A commitment without the hype
Houston (Texas) Alief Taylor four-star defensive end Torrodney Prevot's nickname on Twitter is "Creating The Hype", but Saturday afternoon, he broke some huge news without creating any hype at all.
By Sunday, he was ready to announce his college decision to the world.
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"I just feel like USC is perfect for me," said Prevot. "It's a great education, the football team has a great background and it's a school the sets me up for life after football.
"The weather is beautiful, there is playing time available and it's just a wonderful school."
No press conference, no television coverage and no media hype. Prevot selects USC over scholarship offers from 23 schools, including the likes of LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, Oregon and Cal.
Earlier this month, he trimmed his list of college choices to LSU, Texas A&M, Oregon, USC and Cal, setting his official visit date for Los Angeles on Nov. 4.
Prevot already spent two days in Los Angeles this summer at the Trojans Rising Stars Camp.
"USC was just beautiful," Prevot said. "It's L.A., so you already know the weather is going to be great year around. But the whole school was great and I really like the coaching staff. USC is one of the top schools in the nation academically and the same goes for the football program.
"I met the players when I was out there for the camp and felt comfortable around them. They were really cool and down to earth."
Education was a big part of Prevot's decision, and his goals as a student-athlete were mapped out by his uncle, Robin Toy.
A junior high school teacher, Toy was diligent in researching all of Prevot's college choices.
"USC has a standard of excellence and achievement," said Toy. "It's a part of who Torrodney is because he has those same core values. Those values are represented by USC, and the school has a history of that.
"Priority No. 1 for us was education and what type of academic standards each school had. What type of tutoring and internships would be available to him. We really looked at the core academic infrastructure of each school.
"We want his athleticism to be a segue to attaining those goals. Torrodney wants to attain his bachelors, but then he also wants his masters."
Prevot was measured 6-foot-3 and weighed in at 201-pounds at The Opening two weeks ago. He was timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.67. His shuttle time was good at 4.25. He recorded 33.1-inch vertical and his powerball was 44.0 for a SPARQ total of 113.43.
Unfortunately, Prevot was sidelined after injuring his ankle in testing. Before making the trip to Oregon, Prevot attended the Rivals.com Five Star Challenge in Atlanta (Ga.).
It was during registration at that event, the USC coaching staff made a brilliant move to set their recruitment apart from the 20 other schools pursing Prevot.
"First, I lost my wallet on my flight to Atlanta, so I was stressing out about that," recalled Prevot. "Then, when I arrived at the hotel, I get a letter.
"It said, 'Torrodney have a great weekend at the Five Star Challenge. The Trojans are fired up that you are coming to the Rising Stars Camp. See you next week. Fight On, Coach O.'
"That letter really made my day. It wasn't a huge deal, but it was cool. It was just nice to know the coaches were thinking about me. When I went out to the Rising Stars Camp, I got a lot of one-on-one time with the coaches. They showed me they really wanted me and I feel USC is a great fit for me."
USCFootball.com will have much more from Torrodney Prevot in our in-depth premium story to follow.
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