Texan Moody Was Hooked on Trojans

The eyes of college football fans, including USC running back Emmanuel Moody, will be upon Texas tonight when the second-ranked Longhorns play host to top-ranked Ohio State.

Moody, a freshman from Coppell, Texas, signed with USC after initially making an oral commitment to Texas.

“Every day, to this day, I still get people asking me why,” Moody said Friday after the Trojans’ 6:30 a.m. practice. “People in California too, saying, ‘What was up with the switch?’

“It’s just what you feel in your heart. You have to follow your heart and SC was definitely in my heart.”

Moody made a nonbinding oral commitment to Texas in March 2005. But after visiting USC during the Trojans’ September rout of Arkansas at the Coliseum, Moody’s feelings began to change.

He returned home and told the Dallas Morning News his commitment to the Longhorns was a “soft verbal.” Texas Coach Mack Brown reportedly called Moody’s high school coach and told him a soft commitment was not a commitment.

In November, Moody told the Longhorns staff that he would not be going to Texas.

“I probably delayed it two or three weeks because I had a bond with the coaches and the players, so it was definitely tough to tell them I wasn’t coming,” Moody said. “They took it personal. Real personal.”

Moody committed to USC in January and signed a binding national letter of intent with the Trojans in February. He scored a touchdown in last week’s season-opening victory at Arkansas.

Moody says he has several friends who play for Texas and sometimes longs for the familiarity of his home state. But he does not regret that he will be watching the Longhorns, not playing for them, in tonight’s game.

“I wish them the best and hope to see them in the [national championship] game again,” he said.

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Tight end Fred Davis also has ties to Ohio State-Texas.

Buckeyes receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and quarterback Troy Smith are friends Davis met during athletic competitions in Ohio and college recruiting trips.

“I used to talk to Ted a lot last year,” Davis said. “I want to see how those guys do.”

With the Trojans having a bye this week, Davis plans to plant himself in front of a television and heed the instructions Coach Pete Carroll gave his players before they broke for the first of three nights off.

“Make sure you take care of yourself, stay out of trouble and be safe,” Davis said. “When you get two days off, you tend to want to party. Just try to stay out of the way of that and be focused.”

Said Carroll, who also cautioned players about working out on their own: “I just need them to rest, be careful with where they’re going and how they’re driving so everyone gets back in one piece.”

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The Trojans practiced early so that coaches could get a jump on a weekend of recruiting.

Despite the hour, players and coaches were in a spirited mood from the moment they came through the gates at Howard Jones Field. Linebacker coach Ken Norton Jr. supplied a running commentary as the Trojans ran 82 plays.

“That was kind of different,” offensive lineman Kyle Williams said of the early start. “I kind of like it.”

Linebacker Luthur Brown arrived about 30 minutes after the workout began and spent the rest of practice rolling on the turf and performing a continuous series of calisthenics.

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Carroll said freshman safety Taylor Mays remained on track to start against Nebraska next Saturday in place of injured Josh Pinkard. “We tested him all week with different stuff, he looks like he’s ready to go,” Carroll said.

Defensive end Jeff Schweiger, who had missed several days because of an ankle injury, returned to practice.... Carroll said defensive end Alex Morrow deserved to play a larger role based on his performance this week.

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gary.klein@latimes.com