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Question of the Day
Today's poll question is simple. As the offseason overhaul of the USC football program continues to unfold, with the announcement Wednesday that the Trojans have hired away two key video staffers from LSU to boost their creative department, following the complete turnover of the defensive and special teams staff, what is your satisfaction level with new athletic director Mike Bohn, senior associate AD Brandon Sosna and Co. so far?
**Go to the Trojan Talk board to vote and track the live poll results**
The polls are in ...
Yesterday we asked which uncommitted Rivals100 prospect fans were most hopeful that USC would land. (We exempted No. 1 overall prospect Korey Foreman and 5-star DT Maason Smith, who may play a key role in Foreman's recruitment as well, to avoid the obvious answers). There were a number of options and an array of voting selections, but the significant majority voted for 5-star DE J.T. Tuimoloau from Bellevue, Wash. And that's no surprise.
Tuimoloau, who received 28 of 40 votes in our poll, is ranked the No. 4 overall prospect in this 2021 class, and at a very athletic 6-foot-4, 275 pounds (he played some tight end for the elite FSP 7-on-7 team early this spring), it's easy to see why he has commanded interest from most of the major programs in the country.
When we talked to him at a 7-on-7 tournament in Mesquite, Nev., in late February, he hadn't yet gotten to know the new USC defensive coaching staff -- including DL coach Vic So'oto -- but he was looking forward to doing that and seemed open-minded to the Trojans at that point. He also wasn't giving away hints at that time, noting that "I have an open mind for everyone."
"I'm just looking at everything -- the environment, the relationship with the coaching staff and players, education-wise, everything," he said then.
Tuimoloau was hard to read and he doesn't share much if anything about his recruitment on Twitter. The perception is that Ohio State and hometown Washington are probably top contenders, but our sources confirm that USC is still very much a factor in his recruitment.
Even before the national recruiting shutdown, Tuimoloau had said he would probably not narrow his recruitment until the end of the summer and there's no reason to think any important decisions will be coming anytime soon. He really hasn't traveled much to visit schools yet, so he's likely still very early in this process. And considering how quickly So'oto has been able to make a strong impression on Foreman -- who was committed to Clemson at the time So'oto was hired -- there's certainly enough reason for optimism here.
As for the other Rivals100 prospects who received votes, 4-star CB Jaylin Davies (Mater Dei HS) was next with 5 votes, 4-star WR Troy Franklin (Menlo-Atherton HS), 4-star DT Tywone Malone (Oradell, N.J.) and 4-star QB Miller Moss (Bishop Alemany HS) each received 2 votes, and 5-star WR Emeka Egbuka (Steilacoom, Wash.) received 1 vote.
In full disclosure -- as we always do here -- I voted for Egbuka because he's simply one of the most impressive playmakers I've seen at the high school level. I expect him to be a dominant receiver wherever he ends up. USC is still trying for him, but there is a lot of buzz that Ohio State is in a position of strength in his recruitment.
Davies is a very important target, though. USC signed no cornerbacks last class, has none committed yet in this cycle (but the Trojans do have three safeties committed) and the program needs to build a foundation for the future for whenever Olaijah Griffin, Chris Steele and Isaac Taylor-Stuart move on. It's possible all three are still around for two more seasons (Steele won't be draft-eligible until that point), and there is other CB talent on the roster with Dorian Hewett, Jayden Williams and Adonis Otey. The bottom line, though, is it's a priority position this recruiting cycle, and Davies is a top target. Arizona State is a major contender for the Mater Dei standout and may well be the favorite, but expect a continued concerted effort by Donte Williams and Co. to keep him home.
Franklin is another very impressive WR prospect. At 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, the Northern California standout is built like a track star and seems to just glide downfield as a fast and long deep threat. USC only figures to take about three wide receivers in this class, including present 4-star commit Quay Davis, so the Trojans will aim high in filling those remaining spots.
Malone put USC in his top 14 recently, but that isn't much of a short list, and it's always safer to assume an east coast prospect is a longshot unless there is overwhelmingly compelling evidence to the contrary (as with 4-star New Jersey DE Aaron Armitage).
And then Moss is a very interesting one. He grew up a USC fan, he didn't really waver much once fellow 4-star 2021 QB Jake Garcia committed to the program and he then put the Trojans in his "final 4" last month with UCLA, Alabama and LSU. The Trojans need to sign two quarterbacks in this class, and every sense I get from Moss is that he isn't worried about competing with Garcia. The two have a good relationship and have known each other for a while. That's not to say the depth chart isn't a factor -- if another program pitches him on a clear path to an early starting role, that's hard to ignore -- but it's not a precluding factor.
A couple other Rivals100 prospects who were available in the poll but did not receive votes were 4-star cornerbacks Ga'Quincy McKinstry (Pinson, Ala.) and Isaiah Johnson (Bluefield, W.Va.). Both are high on USC's wish list at the position and bear monitoring.
Story links
-Four-star RB Brandon Campbell details his transition from recruit to recruiter for USC
-USC hires two prominent video staffers away from LSU in latest moves to bolster creative department
-Four-star CB Nathaniel Wiggins explains how USC surged in his recruitment-Trojans Today
-May 5: Breaking down expectations for the new assistant coaches
-Four-star OL Jonah Miller, 3-star DE Derek Wilkins put USC on their short lists
Top tweets
The reaction to USC's hiring of the LSU videographers Jacob Brown and Will Stout showed how important the staff views those additions ...
Will Stout posted his own announcement for the news ...
Former USC LT Austin Jackson will be wearing a familiar number with the Miami Dolphins ...
Top Trojan Talk post
Good find by @trojanzfreak on a tweet with a photo about how football fans endured through the 1918 flu pandemic. See that thread here.
