USC Trojans

One of the most anticipated arrivals for Sunday's NFTC was that of the nation's top-rated offensive lineman, Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia).

Tunsil, the No. 3 overall prospect in the ESPN 150, has kept his recruitment close to the vest but was willing to reveal his top five Sunday.

"My top five as it stands is Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Alabama," Tunsil said. "I like their playbooks, the offense will allow me to pull and have my hand in the ground.

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LOS ANGELES -- USC head coach Lane Kiffin said one of his biggest concerns coming out of spring ball was the depth on the interior of the defensive line.

Kiffin made it clear that he was talking about players outside of George Uko, who locked up the defensive tackle spot with flashes of dominant play this spring. When it comes to a starter at nose tackle or a dependable option behind Uko, that’s where things get pretty shaky.

The coaches tried Greg Townsend at the DT spot, but just as quickly moved him back out to end as a reserve to Devon Kennard. Walk-on Zack Kusnir ended the spring as the No. 2 DT on the depth chart but it stands to reason that either Christian Heyward -- who missed spring due to shoulder surgery -- or an incoming player such as Leonard Williams will eventually grab that spot.

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LOS ANGELES -- There are still unanswered questions for several reserve skill players on offense who were limited or unavailable in spring ball due to injuries.

George Farmer couldn’t have asked for a better start to spring with the way he looked on the first day. It was only one day, but it was a clear look at the potential he brings to the wide receiver group. Then he got hurt on the second day and didn’t return until some brief action at the end.

Lane Kiffin has been clear about stating how good Farmer can be but has also expressed frustration at the injuries that have continued to slow his progression during his first year at USC.

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Part of the reason wide receivers coach Tee Martin was brought in this past spring was due to his terrific record as a national recruiter. But after coaching in the high school ranks at North Cobb (Kennesaw, Ga.) and North Atlanta high schools, Martin developed a reputation as a strong recruiter in Georgia, which is where the Trojans will utilize his talents this week.

After stops in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. last week, Martin hit Atlanta on Monday, making an early stop at Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton High School to check in on defensive end Carl Lawson. The No. 5 player in the ESPN 150 calls himself a solid commitment to Auburn, but he is only one of several Georgia standouts with early offers from the Trojans, who will likely receive visits from Martin.

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Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) checked in as the No. 2 athlete and No. 31 player overall in the recently released ESPN 150. Shortly thereafter, he made another statement, agreeing to play in the Under Armour All-America Game.

Redfield said via text that the decision to choose that game came down to two factors.

"We recently switched from Nike to Under Armour and I want to represent my school there," Redfield said of his high school. "And I also feel like it's a more competitive game."

Redfield becomes the second California product to commit to the game, joining wide receiver Demorea Stringfellow (Moreno Valley, Calif./Rancho Verde). He is also one of 20 early commitments to the game that rank either first or second at their position in the initial ESPN 150.

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WeAreSC recruiting editor Erik McKinney answers reader questions in his mailbag every Friday. Have a USC recruiting question of your own? Submit it here.

James (San Francisco): With Scholarship limitations, how many mid-year enrollees will SC bring in and who are they looking at for a depleted running back position?

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When the end-of-spring depth chart was released by Lane Kiffin earlier this week, incoming freshman Nelson Agholor was listed at both running back and wide receiver.

Kiffin had originally designated Agholor as an “offensive” recruit who could play either spot –- and that still is possible -- but right now it’s looking more and more as if Agholor will begin his USC career as a tailback.

“One thing we don’t want is for Nelson to be spread out,” Kiffin said. “We probably wouldn’t be putting him at tailback if it wasn’t for the injury to Tre (Madden) but we need to find some production in the passing game out of the running back position.”

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Derwin Gray has received a scholarship offer from Southern California.

The offensive lineman from Washington (D.C.) Friendship informed ESPN of the offer via text message on Thursday afternoon.

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Safety Su'a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta), the No. 15 overall player in the ESPN 150, said via Twitter that he will announce his college decision on June 6, which is his mother's birthday.

Cravens also tweeted that he will look to take unofficial visits before his announcement.

USC has recruited him hard since he was offered a scholarship, first as an offensive player, then as a defensive player. Cravens has now said that USC is looking at him to possibly play any number of positions, including safety, weakside linebacker and tailback.

Cravens, the No. 1 player in California on the ESPN 150, is arguably the top defensive target for the Trojans in the class of 2013.

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Torrodney Prevot is finally working with his own football team.

That probably doesn't seem like a novel concept for the Alief Taylor High School defensive end from Houston. But considering Prevot's whirlwind spring schedule, it's nice to get back to some normalcy. Whether it was a trip to the Nike Football Training Camp in Dallas at the end of March, or his visit to LSU's spring game two weeks ago, Prevot, a four-star prospect, has maintained a busy schedule so far this spring.

With those types of trips winding down for the time being, Prevot said it's been good to get back to work on his own team.

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There is a need for tailbacks at “Tailback U” and the Trojans are looking to bring in two elite backs for this class.


The two highest rated tailbacks on the ESPN 150 -- Kelvin Taylor (Belle Glade, Fla./Glade Day) and Greg Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./American Hertiage) -- both have offers from USC. Taylor even had a connection to USC running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu, who coached Taylor’s dad Fred with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, both players have already made early verbal commits to other schools; Taylor to Florida and Bryant to Oklahoma.

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One of the biggest priorities for the USC Trojans in this recruiting class is the defensive line.


You have to imagine that Ed Orgeron -- who serves as the defensive line coach and the recruiting coordinator at USC -- has to relish the opportunity to load up at players for his position group.

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The standard for wide receiver recruiting at USC is pretty high these days and that is evidenced by the presence of four in-state wide receivers ranked in the ESPN 150, none of whom has a Trojans offer.

The Trojans are being selective at this spot not only because of the depth at receiver on the roster right now, but also due to the reduced scholarship numbers. It’s not like USC hasn’t offered any receivers in this class (five out-of-state WRs in the ESPN 150 have reported offers from the Trojans) but it hasn’t stepped forward yet with the local players.

That situation could easily change after the Rising Stars Camp in June, an event that the USC coaches encourage for recruits looking for a Trojans offer due to the opportunity to evaluate them in person. However, these local receivers are not sitting around without other schools showing interest in them, in fact the list of out-of-state schools with offers is impressive.

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The news of Tuesday’s release of the ESPN 150 brought excitement to offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia), who is ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, one of just seven five-star prospects, the top recruit in Florida, and top offensive linemen in the 2013 class. But, for the 6-foot-6, 290-pound tackle with offers from around the country, the satisfaction was short-lived.

“It feels great to be ranked so high, but the stars do not matter,” Tunsil said. “What is important to me is the hard work and dedication you put into the game you love.”

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