You may not know this, but yesterday was arguably the most important day of the year for college football fans, namely National Letter of Intent Day. This is the day when high school and JC recruits are able to sign their letters of intent to play for the college of their choice.
The national champion USC Trojans unsurprisingly garnered the #1 class in the country for the second year in a row. But even the #1 ranking doesn't quite do it justice. This year's class is one of the greatest ever assembled in the history of college football recruiting.
On the star rating system (1-5 stars), a 5 star rating signifies a player in the top 25 in the country (all positions), and a 4 star rating indicates top 200. USC received commitments from SEVEN five star players, four from high school and three from the JC ranks. SIX other recruits have 4 stars.
The geographical breadth of the class is also stunning:
(1) USC signed Jeff Byers out of Colorado. He is the #1 OL prospect in the country and considered by many to be the best player in the country. He's said to be the best OL coming out of high school in the past five years. I watched one video in which he pancacked 4 players in a single play. Absolutely incredible.
(2) They signed Keith Rivers out of Florida; Keith is one of the best, if not the best, LB prospects in the country. He will be wearing #55, the number of past Trojan LB legends. He turned down the Florida schools to play for USC.
Are you familiar with Mike Williams? USC picked up two just like him...
(3) They signed Fred Davis out of Ohio -- one of the best WR's in the country. Fred picked USC over local Ohio State and Miami, FL. He's a 6'4" freak.
(4) They also signed Dwayne Jarrett out of New Jersey, another top WR recruit. Dwayne also picked USC over Ohio State. He's also a 6'4" freak.
Coach Pete Carroll has not only restored the success USC enjoyed in the late 1960's and 1970's under McKay and Robinson, but there is a genuine question whether he will exceed even those golden years. The recruiting success he has enjoyed and the innovation he has brought to both offensive and defensive schemes are truly unprecedented. He hasn't lost at home in over two years. He has won 21 of the last 22 games, with all wins coming by more that 7 points. He has never lost a game by more than 7 points. He has signed two consecutive #1 classes and won a national championship, and his team will be preseason #1 next year. So long as he stays at USC and keeps his staff together (especially offensive coordinator Norm Chow), the sky is the limit.
1:43:56 AM 
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