Clay Helton on USC's early signing class: 'It's not over till February'
Every signing day is shaped by the unknowns, the prospects who wait till the spotlight is at its brightest to announce their college choice.
For USC coach Clay Helton, he felt the Trojans' early signing haul got a bump from two such decisions in particular.
Four-star defensive end/outside linebacker Drake Jackson (Centennial HS/Corona, Calif.) announced Wednesday he was signing with USC over Arizona State, and JUCO defensive lineman Nick Figueroa (Riverside Community College) chose the Trojans over UCLA and Tennessee.
"A lot of the others we kind of knew about, that had been committed to us for a while that stayed true. I was proud of that. But I think Drake and Nick down the stretch there, those were two fights for us down the stretch," Helton said.
Especially Jackson, he noted.
"It went all the way up to today," Helton said. "You always felt good about it, and Drake and his family are tremendous people. We knew the Trojan family was in their heart, and at the end of the day we're so glad to have them."
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That's not to at all say USC landed all of its pivotal targets. In the lead-up to this early signing period, the Trojans were beat for some key local prospects by the likes of Washington (4-star CB Trent McDuffie and 4-star DE/OLB Laiatu Latu), UCLA (4-star OT Sean Rhyan), Oregon (4-star LB/DE Mase Funa) among others.
The Trojans are ranked No. 21 in the Rivals' team recruiting rankings (up from No. 34 at the start of the day), and while coaches or fans can debate the merits of star ratings, the reality is USC has only twice finished outside the top-10 in the Rivals rankings (13th in both 2002 and 2013) as far back as the records go to 2002.
That, of course, is not what Helton chooses to fixate on in assessing this class.
Helton's perspective
Essentially, Helton thinks its unfair to apply recruiting rankings to evaluate an incomplete class.
"I would warn you too, think about last year at this time. We had only signed 10 kids and there were 8 kids to go," Helton said. "How about we just sign kids rather than fight for Amon-Ra St. Brown or Isaac Taylor-Stuart or Olaijah Griffin or those type of bodies -- those were 5-star kids. So you have to make a determination at this period of time. Are you just going to sign kids to sign kids or are you going to leave those open spots for those guys that are, they're pretty talented out there. And we all know who's out there, and there's some big-name guys."
The big names still out there, of course, are 5-star athlete Bru McCoy (Mater Dei HS), 5-star cornerback Chris Steele (St. John Bosco HS), 4-star wide receiver Kyle Ford (Orange Lutheran HS), 4-star offensive tackle Enokk Vimahi (Kahuku HS/Kahuku, Hawaii) and 4-star defensive back Noa Pola-Gates (Williams Field HS/Gilbert, Ariz.).
"There's a lot of work still to do," Helton said. "And typical of the West coast, a lot of the West coast recruits wait until February to sign. It reminds me a lot of last year at this time, so it's halfway through -- it's a good halfway breaking point. We'll catch our breath for Christmas, and then it's time to move on and have a great January of recruiting."
Helton was asked how different it was selling the program coming off a 5-7 season versus coming off a Pac-12 title or a Rose Bowl championship as in recent years.
He, of course, dismissed the notion, but it's probably not coincidence that USC finished third in the Rivals recruiting rankings last year and sixth the year before.
"This is an easy product [to sell]. It's USC," Helton said. "I mean, it's the 15th academic-ranked university in the country. You look at all the majors that are here, you look at the strength of the Trojan family -- it's not a hard sell. And you look at the football program as a whole. ...
"It's one of those things that at the end of the day people see the big picture, and the people that signed with us today get it. They're into it for the 40, 50, 60 years of what it means to be a Trojan and be part of the Trojan family."
The class so far
As for the class, USC signed 18 players Wednesday. That includes nine early enrollees, of which four will count against the Trojans' 2018 scholarship limit. The Trojans presently have eight scholarships available under the 85 cap, but pending the usual offseason attrition they have room to potentially still bring in more players than that in February.
