USC hopes new McKay Center is a big recruiting advantage

USC probably doesn’t need another recruiting advantage.

There was enough talent in the Trojans’ last two classes to help warrant a preseason No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll, and there is more on the way in the class of 2013.

But USC got another bump Tuesday.

The school formally dedicated its gleaming $70-million John McKay Center, a 110,000-square-foot structure that features a floor dedicated to academic support, a basement with a gargantuan weight room, state-of-the-art athletic training facilities and plenty of tributes to former star athletes and five-star donors.

The two-story McKay Center will serve more than 600 athletes, who access entry via fingerprint identification.

But at its core, the building named for USC’s legendary football coach is about attracting new talent.

John McKay won four national titles, including championships in 1972 and 1974 after Heritage Hall was completed.

Former coach Pete Carroll won big despite facilities that lagged far behind Nike-fueled Oregon and other traditional and emerging powers. A veranda on the second floor of the building is dedicated to the coach who guided the Trojans to two AP national titles, success that fueled fundraising.

Meantime, third-year Coach Lane Kiffin can stand on the balcony outside his palatial office, or in the middle of the huge football locker room, or in the football-only lounge and sell recruits and their families on why they shouldn’t look anywhere else.

“I think we not only caught up,” Kiffin said after practice, “but we probably passed everybody.”

It remains to be seen whether Kiffin and his staff can parlay the gift into national titles, but the McKay Center gives the Trojans a one-stop recruiting shop. An interactive wall-sized video board next to an indoor turf field provides recruits in any of the school’s 21 sports a complete look at every uniform and piece of Nike gear they will receive as a USC athlete.

The building’s showcase piece is a video panel in the atrium that measures 33 feet wide and 15 feet high, where recruits and their families — and potential donors — can be wowed with larger-than-life presentations.

USC, which on Tuesday announced a $300-million athletics fundraising drive, in January will break ground on Heritage Hall renovations and an updated aquatics center.

A few months ago, USC gave the media a tour of the unfinished McKay Center, including coaches’ offices. On Tuesday, during a tour of the finished structure, an athletic department official said the offices were off limits because of “recruiting sensitivities.”

In the end, it’s all about recruiting.

Quick hits

Kiffin said that although he would like to name Max Wittek or Cody Kessler the No. 2 quarterback by the time the Trojans begin game-week preparations for Hawaii, “if we haven’t, it’s not the end of the world because I think both of them have a really good grasp of our offense and I could see some areas where both would play.” ... For the second consecutive day, receiver Robert Woods appeared to have recaptured the speed and movement that has been lacking since undergoing postseason ankle surgery. ... The play of the day might have been cornerback Nickell Robey’s 50-yard return after intercepting a pass by Matt Barkley.

gary.klein@latimes.com

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