USC Trojans: jalen ramsey
A dozen linebackers from the Class of 2014 have confirmed scholarship offers from USC and only one -- D.J. Calhoun of El Cerrito (Calif.) High School -- hails from the West Coast.
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Defensive line a big USC focus for 2014 
March, 14, 2013
Mar 14
7:30
AM PT
By
Blair Angulo | ESPN.com
At one point last summer, USC had verbal commitments from five defensive line prospects to headline what, at the time, shaped up as the country's top-rated class. Eventually, the Trojans signed only one of those five: defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow of Elkton (Md.) Eastern Christian Academy.
No. 1 tackle prospect Eddie Vanderdoes signed with Notre Dame, Kylie Fitts with UCLA and Torrodney Prevot with Oregon, meaning USC not only lost those recruiting battles, but will have to face three of its former commits at some point in their college careers.
No. 1 tackle prospect Eddie Vanderdoes signed with Notre Dame, Kylie Fitts with UCLA and Torrodney Prevot with Oregon, meaning USC not only lost those recruiting battles, but will have to face three of its former commits at some point in their college careers.
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WeAreSC recruiting reporter Blair Angulo answers reader questions in his mailbag every Friday. Have a USC recruiting question of your own? Submit it via Twitter @WeAreSCstaff or @bangulo.
billsb1970: Blair, it is interesting that we offer out-of-state recruits first and yet other big programs offer the local recruits before the Trojans. Shouldn't the Trojans put a fence around California first?
billsb1970: Blair, it is interesting that we offer out-of-state recruits first and yet other big programs offer the local recruits before the Trojans. Shouldn't the Trojans put a fence around California first?
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With USC’s recruitment of cornerback Jalen Ramsey crumbling apart on national signing day and a failed last-minute attempt at flipping local standout Jermaine Kelly, the Trojans limped across the finish line in the 2013 recruiting cycle.
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What positions does USC need to focus on in recruiting the 2014 class?
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WeAreSC recruiting reporter Blair Angulo answers reader questions in his mailbag every Friday. Have a USC recruiting question of your own? Submit it via Twitter @bangulo or @WeAreSCstaff.
Via Twitter (@kinrmo): Has the full-court press for Adoree’ Jackson started yet?? Can’t lose a DB like that from SC’s backyard in 2014!
Via Twitter (@kinrmo): Has the full-court press for Adoree’ Jackson started yet?? Can’t lose a DB like that from SC’s backyard in 2014!
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Early look: 2013 defensive depth chart
February, 8, 2013
Feb 8
8:00
AM PT
By Johnny Curren | ESPN.com
With USC’s recruiting class of 2013 now signed, sealed and delivered, here’s a look at where the newest Trojans might potentially fit into the depth-chart in a possible 3-4 look under new defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.
Defensive Line
DE: Leonard Williams (6-foot-5, 270 pounds, So.); Greg Townsend Jr. (6-3, 260, RS So.) OR Kenny Bigelow (6-3, 295, Fr.)
Defensive Line
DE: Leonard Williams (6-foot-5, 270 pounds, So.); Greg Townsend Jr. (6-3, 260, RS So.) OR Kenny Bigelow (6-3, 295, Fr.)
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With signing day 2013 having wrapped up, it's time to turn our attention to 2014 recruits. Here are five in-state players USC will be targeting for next year's class:
QB Keller Chryst
Palo Alto
QB Keller Chryst
Palo Alto
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While it’s safe to say signing day didn’t quite go as planned for the Trojans on Wednesday, there are still some positives to take away from it all -- most obviously the fact that although small in numbers, USC’s class is filled to the brim with talent.
With an eye toward the future, there is one more reason to be optimistic if you’re a Trojans fan, and that’s the effort and ability showcased on the recruiting trail by one of the staff’s youngest coaches, Tee Martin.
Lured away from Kentucky in late February 2012, Martin was a hit with just about every player, parent and coach he came in contact with over the past year, solidifying his standing as one of the top up-and-coming recruiters in college football.
With an eye toward the future, there is one more reason to be optimistic if you’re a Trojans fan, and that’s the effort and ability showcased on the recruiting trail by one of the staff’s youngest coaches, Tee Martin.
Lured away from Kentucky in late February 2012, Martin was a hit with just about every player, parent and coach he came in contact with over the past year, solidifying his standing as one of the top up-and-coming recruiters in college football.
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5:15 p.m. -- Former USC commit Eddie Vanderdoes signed with Notre Dame.
4:11 p.m. -- USC sent out a press release announcing its recruiting class. "We could only sign a limited number of players because of our sanctions, so we went after the best of the best," coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement.
