USC Recruiting Roundup with Scott Schrader & Dylan Brashier (8/7)

Each week me and our impressive intern from USC’s Anneneberg School of Communications hop on Zoom. At that time we recap some of the interesting USC storylines of the week for our YouTube audience. 

Our primary focus is on recruiting, but we’ll also touch on other topics each week.

In this WeAreSC Recruiting Roundup Scott Schrader and Dylan Brashier discuss a number of the recent official visitors to take their trips to the USC campus….and much more.

Upcoming WeAreSC Visits Jaylen Harvey and the ATL

Four-Star Edge Jaylen Harvey from Quince Orchard HS in Gaithersburg (MD) isn’t a local recruit for USC, but the Trojans’ coaches are looking to continue making themselves at home in the DMV area. 

The USC staff believes the DC Metro Area will be one of the primary regions East of the Rockies to draw talent from in the coming years. Especially with the move to the B1G in 2024. Texas will be one of the others.

USC has a number of players from the Washington DC area or played high school there. Including running back MarShawn Lloyd, linebacker Shane Lee, safety Bryson Shaw, rush end Sam Greene, defensive lineman Elijah Hughes and college football’s biggest star in quarterback Caleb Williams. 

Head coach Lincoln Riley and rush end coach Roy Manning are pushing to add All-American Harvey to that growing list. 

Why it could be USC

“If it’s USC, I would say the head coach and then just all of the opportunities out there,” Harvey said. “And I don’t care where I go, I’m just trying to get on the field and that opportunity is there for me at USC.

“Coach Roy Manning is also a big factor for me with USC,” said Harvey. “He’s been recruiting me since for a year now, so the relationship is really good there. Their business program is also a big factor for me.“

4-Star Quince Orchard Edge Jaylen Harvey

How NIL and Transfer Portal Changed College Football Recruiting

The NCAA’s interim NIL policy, adopted in June 2021, has allowed college athletes to sign endorsement deals with some brands they dreamed of working with as kids. 

Gatorade has worked closely with UConn star Paige Bueckers. USC quarterback Caleb Williams was the honorary starter for NASCAR’s Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum. Even Dr Pepper has been involved, filming commercials with quarterbacks Bryce Youngand DJ Uiagalelei. 

At last month’s On3 NIL Elite Series presented by Mizuno, some of the top recruits in the nation descended on Nashville. Twenty-two of the top 100 prospects in the 2024 recruiting class made the trip. Some athletes are already able to monetize their publicity rights and ink deals as high schoolers, but most will have to wait until they enroll in college. 

On3 surveyed some of the prospects to find out what their dream NIL deals will be once they are in the college ranks. 

Five-star Clemson linebacker commit Sammy Brown: “You know, Head and Shoulders would be cool because of the mullet. That would be pretty sick to have an NIL deal with.”

Four-star Florida quarterback commit DJ Lagway: “I’m going to say Jordan. I want that Jordan deal. That’s something I’ve always looked forward to.”

Five-star offensive lineman Brandon Baker: “I would say Jordan. That would definitely be something really cool. Growing up, watching all the top athletes like Kobe [Bryant] and LeBron [James] have their own shoes. Why not me? I played basketball until I was 13, 14, so for about three years.”

Five-star defensive lineman Eddrick Houston: “Definitely Nike. Either Nike or Jordan. Just because they’re worldwide. Playing for a Nike school doesn’t matter. Having a deal with them would be great because a lot of schools are Nike, so a lot of things come in. That’s what I’ve been growing up wearing.”

Demise of the PAC-12 – What About Stanford, Cal & Oregon St.?

USC football just finished its 1st week of fall camp, yet it was overshadowed by some other news that will affect the entire college football world.

When someone blinked, half the conference jumped into the transfer portal. As we can see, it’s not only the players who are using the transfer portal, the schools are finding a way to make NIL work for them too!

USC wasn’t just the foundation for the Pac-12 Conference, they are also West Coast football’s bedrock. Trojan football is still going strong and will bring eyeballs to TV sets regardless of where they play. 

However, without an LA market, there was nothing of value left for the conference to build itself around.

Oregon and its fans believed they’re a top program because they have Phil Knight and NIKE. However, the TV executives who also like to wear fashionable suits and write big checks saw things differently. 

It was a harsh lesson in reality and a sign of how things are changing.

From the green Pacific Northwest to the deserts of Arizona and a couple of Mountains in between, the Conference of Champions has been relegated to a ghost town.

Is anyone really surprised? If you are, then you more than likely held your head in your hands praying for a Hail Mary Win like USC fans had to experience when Paul Hackett or Clay Helton was coaching the Trojans. 

George Kliavkoff made a comment on July 21st during Pac-12 football Media Day, “What we’ve seen is the longer we wait for the media deal, the better our options get.”  By August 4th, the commissioner’s Hail Mary attempt following his timeouts fell incomplete. 

The game was over. 

Still, how did the folks put in charge of the Pac-12 allow things to get out of control?

The Pac-12 Conference lost USC, UCLA, and ultimately, the waiting game.