This didn’t really feel like National Signing Day. The feeling was more of resignation.

USC hasn’t played a game in 75 days yet it’s almost as if the season extended to Wednesday, the aftershock of the Trojans’ worst campaign in 18 years effectually producing their lowest-rated recruiting class over the same period.

It was just 12 months ago that USC accumulated the highest average star ranking (4.28) for a full class in Rivals history. Each of its 18 members were either five- or four-stars. The only class ranked higher is the Trojans' 2013 class (4.42) that included only 13 players because of sanctions (and initially featured five-stars Jalen Ramsey, Eddie Vanderdoes and Max Redfield). USC had to settle for just five five-star signees that year.

As you know, I’m certainly not married to recruiting rankings. That 2013 class ultimately proved underwhelming, though the early returns from the 2018 group have been promising. Signing Day is supposed to deliver more. Amidst all the coaching turmoil in the past decade, the program's recruiting dominance has remained steadfast, offering the belief that USC's play on the field would inevitably follow suit.

Now, even hope is lacking.