Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney don’t always see eye to eye. In this edition of Rival Views, the two debate whether USC can regain its in-state recruiting dominance if it moves on from Clay Helton.
TAKE TWO: Is Penn State team to beat for TE Theo Johnson?
FARRELL’S VIEW
If USC gets a big-name hire, someone like Urban Meyer or James Franklin, then recruiting will be a snap in California as most of the high profile prospects want to play at USC if it’s a powerhouse and the cool place to be. But if the Trojans have another ho-hum hire like Clay Helton, then it will be hard. Leaving the state has become too much of an option for the bigger prospects and they see they can win national titles, or at least compete for them, at places far from home.
GORNEY’S VIEW
Barring a massive hire - like Meyer or even Franklin - I find it hard to believe that USC is going to gain traction soon in California. The Trojans will always recruit well in California, but so many elite players are now talking about playing at Clemson or Alabama and that’s going to be difficult to overcome. If D.J. Uiagalelei or Justin Flowe end up at Clemson and have success, then other top prospects are only going to want to visit there as well.
Alabama has done a phenomenal job recruiting the state of California and that’s probably not going to change. USC has not developed elite players who dominated on the high school level. If the development isn’t there and the program isn’t winning on a national level, then top prospects continue to leave for places that pump out NFL players every year.
