Ohonba drops a bombshell

Not a TrojanSports subscriber? Sign up and gain unlimited access to the most in-depth coverage of USC football and recruiting and our premium message board. CLICK HERE

USC fans received a bit of a surprise when four-star offensive tackle James Ohonba included the Trojans in his top four yesterday. That's because the 6-foot-5 and 320-pounder from Woodland HS in Stockbridge, Ga. is not a name that many USC fans are familiar with quite yet.

Today, those same fans are in for another surprise. Ohonba dropped a bombshell in an exclusive interview with TrojanSports.com. Apparently he wants to leave the Southeast for college.

"When I first got all these offers, I had the mindset of just staying in the Southeast," Ohonba told TrojanSports.com. "But as of recent, I've just been thinking, I don't think I want to stay in the Southeast in college. I want to try something new in my life and a chance to play in Los Angeles, at USC, in California, it's a great opportunity. The coach told me about the education they have. If I'm able to visit them it would be a great time and experience."

Michigan and USC are the two schools in Ohonba's top four located outside the region. So maybe this all means he could end up as a Trojan. But this high interest in USC is all pretty recent though. Ohonba admits he was unfamiliar with the Trojans until they started recruiting him.

"Before they offered me, I didn't really know too much about USC," Ohonba said. "People might know brief information about every school and that's what I knew about them. When I started gaining interest, it's the fact that it's in California, a big populous state. It's just a new look for me, to see if I could fit in there, if I were to visit up there, see how I'd be growing up there."

Even though it's only May, Ohonba's interest in USC is a big deal. The 6-foot-5 and 320-pound prospect is being recruited by schools all across the country. USC is showing national appeal by making big moves for this big man. And the Trojans have made these moves quickly. USC just started recruiting Ohonba.

"It's real recent," Ohonba said when asked about his first contact with USC.

In fact, a scholarship offer from USC came very, very recently.

"They did over the phone but I most likely forgot to Tweet it out," Ohonba said when asked about a scholarship offer. "Maybe a little bit over a month ago maybe."

Despite the offer and two visits in the spring, the contact is recent enough that Ohonba isn't even sure which position USC envisions him playing. But he also says that doesn't matter to him.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get on the field," Ohonba said. "If I have to go play center, guard or tackle, it's whatever to me."

Ohonba is looking for more than a set position when choosing a school. And he seems to think USC offers a lot. Not only is Ohonba impressed with everything he's learned about the program, he's also impressed with Neil Callaway.

"The first person I got in touch with was Neil Callaway," Ohonba said. "And my previous head football coach, he's at another school (South Gwinnett HS) now, they coached together at UAB. He asked me about Coach (Steven) Davenport and I didn't know what he was talking about. I asked my old high school coach about him and he said he was a good dude. And Coach Callaway is also from Georgia so there could be a good connection between me and him."

Partially because of Callaway's efforts, Ohonba wants to visit USC. But he doesn't foresee an unofficial visit to Los Angeles happening anytime soon. That might be bad news for the Trojan staff because Ohonba wants to commit during the football season.

But when asked if he'll take all his official visits before making a commitment, the young football prospect says, "most likely yes."

That might mean Ohonba visits USC before he makes that commitment. But it might also not mean that at all.

"My recruitment from other schools is still open, it's not closed off to anyone," Ohonba said when asked about his top four. "Because you never know what can happen in the recruiting game. You can't cut anything off."

Since USC is so far away from Georgia, the coaching staff just hopes Ohonba will find his way to campus eventually. Maybe it does happen. Ohonba isn't worried about traveling. Obviously he said he's considering leaving home for his future schooling. He's also planning a trip to a Big Ten school this month.

"I'm supposed to be going to Michigan May 31 through June 3 or 4, just to visit up there," Ohonba said.