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This was always going to be a quiet National Signing Day for USC, but the Trojans were hoping to make at least a little more noise Wednesday.
Instead, they end up with only one addition -- 3-star tight end Jack Yary, who is the son of Trojans legend Ron Yary and re-committed to USC on Monday.
The anticipation for the day, though, was built around the announcement of 4-star running back Michael Drennen II (Coffman HS/Dublin, Ohio), who maintained suspense for his final decision between USC and Kentucky.
He chose the Wildcats a little after 3:30 p.m. PT, leaving USC without the running back it needed and, more to the point, without another 4-star prospect to give its recruiting ranking at least some boost and the finish to this class at least some oomph.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Trojans were No. 64 in the Rivals rankings -- the program's previous low in the rankings, which date back to 2002, was the No. 18 finish last year. USC also ranks last among all Pac-12 teams. It's hard to dismiss those numbers.
The low ranking is in part a function of signing only 13 players (so far, at least). The Trojans were believed to have room for only 2-3 more prospects anyway due to a small departing senior class and the overall scholarship count. But more to the point, USC simply missed out on most of its top targets -- and in many cases its secondary targets -- this cycle. That's what stings.
The situation at running back serves as a prime example. Back in the spring and summer, USC was all in on 5-star RB Bijan Robinson (Tucson, Ariz.) and felt optimistic before he chose and later signed with Texas. They really coveted 3-star all-purpose back Ty Jordan (Mesquite, Texas) and looked to be the leaders for him before he committed to Texas and later flipped to Utah. There were other misses along the way too at the position before the Trojans finally gained traction with Drennen late in the cycle.
They hosted him on a positive official visit in December and went back for in-home visits in January. In the meantime, they also hosted 3-star RB Elijah Turner (Buford, Ga.) and, according to Turner, told him if Drennen passed on the spot it was his. Turner came off his visit ready to wait for the Trojans. But, he said, at some point Tuesday he was told by the USC staff that they expected to land the other RB (Drennen) and there would not be a spot for him, so he promptly committed to Charlotte and signed with the 49ers in the morning.
It's hard to know what USC was told by Drennen, what pressure Turner was facing from Charlotte to claim his spot in that class, etc. Thus, it's hard to levy a definitive judgment on how that all played out. Regardless, it's all just part of the larger narrative.
Drennen chose Kentucky. Turner was already off the table. And consequently USC has no running back in this class, as it heads into its final season with Stephen Carr and Vavae Malepeai, after which it will have two scholarship running backs (Markese Stepp and Kenan Christon) and whoever it can add in 2021.
So it went this cycle.
USC is not technically done. The Trojans remain in pursuit of QB Cade Fennegan, who is completing a two-year church mission in Argentina early this summer. He has been committed to Boise State, but his past connection with USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has him weighing his options now. No decision is expected until next week at the earliest.
But that too speaks to the trials of USC's 2020 class -- unable to recover quickly from 5-star QB Bryce Young flipping to Alabama in September, the Trojans failed to secure another quarterback in the early signing period, got beat out by Baylor for 3-star QB Blake Shapen this week and are now chasing a final lead into South America.
That really kind of sums it all up in a way.
There could be another late surprise. There could be graduate transfer additions at some point. But for now, this is where the Trojans end up -- with two 4-star signees and just one Rivals250 prospect. (Drennen would have boosted both those tallies).
-4-star WR Gary Bryant (Corona Centennial HS) -- signed and enrolled early, rated the No. 46 prospect nationally.
-4-star OL Jonah Monheim (Moorpark HS) -- signed
-3-star WR Joshua Jackson (Narbonne HS) -- signed and enrolled early
-3-star DT Kobe Pepe (St. John Bosco HS) -- signed and enrolled early
-3-star DE Tuli Tuipulotu (Lawndale HS) -- signed
-3-star DT Jamar Sekona (Marin Catholic HS/Kentfield, Calif.) -- signed
-3-star OL Courtland Ford (Cedar Hill HS/Cedar Hill, Texas) -- signed
-3-star OL Casey Collier (Barbers Hill HS/Mont Belvieu, Texas) -- signed
-3-star OL Andrew Milek (Brophy Prep/Chandler, Ariz.) -- signed
-3-star OL Caadyn Stephen (Camas HS/Camas, Wash.) -- signed
-3-star OL Andres Dewerk (Los Gatos HS/Los Gatos, Calif.) -- signed
-3-star TE Jack Yary (Murrieta Valley HS) -- signed
-2-star K Parker Lewis (Saguaro HS/Scottsdale, Ariz.) -- signed and enrolled early
**USC also has commitments from preferred walk-ons LB Danny Lockhart (St. John Bosco HS) and RB Matt Colombo (St. John Bosco).
