Recruiting: USC’s long-term success could hinge on how Trojans fare this season

Offensive tackle Zach Banner (73) protects quarterback Max Browne from the pressure of defensive end Porter Gustin (45) during USC's spring game.

By Lindsey Thiry

Aug. 22, 2016 12:55 PM PT

USC football recruiting, once a well-oiled machine that nearly always landed its targets, is in transition.

After four coaching changes in three seasons — and an absence from a premier bowl game since 2009 — prospects once lured by the Trojans’ rich tradition and history now watch with a critical eye.

“This year, more so than any year, they need to win on the field in order for them to get the guy that they would normally get without winning,” said Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. “A lot of kids right now have other options, and they aren’t blindly just going to choose USC.”

Clay Helton took over as USC’s coach when Steve Sarkisian was fired after five games last season. Helton was named permanent coach before losses to Stanford in the Pac-12 Conference title game and Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl.

Despite finishing with an 8-6 record, Helton and his new staff signed a 2016 class that was considered among the nation’s top 25 by several recruiting websites.

After Helton’s first summer hosting prospect camps and recruits, USC has verbal commitments from 15 players in the 2017 class. The commitments are not binding until the players enroll in school in January or sign a national letter of intent in February.

A trio of offensive linemen — Santa Margarita High’s Brett Neilon, Kingsburg (Calif.) High’s Andrew Vorhees and Oakland Bishop O’Dowd’s Alijah Vera-Tucker — announced commitments to USC during the summer.

Defensive lineman Hunter Echols from Los Angeles Cathedral committed earlier this month, two weeks after he announced his decommitment from UCLA.

Fontana Summit’s Stephen Carr is rated among the top running backs in the nation and was the first player to commit — nearly two years before he could sign a national letter of intent, and before Helton took over as coach.

“There’s always going to be a certain aspect of USC recruiting itself,” said Ryan Abraham, who has covered USC recruiting for 20 years on USCFootball.com. “But now the wait-and-see policy is common, and I think this recruiting class, more than any other that I can recall, is going to be based on how the season goes.”

USC will play one of college football’s most grueling schedules. The Trojans open against defending national champion Alabama in Arlington, Texas. Two weeks later, they play at Stanford, which features Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey. They also play at Utah, Arizona, Washington, UCLA and at home against Notre Dame.

Johnny Nansen became the Trojans’ recruiting coordinator after Peter Sirmon left the staff in January to become Mississippi State’s defensive coordinator.

Helton said last week that he was delegating tasks so that he could oversee each aspect of the program, including recruiting.

“A lot of times, if a young man has a relationship with the head coach, that only helps you,” he said, adding that his staff has treated recruiting as “a total group effort.”

But Helton’s involvement has resonated.

“Everyone you talk to who has USC interest, they are always mentioning Clay,” Biggins said. “He has been extremely active. He’s there for every campus visit; he’s hitting kids up and kids love that.”

Calabasas defensive back Darnay Holmes and receiver Joseph Lewis from Los Angeles Hawkins remain two of USC’s most sought-after recruits.

Still, several top prospects once thought to be leaning toward USC have committed elsewhere.

Quarterbacks Tua Tagavailoa from St. Louis School in Honolulu and Jack Sears from San Clemente committed to Alabama and Duke, respectively.

Bellflower St. John Bosco offensive lineman Wyatt Davis and receiver Tyjon Lindsey, who played at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman last year, committed to Ohio State.

USC awarded scholarships to kicker Michael Brown and defensive lineman Stevie Tu’ikolovatu after the start of training camp, so the Trojans have eight available scholarships for 2017.

Here’s a look at who is committed to USC’s 2017 recruiting class:

Player, position, high school

Stephen Carr, running back, Fontana Summit

Juwan Burgess, receiver, Tampa (Fla.) Plant Senior

Marlon Williams, receiver, Mobile (Ala.) Mcgill-Toolen

Randal Grimes, receiver, Las Vegas (Nev.) Desert Pines

Erik Krommenhoek, tight end, Danville Monte Vista

Brett Neilon, offensive lineman, Santa Margarita

Alijah Vera-Tucker, offensive lineman, Oakland Bishop O’Dowd

Andrew Vorhees, offensive lineman, Kingsburg

Juliano Falaniko, linebacker, Pago Pago (A.S.) Leone

Daniel Green, linebacker, Portland (Ore.) Madison