Can USC’s Recruiting Tactics Help Oregon’s Class Before Signing Day?

During the last few years, Duck fans feel obligated to compare our recruiting classes to those of other perennial powerhouses like Ohio State, Florida and Texas who often seem to fill their classes with highly touted players quickly.  Though we are a Top-5 team year-in and year-out, our coaches pursue a much different strategy when it come to recruiting – Find the players that want to be Ducks first and then pursue the ‘tougher’ gets, so to speak, as the year rolls along.  The USC Trojans have become our biggest recruiting foe, but can the Trojans recruiting strategy benefit Oregon?

The Ducks are Storming LA on and off the field

The answer is yes, and here is why.  On a yearly basis USC loads up their recruiting class early, often being full or close to it by the beginning of the football season.  As we see on a every year, the Trojans force players out of their ‘family’ in order to earn commitments from players who become more interested late in the year. Kylie Fitts and Sebastian Larue have recently de-committed, but the popular belief, even amongst Trojan fans, is that USC is simply making room for other high-profile commitments before signing day.  Many commits like receiver Steven Mitchell and linebacker Michael Hutchings have taken visits despite their commitment to the Trojans and not been abandoned.

Has Thomas Started a Trend of Former USC Commits Flocking to Oregon?

Offensive tackle Nico Falah and defensive-end Torrodney Prevot are two commits that have high interest in Oregon despite their current and long-standing commitment to USC. Oregon offered both four-star recruits early this past spring, and while Falah has already officially visited (November 17^th), it appears Prevot is attempting to visit before signing day arrives. Like Deanthony Thomas and Arik Armstead in past years, Oregon appears in play for long-time USC commits.  Early commits often make coaching staffs in college football uneasy with the desire to continue visit schools despite a commitment.  USC is a program that notoriously flips the script on recruits and is creatively uncharacteristic in college football.  Recruits are taking note.