USC Trojans

D.J. Calhoun (El Cerrito, Calif./El Cerrito) couldn't hide the disappointment when he came away from USC's junior day last month without an offer. The 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker felt he would pick up an offer at the event, but it never came.

Several weeks later, Calhoun was called out of class by his coach and was surprised to hear the USC coaches on the other end of the line.

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While the exact form and function of the USC defense under new defensive coordinator Clandy Pendergast is still something of an unknown quantity, at least one prospect who attended USC's junior day this past weekend is excited for the change.

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Morgan Mahalak (Kentfield, Calif./Marin Catholic) will be one of the more interesting recruits to watch in the West region this spring and summer.

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ESPN Watch List cornerback Adoree' Jackson (Gardena, Calif./Serra) has accumulated a number of scholarship offers since the end of his junior season, with a pair of SEC schools even entering the fold. Yet, one local school always was missing from his ever-growing list.

That changed Tuesday when Jackson finally received an offer from USC.

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Fast-rising Class of 2014 defensive end Bryson Allen-Williams (Ellenwood, Ga./Cedar Grove) bagged his ninth scholarship offer on Saturday, adding one from USC assistant coach Ed Orgeron.

"That was a big moment," the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Allen-Williams said. "USC is one of the greatest educational institutions in the country. The football program has one of the biggest traditions. I don't have top list of schools right now but if I did, USC would be up there. Being from Georgia, USC is appealing. It's right in L.A. It's glamorous."

The Trojans have three commitments in next year's class -- offensive linemen Toa Lobendahn (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood), Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif./Country Day School) and Casey Tucker (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) -- hypothetically leaving them with only 12 remaining spots.

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Chalk up another recruiting win for the hottest college football program around.

USC landed a commitment from class of 2014 offensive tackle Casey Tucker (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton) on Wednesday, adding to offensive line pledges Toa Lobendahn (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood) and Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif./Country Day) in next year's recruiting class.

The coaching staff has been successful in building a star-filled 2013 class that includes 11 recruits ranked in the ESPN 150, but Tucker's quick commitment is an indication that USC is far from content.

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While putting together a tremendous 2013 recruiting class, the USC Trojans have also started work on the 2014 class, hitting the offensive line hard with commitments from tackle Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif./Country Day) and guard Toa Lobendahn (Lakewood, Calif./Lakewood). And while it appears that Lane Kiffin and staff could stop at two offensive linemen in this class, they'll likely race by that number next year, as an additional offer was extended over the weekend to offensive tackle Casey Tucker (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton).

Tucker is the latest in a string of Arizona big men that have been sought after by the Trojans, which includes Christian Westerman, Cyrus Hobbi and Andrus Peat. USC is scholarship offer No. 9 for Tucker, and the Trojans join programs such as Boise State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Washington in the race for the 6-foot-6, 270-pound tackle. And it's a race in which USC finds itself out front.

During an unofficial visit this weekend, Tucker had an opportunity to meet with head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive line back James Cregg.

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The USC Trojans continued to add to the conference’s top recruiting class on Thursday night, as the No. 8 class in the nation picked up a commitment from wide receiver Sebastian LaRue (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica). The four-star receiver is the No. 150 recruit in the country and earned an offer from Lane Kiffin and the Trojans after his performance at USC’s recent skills position camp.

After receiving the offer, LaRue wasn’t sure how long he would take with his recruiting process. He said that while his initial plan was to wait to make a commitment, he could wake up at any point feeling ready to announce. The receiver took an unofficial visit to Washington State this week, but returned home on Thursday and committed to the Trojans during an unofficial visit to USC.

"That visit [to Washington State] was me weighing my options," he said. "In a sense, I always knew I wanted to be at USC, but I wanted to make sure it was right fit. They offer best education in the country--a private school education at a prestigious university. And on the football side, they are ranked No. 1 in the nation and have a fan base that so strong throughout the world."

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With Monday offers from Boise State and Mississippi State, junior college defensive tackle Toby Johnson (Hutchinson, Kan./Hutchinson Community College) now has 25 schools that have extended scholarships.

Considered one of the elite junior college players in the country, Johnson has the recruiting game in the palm of his hands. He has offers from all of the major FBS conferences, including USC, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Tennessee, Nebraska and West Virginia. In addition to Monday’s offers, he was offered by Arizona last Monday.

The good news for every program that’s offered is that Johnson currently has them all on equal turf.

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One of the most highly-recruited receivers in California added another offer to his growing list on Sunday, as the USC Trojans told Sebastian LaRue (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) the good news. LaRue impressed enough during USC's one-day skills camp that head coach Lane Kiffin pulled the 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver into his office.

"Excitement just overwhelms your body," LaRue said of the feeling of receiving an offer from USC. "It's a big thing getting that offer. Especially when you're from here -- I grew up right down the street from USC -- that's big."

LaRue adds the USC to offer to those from schools such as Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Boise State, Texas A&M and UCLA. The Trojans offered a slight twist during their camp, flipping all the wide receivers to cornerback and cornerbacks to receiver early in the day. But LaRue said his offer definitely came on the offensive side of the ball.

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The USC Trojans held their first summer camp of the season on Saturday and it paid off in a big way. Shortly after the lineman camp, an offer was extended to 2014 standout Jordan Poland (La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla Country Day) and the 6-foot-7, 333-pound tackle jumped on it.

Originally a member of the 2013 class, Poland adjusted to the 2014 recruiting class after moving from Arizona to San Diego. He collected offers from Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego State and Boise State, among others, but held USC among his top two schools and committed immediately when the offer was presented.

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Two-way standout Chans Cox (Lakeside, Ariz./Blue Ridge) added another scholarship offer to his list on Thursday, as the USC Trojans became the latest program to extend one to the 6-foot-2, 225-pound athlete.

"I was really surprised," Cox said of the offer from USC. "I haven't made any top lists of schools yet, but they will definitely fall into that top category."

Cox is familiar with the USC staff, as he attended their junior day in early February. While there were hundreds of people on campus, Cox said the coaches make a point to single him out and put in some one-on-one time.

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Offensive tackle Nico Falah (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco) is a fairly recent convert from basketball to football, and although he has quickly earned more than a dozen offers from some of the country's top programs, he is in no hurry to make a decision.

Falah said that while he struggled with the recruiting process early on, he has adapted to it over the past few months, and will now look to take his time with a final decision, likely waiting all the way until signing day. But Falah has jumped into the recruiting process, picking up offers from schools such as Boise State, Florida, Notre Dame, Oregon, UCLA and USC. Last week, Falah visited the Los Angeles schools and came away impressed.

"They were both really fun for me," Falah said of the trips, adding that while he has known the UCLA coaches for a longer period of time, he was able to develop his relationship with the USC coaches on Saturday.

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