USC Football: Top 2010 High School Recruits

Over the last few years no college football program has garnered more national media attention than the University of Southern California. Many have claimed that to play at USC is to be as close to a professional athlete as possible without reeling in the paycheck. This reputation is well earned, as former Trojans Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and Reggie Bush regularly appeared in the tabloids during their college years. The national exposure is not the only factor that attracts recruits from all over the country though, Pete Carroll's laid back personality and six BCS bowl wins don't hurt either. With great coaching usually comes great recruiting, and the 2010 class is shaping up to be one to remember.

Kyle Prater - WR
If you haven't seen any yet, I highly recommend taking a peek at one of Prater's high school highlight tapes; the guys ability to out jump corners and catch the ball at its highest point will blow your mind. At 6'5" and just north of 200 pounds, Prater demonstrates solid body control and excellent hands for such a tall body. While he probably won't be taking any balls seventy or eighty yards against the better Pac-10 defenses (he lacks elite breakaway speed), he does pose a serious threat in the red zone and in possession situations. It should be noted that his commitment to USC is not considered "solid" as of yet, and the rumor mills have been churning recently with discussion of him ending up elsewhere. Regardless of where he attends school, he is well deserving of the number 2 overall ranking by Rivals.com.

Robert Woods - WR / DB
If all goes as planned for USC, Pete Carroll could end up with one of the best receiver "one-two punch combinations" in the country. When combined with Kyle Prater's ridiculous size and jumping ability, Wood's elite speed allows for separation from defenders after the catch, and provides a ton of possibilities for the USC coaching staff. While Woods is being recruited under the "athlete" moniker, I just don't really see him playing safety at the next level. He would need to add a good amount of size in order to be effective as a college level DB, and I do not know how much the extra weight would affect his mobility. Whether he ends up as a safety or a receiver, Woods will likely push for playing time as a kick returner early on.

Dillon Baxter - RB / Slot Receiver
At 5'11" and a solid 190 pounds, Baxter possesses the ability to play both receiver and tailback. He is regularly compared to Reggie Bush, partly because they are both from the same area, but also because they share that shiftiness that allows them to bust loose for big gains. When coming out of the backfield, Baxter does not hesitate when he sees an opening, and looks comfortable running both down hill and around the outside. One thing I would like to see out of him more often is the willingness to drop his pads and run through defenders for a few extra yards. It looks like he tends to rely too much on his quickness and not enough on his power (the same issue that has finally caught up to Reggie Bush).

Jesse Scroggins - Balanced QB
Scroggins is a bit undersized with regard to his weight but is very consistent and capitalizes well on play-action. His ability to be effective out of the shotgun will only aid in his transition to college. He has good touch on most of his passes, but I am not yet sold on his ability to zip the football into tight spots. With Matt Barkley holding down the quarterback spot for the foreseeable future, Scroggins is a prime prospect for top-level development. He will be able to bulk up and bit and learn from some of the best coaches in the business before taking the field for meaningful action. That grooming period combined along with his enormous upside looks very promising for USC.

These players make up only a fraction of the still forming 2010 recruiting class, but if Pete Carroll can continue to pull in big names like you see above, don't expect USC to fall off of the college football radar any time soon.

"Kyle Prater" Rivals.com