YAY Or NAY: Recruiting History Has The Chance To Repeat.
USC’s 2024 recruiting class is the most important class since 2003.
YAY. —
The guys who signed their names into Trojan Glory back in 2003 include Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Sam Baker, Sedrick Ellis, Lawrence Jackson and so many more. T20 years later recruits talk about watching Reggie playing on TV when they were little kids, and like so many before them, those “kids” became Trojans. Some even got to play with Reggie.
But most just wanted to be the next great Trojan legend.
USC has Caleb Williams. They also have other guys who want to be like Reggie Bush on the roster. If the 2023 USC Trojans play like its 2003 ancestors that won the national championship, then 2024’s recruiting class will be a great indicator. Today, when recruits see teams in the playoffs and playing big games while atop the rankings, that’s where they want to play. The results showed up when Lincoln Riley dragged his 2023 class into the top 10.
Just like all those guys who watched Carson Palmer, Troy Polamalu, and Mike Williams start something special in 2002 that led to a dynasty, the guys on the 2023 roster have the same chance to affect the future. The next recruiting class will be the first group of Trojans leading USC into their B1G Conference future making them “THE” most important class in 20 years.
Random idle thought; Imagine Reggie and Caleb playing in the same Trojans’ backfield. Remember, Whitney Lewis was a part of that 2003 class.
USC baseball has the fastest player on the football team.
YAY. —
USC baseball has the fastest player that plays on the football team leading the nation with 14 triples.
Freshman Austin Overn is a walk-on scout team player for Lincoln Riley and is helping lead the Trojan baseball team back to the NCAA tournament for the 1st time since 2015. Overn is a pretty good football player too. In his only season of high school football in 2021 playing wide receiver at Foothill High in Santa Ana (Calif.), he was the California State Athlete of the Year, All-CIF Division 3, Orange County Register All-Orange County first team, and All-Crestview League Player of the Year when he had 68 receptions for 1,407 yards (20.7 avg) with 20 touchdowns. He also ran for 177 yards with 4 TDs and passed for a TD.
In the past, Riley has talked about how guys on his roster have started on the scout team or low on the depth chart but ended up as top NFL draft picks.–Guys like Marquise Hollywood Brown. So if Overn chooses to play football again, I’d love to see him in a foot race to the end zone proving he’s really the fastest guy on the roster.
USC and Notre Dame should always play at night.
NAY. —
However when both teams are anticipated to be ranked top-5, then the folks at NBC and the Peacock network who pay the bills say otherwise.
USC’s Oct. 14 away football game against Notre Dame in South Bend will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). It will air live on NBC and Peacock. I love prime-time games with the whole nation watching because it means all eyes are watching and judging USC against the world.
Playing under the lights in South Bend doesn’t happen often but when it does it’s because one or both teams are relevant to the national discussion adding extra significance to the Greatest Intersectional Rivalry known to mankind.
But it also means a long drive back to Chicago following the game late at night. A 2-hour drive at 1:00 AM can feel like a day-long excursion following a loss in South Bend, however, it can go by in a blink of an eye following a victory. I’ve been to Notre Dame three times and I’ve experienced the day-long drive each time.
I wasn’t there for the Bush Push. However, I would have enjoyed every second of the drive back to Chicago following that night’s game. But I still reserve a special place in my heart for the game in South Bend to kick off in the afternoon with the sun shining on the Golden Dome.
The post YAY Or NAY: Recruiting History Has The Chance To Repeat. appeared first on On3.