The pressing needs for the program in this class were in the secondary and on the offensive line.
USC signed three defensive backs in 4-star corner Max Williams (Gardena Serra HS), versatile 3-star Trey Davis (Federal Way HS/Federal Way, Wash.) and 3-star safety Briton Allen (IMG Academy/Orlando, Fla.), who was committed to Georgia Tech before flipping on Wednesday.
"I love the three men that we signed today," Helton said. "I think Briton Allen brings great physicality at the strong safety position. Then I look at Max Williams. He's kind of a version of Adoree' [Jackson] -- just that unbelievable athlete -- or an Ajene Harris. An unbelievable athlete that can play nickel or corner. And Trey Davis was kind of the wildcard in the whole thing. I'll be honest with you, we really lucked into that. ...
"He came to camp and just lit the world on fire. We were lucky enough to keep him committed. He's kind of like a Chase Williams -- you can put this kid at corner, at nickel, at safety. He's got the physicality of a safety, but has the coverage skills of a corner or nickel. And that's pretty special."
The Trojans were in play for another 3-star DB prospect who went elsewhere Wednesday -- Chris Roland (Arizona). And given the their significant personnel losses at corner, nickel and safety, the Trojans will need to further bolster this spot by February -- landing Pola-Gates would be a major help
As for the offensive line, USC signed 4-star tackle Jason Rodriguez (Oak Hills HS/Hesperia, Calif.), 3-star guard Gino Quinones (St. Louis School/Honolulu, Hawaii) -- who could also end up on the defensive line -- and 2-star guard Tilini Livai (Narbonne HS). The Trojans look to have a good shot at adding Vimahi, the 4-star tackle from Kahuku, Hawaii, still.
Elsewhere on offense, USC signed 3-star QB Kedon Slovis (Desert Mountain HS/Scottsdale, Ariz.), 3-star running back Kenan Christon (Madison HS/San Diego), 4-star tight ends Jude Wolfe (St. John Bosco HS) and Ethan Rae (Orange Lutheran HS), 4-star wide receiver Drake London (Moorpark HS) and 3-star wide receiver Munir McClain (JSerra HS).
Of Christon, Helton said this :"He was our home run hitter. You're talking about a 10.5 100-meter guy that has amazing track speed and it transfers onto the football field. What he's done his junior and senior year, he's one of those guys that you hold your breath when he gets the ball."
The Trojans also have commitments from 3-star running back Jordan Wilmore (Lawndale HS) and 4-star wide receiver Puka Nacua (Orem HS/Orem, Utah), who are not signing this week.
Elsewhere on the defensive side, USC scored a big addition Wednesday with 4-star inside linebacker Ralen Goforth's (St. John Bosco HS) announcement that he had chosen the Trojans over UCLA. They also locked up 4-star inside linebacker Maninoa Tufono (Punahou School/Honolulu, Hawaii), who was uncertain whether he would be signing this week or in February. And they rounded out their linebacker haul with 3-star versatile prospect Stanley Ta'ufo'ou (Grace Brethren HS).
And on the defensive line, they surprised most everybody by signing 3-star defensive tackle Dejon Benton (Pittsburg HS/Oakland, Calif.), who was committed to Washington State until he flipped. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound prospect joins the aforementioned Jackson and Figueroa on the line.
"Tremendous quick-twitch run-stopper. We were extremely impressed with him," Helton said of Benton. "He was a guy that we really made a late push for and we're able to get him in the Trojan family."
Helton believes the 6-foot-5, 275-pound Figueroa can play at multiple spots on the line and provide value as both a pass rusher and run stopper.
As for Jackson, he said this: "One of the unique body types that is out there -- kind of a hybrid outside linebacker, D-end, can stand up, put his hand on the ground, a really unique pass rusher."
"It's not over till February," Helton added. "This is the halfway point. Last year we had 10 and then we signed eight more. This year we have 18 and we have the ability to sign a lot more. So I'm looking forward to January and continuing finalizing this class."