USC Recruiting Notebook: St. Brown puts on a show in big Mater Dei victory

In a battle between two of the nation’s top teams, No. 1-ranked Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei took down Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco 31-21 at El Camino College this past Friday night, and one major reason why was the outstanding performance by Amon-Ra St. Brown. The Braves defense had no answer for the prolific wide receiver as he caught eight passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and he also returned a punt 51 yards for a score.

“This one is big,” St. Brown said of the Monarchs victory. “To play against Bosco, I mean, they’re one of the best teams in the nation, and a Trinity league rival for us. So, to come out and beat them is huge for us as a team.”

Since returning to action after missing the first three contests of the season due to a finger injury, St. Brown has been on a tear over the course of the last four games, compiling 24 receptions for 462 yards and eight touchdowns, and further staking his claim as the top wide receiver prospect in the Class of 2018.

Not surprisingly, St. Brown has his pick of virtually every top-flight program around, and he just took his first official visit to Michigan a week-and-a-half ago.

“It was real fun,” said St. Brown of the Midwest trip. “To be at the Big House, I’ve never been in such a big stadium in my life. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, Coach [Pep] Hamilton, Coach [Joe] Hastings, I love all of them. They’re great coaches. It’s just a great vibe out there.”

St. Brown has another official visit coming up this weekend to the school that his brother, Equanimeous, currently plays for, and he also has some other programs in mind for his remaining three trips.

“I have Notre Dame next,” St. Brown said. “Stanford, USC – they do those after the season, so I’m going to try to do those after – and then possibly UCLA.”

St. Brown will get to see the Fighting Irish in action against the Trojans while in South Bend this weekend. He has maintained near-constant contact with Trojans head coach Clay Helton and wide receivers coach Tee Martin, and he doesn’t hide the fact that USC is definitely a school that is in the running for his services.

“It’s home,” St. Brown said. “That’s always good to be close to home in Southern California. They have a great education, great coaches, I love Coach Helton, I love the players. I like USC.”

St. Brown previously saw USC play in person this fall when he took in the Trojans’ victory over Stanford, where his other brother, Osiris, plays, and he came away impressed.

“The last game that I saw from USC was the Stanford game,” St. Brown said. “It was a good game. They hadn’t beat Stanford in a while, so to beat Stanford was huge for them. They have a dynamic offense.”

One factor that could wind up helping USC’s efforts out when it comes to St. Brown’s recruitment is the fact that his highly touted teammate, Class of 2019 quarterback JT Daniels, has already given a verbal pledge to the Trojans.

“You could say maybe a little,” St. Brown said. “To play with a good quarterback is huge I think, because he’s the guy that can get you the ball. So, going to a school that is going to have a good quarterback, or that has one already, is going to be huge for me because I don’t want to go somewhere where I can’t get the ball.”

But that’s not all that St. Brown is looking for.

“Definitely education is huge,” said St. Brown, who plans to major in business. “A fair chance to play early. No coach can guarantee a spot as a freshman, but all I ask for is a fair chance, so if I’m the better player, I think I should play over the senior. And then finally, just the players around me.”

With Osiris at Stanford, and Equanimeous at Notre Dame, St. Brown admits that the idea of playing with either one of them is appealing, but it won’t be a decisive factor.

“Osiris being at Stanford, that would be pretty cool for me to play with my brother,” St. Brown said. “Or at Notre Dame, if [Equanimeous] stays another year, and I get to play my freshman year, that would be nice to. But they understand, and so do I, that I’m going to do what’s best for me at the end of the day, whether that’s playing with them or not.”

St. Brown plans to announce his final decision at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas on Jan. 6.

Scouting Report

Jt Daniels (6’2” | 200)
Scout Rank: #1 QB #1 Overall
Amon-Ra St. Brown (6’1” | 187)
Scout Rank: #1 WR #4 Overall
Game Scouted: Mater Dei vs. St john Bosco (10/13/17)

Mater Dei Quarterback and USC commit JT Daniels shined for the Monarchs on friday night going 18/24 with 326 yards and 2 touchdowns while showing his explosive speed and playmaking ability. Daniels also showed poise and great leadership, as well as his great accuracy and arm strength in a thrilling (31-21) victory over a always tough St John Bosco team. USC target and five star recruit Amon-Ra St Brown also helped lead the Monarchs with 8 receptions for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns and one 51 yard punt return touchdown in the win. Amon-Ra St. Brown is always a big factor in the Monarch offense and showed why he is the #1 WR in the country. St Brown possesses great route running skills, strong hands, and a great overall skillset that could put him in a starting spot for a division 1 team of his choosing as a true freshman next year. – Kyle Paskwietz

News and notes

– Bryan Addison (Gardena, Calif./Serra) released a new top 5 late last week, and USC did not make the cut. The Class of 2018 safety/wide receiver listed Nebraska, UCLA, Arizona State, Michigan and Arizona as his favorites.