Kiffin will hold a press conference on campus at 5 p.m. PT. It will be streamed live official athletic website, usctrojans.com.
4:00 p.m. -- "In the summertime I committed to USC, and there's a reason why I committed," said Nico Falah, who announced for the Trojans. "It was back and forth and hard to decide, but I went with the greater picture."
Falah also said that UCLA made a late run for him this morning, but he prayed about the decision and signed with USC.
1:08 p.m. -- Indications are that USC might be done for the day. There's the possibility that the coaching staff tucks away the five available scholarships and uses them for the 2014 class, which would become a 20-member class.
12:46 p.m. -- USC has officially announced the signings of Nico Falah, Steven Mitchell, Ty Isaac, Michael Hutchings, Khaliel Rodgers and Quinton Powell.
12:34 p.m. -- ESPN 150 prospect Steven Mitchell, the only receiver in the class, has also signed. No official word from USC yet, though. No surprise on this one. Read all about Mitchell's drama-free recruitment here
.
12:29 p.m. -- It's important to note that USC has yet to announce any of its signees, though Khaliel Rodgers and Michael Hutchings have confirmed they have signed and sent in their national letters of intent.
12:16 p.m. -- Washington has announced that it received a signed national letter of intent from cornerback Jermaine Kelly, ending any chance USC had to swoop in late for the local standout. The Trojans offered on Tuesday hoping to soften the blow dealt by the loss of Jalen Ramsey, but it was too late. Kelly fell in love with Seattle and decided to leave the area. USC has had a bad two days.
12:11 p.m. -- It's no surprise now, but Jason Hatcher has officially signed with Kentucky. He walked into his announcement ceremony wearing a blue tie and carrying a blue Kentucky hat. Bigelow is the lone defensive lineman who remains from a group that included Hatcher, Fitts, Prevot and Eddie Vanderdoes.
11:11 a.m. -- We've received word that cornerback Jermaine Kelly, who was offered by USC less than 24 hours before signing day, is expected to announce his college choice in 30 minutes.
Kelly (Los Angeles/Salesian) is committed to Washington and was previously committed to UCLA, but it wouldn't be surprising if he signed with childhood favorite USC. It would be big for the Trojans given the loss of No. 4 CB Jalen Ramsey to Florida State.
11:00 a.m. -- No. 14 DT Keith Bryant had a USC hat on the table at his announcement ceremony but committed to Florida State. It appears Bigelow will be the only incoming defensive lineman for the Trojans.
9:33 a.m. -- Eddie Vanderdoes has cleared the air about his situation, writing on his Twitter account: "I'll put my life on it that I have NOT signed one paper yet."
9:15 a.m. -- ESPN 150 linebacker Quinton Powell (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland) committed to USC, ending a drought of sorts for the Trojans. Fitts, Thomas, Ramsey and Prevot had committed elsewhere, so this is an important pick up for USC.
"Every time I heard about (the decommitments) I shrugged it off," Powell said. "I just thought about myself. I wanted to commit based on my opinion of the school."
8:41 a.m. -- Prevot announced he is signing with Oregon. Another blow to USC, heightened by the fact that they lost out to another Pac-12 school... With DE Kylie Fitts (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) signing with UCLA and Jason Hatcher (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) expected to sign with Kentucky, the Trojans are down to early enrollee Kenny Bigelow in this class.
8:28 a.m. -- Four-star DE Torrodney Prevot (Houston, Texas/Alief Taylor) has three hats on the table at his announcement ceremony: USC, Oregon and Texas A&M...
8:00 a.m. -- No. 4-rated CB Jalen Ramsey (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) officially flipped from USC to Florida State in a signing ceremony at his school. It's a big loss for USC, which had held onto his commitment since the summer. Ultimately, the firing of defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders appears to have made the difference. Ramsey felt very comfortable with new Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who recruited him while he was at Alabama.
7:16 a.m. -- UCLA coach Jim Mora announced the school received a signed national letter of intent from four-star safety Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga), ending any speculation that the close friend of USC early enrollee Chris Hawkins might potentially flip. Not catastrophic since the Trojans are set at safety with No. 1 Su'a Cravens and No. 3 Leon McQuay III.
6:15 a.m. -- No. 1-rated OLB Matthew Thomas (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) committed to Florida State, citing a comfort level with the coaches and it being a family decision. According to sources, USC made a late run Tuesday night but ran out of time.
4:55 a.m. -- ESPN 300 OG Khaliel Rodgers has signed his paperwork and is making it official with the Trojans.
4:15 a.m. -- Signing day is finally here. Follow along for the latest news as USC looks to put the finishing touches on its 2013 recruiting class.
