USC Trojans

A late offer didn’t stop defensive back Devian Shelton (Inglewood, Calif./Inglewood) from joining the USC recruiting class on Wednesday.

The former Oregon State commit announced during a morning ceremony at his school that he will be signing with the USC Trojans. Shelton popped up on the USC radar very late in the process, as he received a scholarship offer from the Trojans on Monday night. It was the offer Shelton had been hoping for, and his commitment comes as no surprise.

After securing a commitment from cornerback Kevon Seymour (Pasadena, Calif./Muir), the USC coaches set about reeling in a second cornerback in this class, eventually landing on Shelton and extending the offer.

At 6-foot-1 and 177 pounds, Shelton has the ability to play cornerback and safety at the next level, a skill that will not go underappreciated as the scholarship limitations go into effect.

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Once again, Urban Meyer added a solid piece to Ohio State’s 2012 recruiting class at the expense of a Big Ten rival.

At an announcement at his school at 12:45 Wednesday, three-star Cleveland Heights offensive tackle Kyle Dodson flipped his commitment to Ohio State from Wisconsin. The Badgers were hardly a consideration as Dodson chose the Buckeyes over Michigan State and USC.

The offensive line, specifically tackle, was a major need for the Buckeyes going into the class, and Meyer added three linemen previously committed to other schools. Dodson joins ESPNU 150 guard Joey O’Connor (former Penn State commit) and Taylor Decker (Notre Dame).

The Buckeyes, ranked in the top 10 of the ESPNU class rankings, have 25 commitments after adding four-star Jamal Marcus and Dodson on signing day.

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After losing two wide receivers to transfers, the Trojans received a big boost at the position on Wednesday, when Nelson Agholor (Tampa/Berkeley Prep) announced on ESPNU that he will sign a letter of intent with USC.

Agholor is the No. 6-ranked receiver in the country and the No. 47 player overall. His recruitment came down to a final five of USC, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma, but his connection with the USC coaches and players proved too much for the local schools to overcome.

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, Agholor moved to the United States with his family when he was five years old. USC was the first school to offer the 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete a scholarship, and Agholor’s relationship with assistant coach Monte Kiffin was essential in getting him in cardinal and gold.

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Southern Cal has won the seemingly wide open recruiting battle for Under Armour All-American athlete Nelson Agholor (Tampa, Fla./Berkeley). The 6-foot-1, 180-pound talent selected USC over Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame and Oklahoma on Wednesday on ESPN.

Auburn, South Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Texas, Alabama, Miami-FL, Oregon, TCU and Tennessee also offered the nation’s No. 47-rated prospect in the ESPNU 150.

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Missing out on in-state talents such as Ellis McCarthy (Monrovia, Calif./Monrovia) and Arik Armstead (Elk Grove, Calif./Pleasant Grove) didn’t do much to slow the defensive line recruiting for this USC staff. They simply reached across the country to grab one of the nation’s best in Leonard Williams (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland).

Williams was one of the biggest risers in the final ESPNU 150, jumping to No. 50 overall and the No. 5 rated defensive tackle. At 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, Williams has the ability to play inside or outside along the line, although he has said that all schools are recruiting him as an end. Williams’ coach has said that the young man is still growing, which could eventually lead to him playing tackle.

Born in Los Angeles, Williams moved to Florida seven years ago, but grew up watching the Trojans and calls Troy Polamalu one of his favorite players.

Williams committed to USC over Florida, Florida State and Auburn and will give the Trojans a huge presence on their defensive line. His commitment also serves as another example of the reach this USC coaching staff has into Florida and their ability to close in a big way down the stretch.

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Under Armour All-American defensive tackle Leonard Williams (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainlaind) signed with USC on Wednesday. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound four-star also considered Auburn, Florida and Florida State.

He took official visits to The Plains (Oct. 14), Tallahassee (Jan. 13), Southern Cal (Jan. 20) and Gainesville (Jan. 23).

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Patterson, Calif., defensive end Pio Vatuvei, who has been committed to USC since August, has switched his commitment to the University of Washington. Vatuvei, a three-star recruit, officially visited the Trojans on Jan. 20, but apparently the draw of the Huskies and new assistant coach Tosh Lupoi was enough to flip Vatuvei.

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Looking to add another body to the defensive backfield with this recruiting class, Lane Kiffin and his staff extended a late offer to a local product Monday evening.

Inglewood defensive back Devian Shelton thought he had narrowed his college choices down to Washington, Oregon State and Nebraska, but will add a fourth hat to his announcement on Wednesday, which will take place at 9 a.m. PT.

"He is very excited about it," Inglewood coach Khalid Ali said of the USC offer. "He was looking at those three schools, but you can't ignore an offer from USC."

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With less than 24 hours to go before signing day, the WeAreSC staffers make their final predictions on where the USC prospects will end up. As always, these lists are subject to change over the next several hours.

Garry Paskwietz

QB Cyler Miles -- Washington

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Now that the 2012 class is almost in the books, the recruiting attention is ready to move full-steam ahead to the class of 2013. Many prospects are already known to USC recruiting fans, but here are five names that every fan will want to make sure to follow throughout the upcoming recruiting season.

DL Kenny Bigelow -- 6-foot-3, 280 pounds (Bear, Del./Red Lion Christian Academy)

Bigelow became the first verbal commit for the class of 2013 at USC when he was on an unofficial visit for the UCLA game in November. Bigelow was on the trip with some of his high school teammates -- including quarterback David Sills, a class of 2015 commit. When the Trojans made an offer, Bigelow talked it over with his family and quickly accepted. He was one of the stars of the Rutgers Nike Camp last year and had offers from schools such as Oklahoma, Oregon and Auburn. Bigelow -- who had 20 sacks in 2011 -- is scheduled to play defensive tackle at USC.

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The ESPNU team recruiting ranking list released early Monday was the final ranking before signing day. The USC Trojans were ranked No. 16 when the list came out, but that ranking might very well have been different if the list had come out later in the day.

USC received a huge boost of recruiting news Monday afternoon -– literally and figuratively -– when offensive tackle Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes) announced that he would play for the Trojans.

Banner (6-foot-8, 305 pounds) is a member of the ESPNU 150 and is ranked as the No. 15 offensive tackle in the class. Not only is Banner an elite player, but offensive tackle was a critical position of need for the Trojans, so this pickup was a big one.

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This may be USC’s first class dealing with scholarship restrictions, but they are still managing to put together a top twenty-five class and Monday added their third ESPNU 150 offensive line prospect. The Trojans were able to beat out in-state Washington for the commitment of offensive tackle Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes).

The four-star is a monster-sized prospect who can pave the way for running backs. As he transitions to the PAC-12 he will need be sure to improve his pad level. A basketball player, he moves his feet well and is capable of getting to second level, getting a hat on linebackers and maintaining contact in space. When the big man can get his hands on rushers in pass protection he can shut them down. He does need to work to play lower and with better balance and maybe a better fit at the college level as a right tackle.

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Mammoth offensive lineman Zach Banner (Lakewood, Wash./Lakes) announced at a school assembly moments ago that he will be playing his college ball at USC.

The 6-foot-8, 305-pound Banner, ranked No. 122 in the ESPNU 150 and No. 15 among offensive linemen, had narrowed his choices to include the hometown Washington Huskies and Oklahoma Sooners. He took visits to all three schools, plus Michigan and Notre Dame, but the Trojans always seemed to be where Banner's heart was.

"Everything I was looking for, USC had and then some," Banner said. "They're going to be a pre-season top five team next year and competing for a national championship. Five years ago, they were competing for a championship, and when I leave, they'll still be competing for championships, that's just who they are.

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