– Class of 2018 tight end Mustapha Muhammad (Missouri City, Texas/Ridge Point) has set his commitment date for this coming Friday at 4:30 (PST). He has taken one official visit to UCLA, and he has taken a number of unofficial visits to Michigan. Clemson, LSU, Texas and USC are also thought to be in the running.

– In addition to St. Brown, his linebacker teammate and fellow USC target Solomon Tuliaupupu will also be taking an official visit to Notre Dame this weekend to see the Fighting Irish in action against the Trojans as well.

A look at the stats some USC recruits recorded in their games this past weekend

 

Class of 2018

* CB Marcus Johnson (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) – USC commit

– Had three receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown, two tackles and one pass deflection in a 63-7 victory over Brea (Calif.) Olinda.

 

* LB Raymond Scott (Harbor City, Calif./Narbonne) – USC commit

– Compiled six tackles (all solo) including two for a loss, two quarterback hurries, and he also caught a pass for a two-point conversion in a 51-0 victory over Wilmington (Calif.) Banning.

 

* S Halid Djibril (Los Angeles, Calif./Cathedral)

– Had 10 tackles (8 solo) in a 24-7 victory over Santa Fe Springs (Calif.) St. Paul.

 

* S Julius Irvin (Anaheim, Calif./Servite)

– Had two receptions for 72 yards and one touchdown and seven tackles (6 solo) in a 51-28 loss to Rancho Santa Margarita (Calif.) Santa Margarita Catholic.

 

* WR John Jackson (Gardena, Calif./Serra)

– Caught five passes for 52 yards and one touchdown in a 44-22 victory over Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame.

 

* LB Merlin Robertson (Gardena, Calif./Serra)

– Had 12 tackles (6 solo) including two for a loss in the victory over Notre Dame.

 

* WR Kobe Smith (Gardena, Calif./Serra)

– Had seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown in the victory over Notre Dame.

 

* LB Solomon Tuliaupupu (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei)

– Had five tackles (4 solo) including 4.5 for a loss and 2.5 sacks in the victory over St. John Bosco.

 

Class of 2019

* QB JT Daniels (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) – USC commit

– Completed 18 of 24 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, and he also rushed for 97 yards on eight carries in the victory over St. John Bosco.

 

* LB/RB De’Gabriel Floyd (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley) – USC commit

– Completed 2 of 3 passes for 76 yards and one touchdown, and he had five tackles (4 solo) in a 48-7 loss to Valencia (Calif.).

 

* CB Jeremiah Criddell (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga)

– Caught two passes for 40 yards and one touchdown in a 48-0 victory over Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) Los Osos.

 

* WR Josh Delgado (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco)

– Caught three passes for 105 yards and one touchdown in the loss to Mater Dei.

 

* RB Sean Dollars (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga)

– Had 11 carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns, and he also caught two passes for 115 yards and one more touchdown in a victory over Los Osos.

 

* WR Kyle Ford (Orange, Calif./Lutheran)

– Caught nine passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-21 loss to San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) JSerra.

 

* LB Mase Funa (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei)

– Had four tackles (3 solo) including one sack in the victory over St. John Bosco.

 

* WR Bru McCoy (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei)

– Caught two passes for 56 yards, and he also had five tackles (all solo) including two for a loss and one sack in the victory over St. John Bosco.

 

* WR Mycah Pittman (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas)

– Had nine receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns in a 26-14 loss to Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon.

 

Class of 2020

* LB Justin Flowe (Upland, Calif./Upland)

– Had eight tackles in a 49-8 victory over La Verne (Calif.) Damien.

 

* LB Justin Houston (Gardena, Calif./Serra)

– Had five tackles in the victory over Notre Dame.

 

* QB D.J. Uiagalelei (Bellflower, Calif./St. John Bosco)

– Completed 12 of 22 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the loss to Mater Dei.

 

* WR Johnny Wilson (Calabasas, Calif./Calabasas)

– Caught six passes for 123 yards in the loss to Sierra Canyon.

 

* QB Bryce Young (Los Angeles, Calif./Cathedral)

– Completed 23 of 32 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns in the victory over St. Paul.