4:11 p.m. -- USC sent out a press release announcing its recruiting class. "We could only sign a limited number of players because of our sanctions, so we went after the best of the best," coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement.
Kiffin will hold a press conference on campus at 5 p.m. PT. It will be streamed live official athletic website, usctrojans.com.
4:00 p.m. -- "In the summertime I committed to USC, and there's a reason why I committed," said Nico Falah, who announced for the Trojans. "It was back and forth and hard to decide, but I went with the greater picture."
Falah also said that UCLA made a late run for him this morning, but he prayed about the decision and signed with USC.
1:08 p.m. -- Indications are that USC might be done for the day. There's the possibility that the coaching staff tucks away the five available scholarships and uses them for the 2014 class, which would become a 20-member class.
12:46 p.m. -- USC has officially announced the signings of Nico Falah, Steven Mitchell, Ty Isaac, Michael Hutchings, Khaliel Rodgers and Quinton Powell.
12:34 p.m. -- ESPN 150 prospect Steven Mitchell, the only receiver in the class, has also signed. No official word from USC yet, though. No surprise on this one. Read all about Mitchell's drama-free recruitment here
.
12:29 p.m. -- It's important to note that USC has yet to announce any of its signees, though Khaliel Rodgers and Michael Hutchings have confirmed they have signed and sent in their national letters of intent.
12:16 p.m. -- Washington has announced that it received a signed national letter of intent from cornerback Jermaine Kelly, ending any chance USC had to swoop in late for the local standout. The Trojans offered on Tuesday hoping to soften the blow dealt by the loss of Jalen Ramsey, but it was too late. Kelly fell in love with Seattle and decided to leave the area. USC has had a bad two days.
12:11 p.m. -- It's no surprise now, but Jason Hatcher has officially signed with Kentucky. He walked into his announcement ceremony wearing a blue tie and carrying a blue Kentucky hat. Bigelow is the lone defensive lineman who remains from a group that included Hatcher, Fitts, Prevot and Eddie Vanderdoes.
11:11 a.m. -- We've received word that cornerback Jermaine Kelly, who was offered by USC less than 24 hours before signing day, is expected to announce his college choice in 30 minutes.
Kelly (Los Angeles/Salesian) is committed to Washington and was previously committed to UCLA, but it wouldn't be surprising if he signed with childhood favorite USC. It would be big for the Trojans given the loss of No. 4 CB Jalen Ramsey to Florida State.
11:00 a.m. -- No. 14 DT Keith Bryant had a USC hat on the table at his announcement ceremony but committed to Florida State. It appears Bigelow will be the only incoming defensive lineman for the Trojans.
9:33 a.m. -- Eddie Vanderdoes has cleared the air about his situation, writing on his Twitter account: "I'll put my life on it that I have NOT signed one paper yet."
9:15 a.m. -- ESPN 150 linebacker Quinton Powell (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland) committed to USC, ending a drought of sorts for the Trojans. Fitts, Thomas, Ramsey and Prevot had committed elsewhere, so this is an important pick up for USC.
"Every time I heard about (the decommitments) I shrugged it off," Powell said. "I just thought about myself. I wanted to commit based on my opinion of the school."
8:41 a.m. -- Prevot announced he is signing with Oregon. Another blow to USC, heightened by the fact that they lost out to another Pac-12 school... With DE Kylie Fitts (Redlands, Calif./Redlands East Valley) signing with UCLA and Jason Hatcher (Louisville, Ky./Trinity) expected to sign with Kentucky, the Trojans are down to early enrollee Kenny Bigelow in this class.
8:28 a.m. -- Four-star DE Torrodney Prevot (Houston, Texas/Alief Taylor) has three hats on the table at his announcement ceremony: USC, Oregon and Texas A&M...
8:00 a.m. -- No. 4-rated CB Jalen Ramsey (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood Academy) officially flipped from USC to Florida State in a signing ceremony at his school. It's a big loss for USC, which had held onto his commitment since the summer. Ultimately, the firing of defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders appears to have made the difference. Ramsey felt very comfortable with new Florida State defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who recruited him while he was at Alabama.
[+] Enlarge
Courtesy of Khaliel RodgersKhaliel Rodgers makes it official with the Trojans.
Courtesy of Khaliel RodgersKhaliel Rodgers makes it official with the Trojans.6:15 a.m. -- No. 1-rated OLB Matthew Thomas (Miami, Fla./Booker T. Washington) committed to Florida State, citing a comfort level with the coaches and it being a family decision. According to sources, USC made a late run Tuesday night but ran out of time.
4:55 a.m. -- ESPN 300 OG Khaliel Rodgers has signed his paperwork and is making it official with the Trojans.
