USC Trojans

After weeks of speculation involving USC, Louisville and Kentucky, ESPN 300 defensive end Jason Hatcher has made up his mind heading into signing day.

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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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While the participation of 14 commits in all-star events over the weekend provided USC Trojans fans with a sneak peek of the nation’s No. 5-ranked class, the momentous pledge of ESPN 150 safety Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) on Friday at the Under Armour All-American Game was undoubtedly the highlight.

USC secured a much-needed second safety to pair with No. 1-rated Su’a Cravens (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta), who attended the U.S. Army All-American Bowl week activities but did not participate due to injury. Both McQuay and Cravens are early enrollees and will have the opportunity to compete for immediate playing time this spring following the graduation of safeties T.J. McDonald, Jawanza Starling and Drew McAllister.

McQuay became the 15th member of a recruiting class that recently lost two ESPN 150 prospects: defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (Auburn, Calif./Placer) and receiver Sebastian LaRue (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica). Former commit Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) officially switched to rival Notre Dame minutes before McQuay announced on the same chair. It was a major recruiting victory.

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Long overdue for positive news, the USC Trojans finally got some Friday in the form of a commitment from highly coveted safety Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood), live during the Under Armour All-America Game in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Quite frankly, USC needed this one.

Following a recent rough stretch -- both in recruiting and on the field -- the addition of McQuay to a dwindling class is both significant and encouraging. If the Trojans plan to regain the momentum they built in the summer, securing a pledge from the nation's No. 3 safety is a good start.

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If Notre Dame lands the No. 1 class in 2013, the Fighting Irish might be thanking Max Redfield. It’s not only because of the immense talent Redfield brings -- though it helps -- but because he might have started a slew of decommitments that will end up in the Irish’s favor.

Redfield officially visited Notre Dame the weekend of Oct. 12 and decommitted from USC shortly thereafter. He was then a major Irish lean for quite some time. California is a major recruiting ground for the Irish, and like Redfield, several ESPN 150 prospects from the state were still hearing from the Irish despite being committed to USC.

Two of those prospects were Sebastian LaRue and Eddie Vanderdoes, and both recently decommitted from the Trojans. Each will take an official visit to Notre Dame now, and the Irish are in a strong position to land both. Redfield can be looked at as the prospect who started it all.

Athletically, Redfield brings two-way talent and can play either receiver or defensive back when he gets to South Bend. The defensive backfield is an area the Irish needed to address in the 2013 class, and he can play safety in South Bend.

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The decommitment of ESPN 150 receiver Sebastian LaRue (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica) from USC had been brewing the past few weeks, so his announcement Wednesday was a mere formality.

It had become apparent that LaRue would not sign with the Trojans in February, with the four-star receiver reluctant to even discuss his recruitment recently. And even though LaRue had been a frequent visitor for USC games at the Coliseum this season, the versatile athlete had been tight-lipped since returning from an official visit to Washington State.

While the rest of USC's verbal commitments had either visited or scheduled their official trips to Los Angeles, LaRue had not. He set up a visit to Texas A&M for the Jan. 18 weekend, which is the Trojans' big recruiting date. LaRue also scheduled a trip to Notre Dame for Jan. 25 and said he did not know if he'd even make it to USC before signing day.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The verdict is in for Max Redfield. We’ll learn his decision on Friday on ESPN's 5 p.m. ET telecast of the Under Armour All-America Game.

Redfield, a four-star safety from Mission Viejo, Calif., said Sunday he’s comfortable with his choice. The finalists include USC, to which he was a longtime commitment before reneging in October, Notre Dame and a dark horse -- Ohio State.

Rated 36th in the ESPN 150 and No. 4 at his position, Redfield said it was “crucial” to reconsider his initial choice.

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ESPN 150 DT Eddie Vanderdoes (Auburn, Calif./Placer) decommitted from USC on Thursday night, Placer coach Joey Montoya confirmed on Friday.

The No. 33 player in the ESPN 150 is now considering Notre Dame, UCLA and Washington, in addition to the Trojans.

It's the third decommitment in this class for the Trojans, following the defections of ESPN 300 recruits Max Redfield and Eldridge Massington.

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HYUNDAI SUN BOWL

USC (7-5, 5-4) versus Georgia Tech (6-7, 5-3)

Where: El Paso, Texas

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LOS ANGELES -- With all 16 verbal commitments selected to compete in the upcoming all-star games, the USC Trojans will have great representation under the national spotlight. There will also be particular interest in a handful of in-game announcements, namely that of recent official visitor Leon McQuay III (Seffner, Fla./Armwood), a top safety target who intends to enroll early. Here’s a guide to all USC recruits in next week’s All-American games:

Under Armour All-American Game

When: Jan. 4, 2 p.m. PT

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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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LOS ANGELES -- The USC Trojans made a strong push for a former commit Saturday night.

USC coaches Lane Kiffin, Marvin Sanders, Tee Martin, Kennedy Polamalu and John Baxter met with four-star athlete Max Redfield (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) during an in-home visit ahead of the fast-approaching dead period. Redfield decommitted from the Trojans on Nov. 4, about three weeks after his official visit to Notre Dame, but USC has shown a willingness to continue recruiting the No. 4-rated athlete.

The coaches left Redfield's home at around 10 p.m. on Saturday. Their main selling point during the meeting: location.

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