O/NSO: The great recruiting reality edition
The Obvious: Lincoln Riley and his aggressive band of assistant coaches have been pulling out all the stops with the June official visits, and that includes a luau pool party at the coach’s extravagant Palos Verdes Estates mansion overlooking the Pacific Ocean, breakfast on the floor of the Crypto.com Arena, a yacht cruise with personalized blankets for recruits, and an incredible display of USC spirit items in the rooms of recruits.
The Not So Obvious: There is no question that even if a recruit decides USC isn’t for them, they will go back to their local communities and rave about their trip, which will resonate for a long time in the minds of recruits and those players that communicate with them who eventually could be future prospects. In a sense, an official USC recruiting trip can be a win-win situation because, in the era of the transfer portal, the Trojans could miss on a recruit but reengage down the road.
Lincoln Riley and his staff have done a marvelous job thus far in June recruiting for the class of 2024.
(Photo above by Jayne Kamin-Oncea | Getty Images)
The Obvious: Official Letter of Intent signing days are mid-December and the first week of February.
The Not So Obvious: As the Trojans are knocking on the door of a top 5 recruiting class as we head towards the end of June, it’s best to modify one’s euphoria because it still gets down to what really counts: the two signing periods, which are still a little less than six months away. Let’s say that again: a player’s commitment or a pledge only counts when they actually sign that LOI. Yeah, I know, the O/NSO is a party pooper, but that’s the recruiting truth.
The Obvious: One could argue that a USC oral commitment in June is better than no commitment at all.
The Not So Obvious: Most players who commit to the Trojans in June will likely sign with the Cardinal and Gold. Yet, we should all know from years of following recruiting that there is sufficient evidence that some players that commit in June or during the summer may voluntarily or involuntarily sever ties with the Trojans and end up at another institution. We know if the Trojans see a better recruit available on the market who wants to come to USC and that position group appears full, a committed player will be nudged out the door. It happens in college sports. Again, recruiting is fluid, and how many times do we see players make a commitment and then break their commitment to pledge to another school?
The Obvious: The Trojans have had some very good recruiting success on the national scope thus far, and they are making good progress locally, enough to now have already entered into most Top 10 recruiting polls.
The Not So Obvious: If the Trojans can keep home the Bellflower (Calif.) St John Bosco duo of linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (undecided) and safety Peyton Woodyard (Georgia) at home, it will be cork-popping time. Holding on to local Southern California commitments is usually a good bet especially when USC is on the upswing, but with out-of-state recruits, they will continue to get a lot of pressure from their own local regional suitors to discard USC. Pete Carroll reportedly would tell out-of-state recruits to remain mum right up to signing day. In most cases, it seemed to work.
USC, Notre Dame, and Ohio State are battling for linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa from local Bellflower St. John Bosco.
(Photo above by Zack Carpenter/Lettermen Row)
The Obvious: The Trojans got a commitment on Tuesday from one of the great interior offensive line prospects for the class of 2024, 4-star center Jason Zandamela (above headline cover photo) from Clearwater, Florida, who attends Clearwater Academy International.
The Not So Obvious: Having been to Clearwater a number of times, it is a great area and reminds the O/NSO a little bit of Marina Del Rey. Clearwater is a little over an hour from Orlando and is close to Tampa. Beautiful Clearwater Beach resides on the Gulf of Mexico and is a favorite of locals and vacationers. As for Zandamela, a former rugby player that spent much of his childhood in Mozambique before coming to the United States, he is the type of player that embraces the Southern California scene and isn’t intimidated by the urban environment. Zandamela is the second USC commit from Clearwater or have you forgotten safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. from Clearwater High?
Four-star offensive lineman Jason Zandamela has committed to USC for the class of 2024.
(Photo above by Chad Simmons/On3)
Zandamela appears to be either a center or guard in the future and says that former Trojans center Brett Neilon is a player he has followed and learned from. The key, of course, is holding on to Zandamela as Florida State was thought to have had a massive lead before Jason took his official visit to USC last weekend. It’s a long way until the signing period, but this kid seems very intent on being a Trojan and gives no sign of future shopping.
The Obvious: It appeared that the Trojans were on the verge of landing the nation’s No. 1 running back Taylor Tatum until the nation’s No. 1 back visited Oklahoma last weekend.
The Not So Obvious: After last weekend, Tatum said the Sooners made a big impression and after all, Norman is a lot closer and similar to his Texas home in Longview than Los Angeles. The Sooners have given Tatum some food for thought. It appears that this recruiting war is between USC football and Oklahoma baseball, according to WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader. For the record, reports are that Tatum’s first love is baseball for take that for what it’s worth. One thing is for sure, Oklahoma will not give up recruiting the kid until that letter of intent is signed one way or another. This is shaking down as a major recruiting war between the Trojans and the Sooners with no announcement date in sight.
The Trojans now appear to be locked in a recruiting battle with Oklahoma for RB Taylor Tatum from Longview, Texas.
(Photo above by EJ Holland/On3)
The Obvious: Earlier, the Trojans missed out on class of 2024 No. 1 quarterback Dylan Raiola, who committed to Georgia, and reportedly is moving to the state of Georgia to finish his prep education at national powerhouse Buford High.
The Not So Obvious: As you are probably aware, before Georgia, Raiola had committed to Ohio State. Is it possible that Troy could end up being a bridesmaid for both the No. 1 quarterback and running back, as well? Such is the peril of national recruiting. The Trojans are doing just fine if they don’t get Tatum or Raiola, but getting Tatum would be certainly welcomed now that another USC running back recruit, Texan Nathaniel Palmer has committed to TCU, which may have been a case that this kid thought that Taylor was going to USC and by numbers was being squeezed out.
The Obvious: The Trojans have gotten commits from other out-of-state class of 2024 stars like TE Walter Matthew (Hiram, Georgia), Edge Kameryn Fountain (Atlanta, Georgia), TE Joey Olsen (Lakeridge, Oregon), LB Elijah Newby (Cheshire, Connecticut), S Jarvis Boatwright Jr. (Clearwater, Florida), RB Bryan Jackson (McKinney, Texas), and OT Hayden Treter (Englewood, Colorado).
The Not So Obvious: It figures there will be more out-of-state commits and the key will be able to hold on to them from programs that would hate to see USC get a stronghold in that regional area. With the new world of recruiting where families can come along for an official visit and eventually attend games with the help of some NIL assistance, it’s easier to hold on to recruits. As they say, win over mama and a high percentage of winning over a recruit has been accomplished.
Edge Kameryn Fountain of Atlanta, Georgia, has committed to the Trojans.
(Photo above by Matt Ray/Volquest)
The Obvious: While getting out-of-state players is a major bonus for USC, the lifeline of its roster needs to be getting great high school prospects on the West Coast – specifically Southern California – to stay home and play for the Trojans.
The Not So Obvious: Moving to the Big Ten has made a significant impact on local recruits, but it’s not a major insurance policy to keep SoCal prospects from heading out of town to continue their football careers in college. However, there’s still going to be the ongoing fight to keep local players from the jaws of the Big Ten and the SEC. We know that because on Thursday night St. John Bosco linebacker Jordan Lockhart, who many thought might commit to USC and was scheduled to visit this weekend, made a pledge to Texas A&M, spurning both the Trojans and the Big Ten for the Aggies and the SEC.
The Obvious: And finally, the class of 2024 will continue to evolve with each passing month with either new commitments or the possibility of decommitments.
The Not So Obvious: One thing, however, is for certain; the only sure recruiting commitment is a signed signature on a national letter of intent in December or February. Only then will there be no more speculation.
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