4:15 a.m. -- Signing day is finally here. Follow along for the latest news as USC looks to put the finishing touches on its 2013 recruiting class.
Jalen Ramsey wasn't concerned about USC. He simply fell for Florida State.
The long-time Trojans commitment donned a Florida State hat and signed with the Seminoles on national signing day during a ceremony at his school. There were no other hats on the table where Ramsey signed. There was no tomahawk chop. Ramsey quietly committed and signed and left behind the drama.
"My decision was solely on Florida State and how I felt about them," the four-star prospect said. "I'm just excited."
Ramsey originally committed to the Trojans over the summer, but openly considered other schools and took visits to Florida, Washington and Mississippi as well as USC and FSU.
USC would make a late push on Tuesday evening to try to sway Ramsey back but his mind was made up.
"I just felt so comfortable there at Florida State," the No. 14 prospect said. "The coaches there, I trust them. They're good Christian men. I'm Christian so I'm trying to stay in that. It's close to home so I can see my family more. I just want to get there and help them win a championship."
The 6-foot, 190-pound Ramsey told reporters he had to turn off his Twitter account and Facebook page because he was receiving so many negative messages from fans of other schools. When asked about the recruiting process, he said, "It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my life. I wouldn't recommend it for anybody. But it's a blessing. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is very stressful."
What is the impact of Ramsey’s decision?
The long-time Trojans commitment donned a Florida State hat and signed with the Seminoles on national signing day during a ceremony at his school. There were no other hats on the table where Ramsey signed. There was no tomahawk chop. Ramsey quietly committed and signed and left behind the drama.
"My decision was solely on Florida State and how I felt about them," the four-star prospect said. "I'm just excited."
Ramsey originally committed to the Trojans over the summer, but openly considered other schools and took visits to Florida, Washington and Mississippi as well as USC and FSU.
USC would make a late push on Tuesday evening to try to sway Ramsey back but his mind was made up.
"I just felt so comfortable there at Florida State," the No. 14 prospect said. "The coaches there, I trust them. They're good Christian men. I'm Christian so I'm trying to stay in that. It's close to home so I can see my family more. I just want to get there and help them win a championship."
The 6-foot, 190-pound Ramsey told reporters he had to turn off his Twitter account and Facebook page because he was receiving so many negative messages from fans of other schools. When asked about the recruiting process, he said, "It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my life. I wouldn't recommend it for anybody. But it's a blessing. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It is very stressful."
What is the impact of Ramsey’s decision?
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Give your predictions for where the following recruits will sign on Wednesday:
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Where do you think things stand with the following recruits on the USC wish list?
Garry Paskwietz
Garry Paskwietz
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In a topsy-turvy recruiting season that has had Trojans fans teetering on the brink of insanity with the decommitments of one-time USC verbals Eddie Vanderdoes, Max Redfield, Eldridge Massington, Sebastian LaRue and Kylie Fitts -- not to mention the uncertain status of others such as Jalen Ramsey and Torrodney Prevot -- it’s worth taking a quick look back to signing day 2011. While the saga of the Class of 2013 has been filled with plenty of drama, nothing compares to the way Lane Kiffin and his staff were rocked by the last-second defection of De’Anthony Thomas.
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Jalen Ramsey and Max Staver have set their signing times.
The two will sign with their respective schools on national signing day, Feb. 6, at 11 a.m. ET at Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, according to a school official.
Ramsey has been committed to USC since July. However, he has taken official visits to Florida, Mississippi State, Washington and Florida State. Staver committed to Florida in June and hasn't wavered since.
Staver is the No. 264 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 5 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 19 pocket-passing quarterback in the country. Ramsey is the No. 14 prospect in the country, the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 4 cornerback in the country.
The two will sign with their respective schools on national signing day, Feb. 6, at 11 a.m. ET at Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy, according to a school official.
Ramsey has been committed to USC since July. However, he has taken official visits to Florida, Mississippi State, Washington and Florida State. Staver committed to Florida in June and hasn't wavered since.
Staver is the No. 264 overall prospect in the nation, the No. 5 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 19 pocket-passing quarterback in the country. Ramsey is the No. 14 prospect in the country, the No. 1 prospect in Tennessee and the No. 4 cornerback in the country.
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ABOUT WE ARE SC
Garry Paskwietz
Garry Paskwietz is the publisher and founder of WeAreSC.com and has covered the Trojans since 1997. Send him an email at garry@wearesc.com.
Blair Angulo
Blair Angulo covers USC Trojans recruiting. He joined ESPNLA.com in 2010 and also interned at the Los Angeles Daily News. Email him at blair.angulo@gmail.com.