USC coach Clay Helton was not made available to media Wednesday, like he usually is on every early signing period and February National Signing Day. But he did join the Rivals live NSD show and offer a few comments on the class.
He again touted the needs the Trojans filled on the offensive line, he raved about Bryant's playmaking ability and potential as a punt and kick returner, and he suggested that USC actually wanted to leave these final spots open for transfers.
Clearly, the Trojans preferred to land Drennen and a quarterback.
"We held right at 83 [scholarships overall]. We saw exactly last year if you remember, and it was in the month of May that we were able to acquire [transfers] Bru McCoy, Chris Steele and our starting right tackle in Drew Richmond, who was a graduate transfer from Tennessee. So to be able to acquire that level of talent in the [transfer] portal, I think it's become another avenue for NCAA football teams to be able to say, 'OK, where are we after spring?'" Helton said. "Sometime you get injuries and all of a sudden a position of depth becomes a position of need because of injuries, and the portal is almost like free agency for the NFL. ... We're doing the same with these last two scholarships."
USC used to get the players it needed during the recruiting cycle itself.
Helton had already faced the tough questions about this recruiting process back in December, sticking to his talking points then as well. In the end, what more is he going to say?
As for a final assessment, Helton's point about addressing a need with the six offensive line signees (and three defensive line signees) is fair. The Trojans badly needed the numbers there, particularly on the OL, and with 4-star Jonah Monheim and some intriguing potential among the other signees at that spot, that was a positive. As was the addition of Bryant, who finishes ranked in the top 50 nationally among 2020 prospects and could make an immediate impact next fall.
"[Bryant and fellow WR Joshua Jackson] just win their one-on-one matchups with their speed," Helton said Wednesday. "But Gary also does something else -- I think he has great return ability, and that's something that we look forward to acquiring in the future as a punt returner/kicker returner."
But even with the most optimistic expectation for the signees, that's only part of the final ledger. Again, the Trojans missed on their top QB targets. As noted, they missed out at running back. They bring in no defensive backs or linebackers either.
Fans will remain relentless in referencing USC athletic director Mike Bohn's comments from December -- after announcing Helton would remain as head coach -- that recruiting was going better than anyone realized and that the Trojans had several silent commits in the fold. (TrojanSports.com independently verified three of those silent commits, two of which ended up elsewhere. So he wasn't wrong on that specific point in the moment -- but, no, it shouldn't have been said.)
Ultimately, Bohn's comments only further serve to inflame the disappointment among the fan base for the end result.
That doesn't besmirch the talent included among those 13 signees. That isn't a commentary on the individuals. The players USC did manage to sign carry varying degrees of intriguing and real upside.
Collectively, it simply isn't a typical USC recruiting cycle -- or even what would be expected of one in a smaller class like this. But given that the program remains stocked with a wealth of talent at most positions and this was always going to be a small class regardless, it can be overcome if the Trojans deliver a big 2021 haul.
That's the ultimate "if", of course. USC has to flip the narrative immediately.
To that point, Helton talked about the big Junior Day event the program hosted on campus last weekend for 2021, 2022 and beyond prospects.
"There's a great energy that's going around our place right now," he stated. "It was a great Junior Day. I think this place sells itself. When you have quality people in the building and you have USC and the brand of USC, the quality of education, the athletic tradition that this place [has], this is always going to be a special place for our West Coast kids."
Those comments were meant to frame the outside perception of the program, but they won't sit well with USC fans.
That's the way it used to be, indeed. That's what those fans expect it be, for sure. But the singular takeaway from this 2020 recruiting cycle is that USC will not simply recruit itself like might have been the case in years past.
It's going to take way more than that -- it's going to take the coaching staff realizing it takes way more than that -- and the next six to 10 months will render the ultimate verdict on whether this yet-again-reshuffled staff can pull it off, can once again find a way to close the deal on top prospects and make sure one down year doesn't in fact become the new norm.
The fans surely have their doubts, but it's the recruits' opinions that matter. Can additional resources on the recruiting staff, a more engaged recruiter at defensive coordinator in Todd Orlando, whatever subsequent staff hires follow and a full allotment of scholarships in 2021 make the difference?
The short-term future of this program and, well, any future for this coaching staff hinges on it.