Zack Heberer makes it official

Following a dominating performance at the recent USC Linemen Camp this past weekend, San Pedro (Calif.) offensive lineman Zack Heberer became the first linemen in California this year to receive an official scholarship offer from the Trojans.

After mulling his decision for just a few short moments, the talented lineman decide to end the recruiting process early and gave the coaches a verbal commitment.

"USC is where I've wanted to go for awhile now," Heberer said. "I heard that if I did well at the camp, I might get an offer so I was really looking forward to the camp. I started off running my fastest 40 ever for, a 4.9 and afterwards, coach Carroll came running over to me to tell my time and I knew he was fired up.

"Then later on when we got in to the position and one on one drills, that's when I think I really shined. There were some really good defensive linemen there, especially Alex Parsons who got me one time. He's very fast and has good size. I would think they might offer him down the line as well because he was really good.

"I felt I had a really good day and then the camp was over, coach Carroll pulled me aside and told me he was offering me a scholarship. I went and talked to my mom and dad about it and decided that USC is where I wanted to be. So I quickly ran after coach Carroll and told him I was committing.

"He was real happy for me and came over to hug my mom and shake my dads hand. He told us he would take good care of me and was excited to have me as part of the Trojan family.

"I really wanted to get my decision out of the way early and was planning to commit to Oregon if USC decided not to offer me. I liked Oregon a lot too but I think USC gives me the best opportunity to achieve my goals and that's to make it to the NFL someday. Plus I like the idea of staying close to home and playing in front of my family.

"USC just fits everything I was looking for. They also have a special ed program and that's something I'll be going in to and that was a big deal for us. I know it's going to be tough there but this is what I wanted to do and I'm very excited about my decision."

Heberer, 6-foot-4, 270-pounds projects as a guard or tackle in college and had a strong showing at the recent NorCal Nike Camp. He clocked a 5.14 electronic time in the 40, jumped 27 inches in the vertical and did 34 reps on the bench.

He worked out primarily with the defensive linemen at the camp and was rated as one of the top linemen in attendance and should rank among the top three offensive linemen in the entire West region for the class of 2006.

Check back tomorrow as Rivals.com releases video highlights from Heberer's junior season at San Pedro. You must have an Ultimate Ticket subscription to view all player video clips.