10 QUESTIONS: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Mike Matthews, Zabien Brown, Taylor Tatum, Aydin Breland + More
On Sunday Night (7/2), our Subscribers submitted questions for THE LATEST edition of the WeAreSC Football AND Recruiting Q&A.
This is a feature we did weekly throughout the season and will continue up until the February 1, 2024 signing period.
All questions were submitted on our “WeAreSC Members Only” Forum.
WEARESC SUBSCRIBER QUESTIONS
If you had to guess… after Marquise Lightfoot, whose the next USC target to announce?
If Zabien Brown has set a July 9 commitment announcement date, as of Monday July 3 at 10:30am ET, he’ll be the next to announce after DL Marquise Lightfoot. Taylor Tatum said he may announce around July 15, but nothing set. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will be later this month.
Who is one high school recruit in the class that will get a ratings bump in the next update?
I’m not involved at all with rankings and don’t spend much time talking to our Director of Scouting & Rankings Charles Power, but I’ve got a couple of names for you. Have no idea when the bump will happen, but my guess is it will happen.
Deyvid Palepale is ranked No. 723 and there is no way there are more than 300 kids better than him in my honest opinion. This dude is an athletic freak with tremendous size. He’s akin who could come in and do what Sam Greene did in the Spring. Whether he gets to the On300 mark is not known, but I expect a lot of movement upward with him down the road.
Was their a change in recruiting philosophy by the SC staff from last year to now?
Not really a change in philosophy, the staff is just that much more educated on USC, Los Angeles and all they can sell to recruits and their families. Improving from 4-8 to 11-1 during the regular season also matters significantly.
Here’s a excerpt from an interview we did with Lincoln Riley a few months back.
“The biggest change has been the (transfer) portal. That has affected everyone. Coaches, high school players and college players. It’s changed support staffs, Because you need a staff in place to evaluate those guys. It’s sort of the like the Pro Model, where they have a college scouting and professional scouting department.
“Now the number of high school spots you take are less, because everyone will do something with the portal. Whether it’s taking a couple of guys or trying to overhaul a roster like we have. We’ve obviously been very aggressive with it. It’s amazing how much attention it gets. If you watch the NFL Draft, people are sometimes just as interested in how you construct teams as with how they play.”
Any recent news on Aydin Breland making an official visit in the fall?
All I can add is Aydin Breland told me he plans to take a USC official visit in the Fall. Fall won’t happen for a minute.
In the long run, does USC want to keep dominating the portal, or would they prefer to improve HS recruiting to the point where the portal isn’t needed to the same extent as it is now?
Going forward USC fans should expect the Trojans to complement their high school classes with transfers. Transfers won’t be a primary source of talent for USC. It was year one and somewhat year two, because the roster needed a significant overhaul.
With USC losing Jordan Lockhart and Tyanthony Smith to A&M, KVA is 50%, in your opinion does USC try to recruit Dylan Williams more? Or it’s not that urgent to get one in this cycle since there’s a Portal and a very strong LB class next year?
2025 California LB class: Noah Mikhail, Madden Faraimo, Nasir Wyatt (might be a Roy Manning guy).
You should expect USC to not close the door with recruiting Dylan Williams or Jordan Lockhart. Nasir Wyatt is an OLB, Edge.
What are the upcoming travel plans for July Scott?
I’ll be in the Washington DC area, then Atlanta and after that likely IMG Academy. No other plans at this point, other than a short trip to NorCal.
Do you believe USC’s recruiting momentum is slowing down and won’t pick up till the NSD. Seems like we aren’t leading for majority of our targets left.
Momentum was obviously bound to slow down with the arrival of the July “Dead Period.” There will be a few commitment announcements this month and possibly a few visits late this month. After that, I would expect a quiet period.
Do Tatum, Brown and KVA all still plan on committing at some point this month? Also, anyone else I missed that could be committing this month that’s in play?
Brown and Viliamu-Asa have firm plans to announce this month, Tatum has mentioned a possible mid July announcement.
Are we 100% done with the 2023 class? Does the staff feel like we have gaps? And if so what are the options to bring talent in before the season starts?
I’ve heard zero talk about USC searching for possible transfers.
What is your best guess the last RB and OL USC will sign in this class?
Until Taylor Tatum commits elsewhere, he’s the guy at running back. No idea with offensive linemen. If Tatum ends up at Oklahoma, Derrick McFall from Tyler (TX) is a possible offer. Tyler is really close to Longview where Tatum lives.
What player(s) committed elsewhere is the staff still actively recruiting to get them to flip?
St. John Bosco 4-Star Safety Peyton Woodyard. There could be others, but they’re definitely on Peyton.
Who are the guys USC is pursuing/will pivot to who aren’t committing this Summer? Any guys likely to take Fall Official Visits?
Aydin Breland and Jericho Johnson are a couple of top defensive line targets planning to take USC officials in the fall.
How many players from this year team will get drafted this year?
At some point we’ll likely write an article on this topic.
As a professional, are there new things about the recruiting process or this generation of recruits that you’ve gleaned from this year’s cycle (e.g. how kids communicate, changes in how involved parents are, the role of campus life in the decision-making in the decision-making process)?
Haven’t really noticed anything significantly different as of today. There are obviously new items to focus on and gain knowledge about, but that’ll be true five years from now and five years after that. NIL is the biggest change the last five years. For some it’s far more important than for others, but it’s a topic for most elite prospects….and should be.
SS do you feel the new recruiting antics of USC “commit now or possibly lose your spot” is going to pan out for the program as a whole when guys like Breland/Johnson and the like are still available, but USC has filled their quota(s) on that position?
Up to the end of Spring, USC had identified the top guys they felt had strong interest in USC. Made arrangements for as many as possible to take official visits prior to July 1. So, it’s not like the Trojans have an extremely large number of guys who didn’t visit. It’s a rather short list.
Now USC will continue to recruits guys, committed or uncommitted, they feel there’s a shot with. New targets will be evaluated, offered and ultimately some will also visit. “We got a long way to and a short time to get there”….as the song from Smokey and the Bandit goes. By Jerry Reed.
Scott…of the remaining targets, which specific one would YOU personally like to see commit?
From a selfish standpoint, I want to see Kyngstonn balling at the Coliseum on Saturdays in the Fall….cuz that’s where I’m at on Saturdays in the Fall lol.
Do you feel positive about Mike Mathews?
USC and Tennessee for Mike Matthews is what I’m hearing. USC definitely has a shot.
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