed to generate some positive momentum heading into signing day," ESPN Recruitin Nation's West regional coordinator Erik McKinney said. "For the past few weeks, the only news concerning USC has been negative, in the form of recruits decommitting or continuing to look at other programs. Pulling Hatcher back into the mix shows that this USC staff is ready to put together a strong close as signing day approaches, just as they have the past few years."
