USC Trojans

The winter dead period has started for college football recruiting, and it’s time to take a look at the remaining targets on USC’s list to see where they stand.

The Trojans currently have 16 commits with a reported maximum of 18 spots -- three early enrollees spots who would count against the Class of 2012 and 15 spots against the Class of 2013.

As of today, there are six commits who plan to enroll for the spring semester at USC: Max Browne, Chris Hawkins, Su’a Cravens, Kenny Bigelow, Kylie Fitts and Justin Davis.

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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 here.

Jim Rygg (Westchester, Ill.): Seems like the coaches have done a great job keeping this class intact at this point despite the disappointing season. Improvement on the D-line is critical and if they can keep Eddie Vanderdoes, Kenny Bigelow and land A'Shawn Robinson and Torrodney Prevot that would seemingly be a great accomplishment. Do you think it will come down to Vanderdoes and Robinson waiting for the other to play his hand first? Is it realistic they land all three? Max Redfield seems like a reach at this point.

I think Vanderdoes, like Redfield, felt "rushed" into making a commitment earlier than he really wanted to. Spots in USC’s recruiting class were filling quickly and both jumped at the opportunity to commit. That's why it's not at all surprising to now see them weighing their options. I think Redfield might still be a Trojan on signing day. It's going to come down to the in-home visits with him. Locale, as well as other Trojans recruits actively recruiting Redfield, favor USC at this point, but Notre Dame won’t go away.

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There have been many hypothetical questions surrounding the USC Trojans. What if senior center Khaled Holmes had been healthy for the Stanford game? What if Matt Barkley had spiked the ball in the last-minute drive at Arizona? What if USC made an adjustment or two against the vaunted Oregon offense?

In the end, there were too many questionable moments this season for a team that couldn't afford any. Now, with the Trojans preparing for the Sun Bowl, recruiting fans have found themselves asking another question.

What if USC had more scholarships to give out?

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Five-star defensive end Carl Lawson (Marietta, Ga./Milton) was not prepared to discuss the news Sunday that Auburn had fired head coach Gene Chizik.

“No comment on Auburn right now," Lawson said. "The news shocked me.”

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WeAreSC recruiting reporter Blair Angulo answers reader questions in his mailbag every Friday.

Ed (N.M.): Interesting tweet you had on [Texas commit] A'Shawn Robinson. I know the talk about possible candidates for the open recruiting slot were three great safeties. Given the problems with defense this year, if A'Shawn is a legitimate chance, do you seeing a top DT being a bigger need than a safety? Thanks.

If that defensive tackle is top-rated Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County), then I think the decision is an obvious one. But after losing a commitment from free safety Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo), the void next to strong safety commit Su’a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) in the Trojans’ secondary is perhaps more pressing. If USC can land another highly coveted safety -- either No. 3-rated Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood), No. 4-rated Priest Willis (Tempe, Ariz./Marcos de Niza) or No. 8-rated Tahaan Goodman (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga) -- then you’d assume Ed Orgeron would settle for highly coveted defensive tackles Kenny Bigelow (Elkton, Md./Eastern Christian Academy) and Eddie Vanderdoes (Auburn, Calif./Placer).

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The USC Trojans might have the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class, but as the new ESPN 150 rankings revealed Wednesday, they still lack a five-star headliner.

Top-rated safety prospect Su’a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) and No. 2 defensive tackle Kenny Bigelow (Elkton, Md./Eastern Christian Academy) narrowly missed the five-star designation, but remained in the four-star tier as the nation’s 10th- and 11th-ranked recruits, respectively.

Cravens, now the highest-ranked USC commit, ascended two spots from his previous ranking. Bigelow, who is bested only by newly minted five-star standout Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) among defensive tackles, fell two spots.

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ESPN 150 defensive lineman Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) was in Athens on Saturday for his second Georgia game this season. But unlike the unofficial visit for the Tennessee matchup in September, Adams brought a special guest with him for the game against Ole Miss: his mother.

Adams has acknowledged that his mother, Debbie Young, will be a key influence on his decision. A single mother, Young works long hours so that she can take care of Adams and his sisters. Upon his return, Adams said the visit made a good impression – on both of them.

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COLUMBUS, Ga. -- After defeating Columbus (Ga.) Pacelli 47-14 on Friday, ESPN 150 prospect Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) admitted that at the moment, he felt more comfortable in a 4-3 defense than a 3-4. Two programs in pursuit of Adams -- Alabama and Georgia -- run a 3-4 base defense, and another -- Florida -- also utilizes three-man defensive lines quite often. On Saturday, Adams was in Tuscaloosa, where the Crimson Tide staff made sure to showcase their plans to use him.

“Coach [Nick] Saban and Coach Rumph told me they want to use me like Marcell Dareus and keep me on the outside,” Adams said. “Seeing them play and thinking about that made me think more about the 3-4, because a lot of teams in the NFL use that. Alabama is still pretty high on my list. As long as I am able to make a lot of plays, it does not matter what scheme I play in.”

Adams arrived at Alabama at about 1 p.m. on Saturday and immediately went to speak with head coach Nick Saban in his office. He then spent some time with assistants Jeremy Pruitt and Chris Rumph, toured the campus and headed to Bryant-Denny Stadium to watch the Tide take on Mississippi State. During pregame warmups, something on the field caught the eye of Adams.

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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 here.

Zack Smith (Garden Grove, Calif.): Montravius Adams tweeted at Kenny Bigelow that he's interested in USC. What should we make of this? Isn't the class full? Thanks!

It appears that four-star defensive tackle Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly County) created a Twitter account this week (@montravius_m), and his second tweet was directed at the USC commit Bigelow: “USC really opening my eyes bro. I can see myself playing in Cali.” The interest Adams has in the Trojans appears to be genuine and, yes, USC already have taken 18 commitments in the current class, but if the nation’s third-ranked defensive tackle comes calling, you recruit him and you recruit him hard.

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Getting ESPN 150 prospect Montravius Adams (Vienna, Ga./Dooly Co.) on campus for a game is huge for any college hoping to sign the 6-foot-3, 305-pound defensive tackle. So with Georgia set to lose starting defensive linemen John Jenkins and Abry Jones, having Adams in town Saturday was big news for the Bulldogs. Jenkins echoed that statement himself after the game.

“I spoke to John Jenkins after the game, and he said he wants me to continue the tradition of great defensive linemen at Georgia,” Adams said. “He thinks I could be that guy to come in and play his role next year. When I first met him he said he would be like a brother to me. So it meant a lot to hear that from him, a guy about to go in the first round of the NFL draft. I hope I can be that type of player in college.”

Adams did not witness an offensive struggle Saturday between Georgia and Tennessee, but the ESPN 150 prospect did see an opportunity to make an instant impact "between the hedges."

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