USC Caps Another Fine Class With McCutcheon

USC Coach John Robinson may not have seen his team’s winless streaks end last season against Notre Dame or UCLA, but there was little doubt who came out ahead among Pac-10 teams in recruiting--on paper, at least.

With Daylon McCutcheon, All-American running back/defensive back from La Puente Bishop Amat, committing to the Trojans, USC topped off an impressive 15-player class that ranks as the best on the West Coast and one of the top 10 in the country.

Robinson and his staff set a goal of having another top class after last year’s outstanding effort that yielded such key performers as All-American wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, defensive lineman Darrell Russell, tailbacks Delon Washington, Rodney Sermons and Leonard Green, and linebacker Errick Herrin.

Mission accomplished.

McCutcheon is the crown jewel of the group, but several others might be good enough to contribute as true freshmen. Among the most heralded are wide receivers Chris Miller, Tony Griffin and Billy Miller; quarterbacks John Fox and Quincy Woods, and inside linebacker Mark Cusano.

Chris Miller (5-11, 175), who was considered something of a “sleeper” playing for a 2-8 team at West Los Angeles College, figures to contend for a starting position opposite the 6-4 Johnson, his cousin and former teammate at West L.A. and Los Angeles Dorsey High.

“He’s as good as I am, just a little shorter,” Johnson said.

USC’s most glaring need was in the offensive line. Toward that goal, the Trojans signed three good prospects: Mark Manskar (6-7, 240) of Canyon Country Canyon, Brett Samperi (6-5, 270) of San Clemente and Jason Grain (6-5, 270) of Sonora.

One that got away was community college All-American linebacker Vernon Crawford (6-2, 230) of City College of San Francisco. Crawford, a Texas native, signed with Florida State, along with wide receiver teammate Damian Harrell (6-3, 190).

UCLA recruited the second-best class in the Pac-10, and a top 15-to-20 class nationally, signing 20 players. That number is expected to grow to 22 when outside linebacker/defensive end Jeff McNeal (6-4, 255) completes his academic requirements at Cerritos College (he will not participate in spring practice), and if safety Chris McAlister (6-1, 180) of Pasadena High passes his college entrance examination.

Though the Bruins lost Billy Miller and linebacker/defensive end Aaron Williams of Hawthorne Leuzinger to USC, running back Sirr Parker of Los Angeles Locke to Texas A&M; and wide receiver Donny Utu (6-1, 180) of Honolulu to Utah, UCLA strengthened itself on both sides of the line, and at fullback and linebacker.

Potential stars include McAlister, tackles Gene Waters (6-6, 290) of Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College and Kris Farris (6-7, 270) of Santa Margarita, linebackers Ramogi Huma (6-2, 209) of Bishop Amat and Michael Wiley (6-3, 240) of Gardena Serra, wide receivers Ryan Roques (6-0, 175) of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs and Brad Melsby (6-0, 175) of Los Alamitos, and kicker/punter Chris Sailer (5-10, 175) of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

Several college coaches and talent evaluators ranked Huma ahead of his more publicized teammate, outside linebacker/defensive end Kory Minor (6-2, 225), who signed with Notre Dame.

UCLA took a chance on Ali Azziz (6-2, 190), a running back/safety from Santa Maria St. Joseph High. A smooth, long-striding runner, Azziz rushed for 1,348 yards in eight games last season (4,262 yards in his career) before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Had he not been hurt, Azziz would have been one of the most heavily recruited running backs in the country.

This was the first recruiting class at UCLA in the post-Bill Rees era, and his absence showed. Waters, defensive lineman Jayson Brown of Mesa (Ariz.) College and quarterback Cade McNown of West Linn, Ore., were the Bruins’ only out-of-state recruits.

In his 15 years as UCLA’s recruiting coordinator, Rees built a well-deserved reputation as one of the best in the business. He was largely responsible for attracting considerable out-of-state talent to Westwood. In recent years, that talent included players such as senior tackle Jonathan Ogden (Washington, D.C.), an almost guaranteed high NFL draft choice in 1996; standout wide receiver Kevin Jordan (Beltsville, Md.), and current NFL defensive backs Carlton Gray (Cincinnati), Marvin Goodwin (Camden, N.J.) and Othello Henderson (Killeen, Tex.).

“We really wanted to establish a presence in the state, and fight hard to keep some of the best kids at home,” UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said. “And we did that. We do need to upgrade ourselves out of state, but our bloodline is still in California.”

Arizona and Washington also recruited well, as did Stanford, despite getting a late start after losing Coach Bill Walsh.

The Wildcats loaded up in the defensive backfield, signing community college All-American Rashee Johnson (6-0, 180) of City College of San Francisco, Kelvin Hunter (5-11, 170) of Hawthorne High, Rafell Jones (5-10, 180) of San Diego and DaShon Polk (6-3, 210) of Woodland Hills Taft. Polk, however, has not qualified academically.

The Huskies, trying to weather a difficult probationary period that restricted their available scholarships and recruiting trips, tried hard to sign Parker. They did, however, sign their quarterback and tight end of the future, Brock Huard (6-5, 220) of Puyallup, Wash., and Anthony Mizin (6-4, 243) of Aberdeen, Wash., and two promising defensive linemen--Mac Tuiaea (6-6, 275) of Hanford, Wash., and Michael Patterson (6-4, 290) of Houston.

Other schools that recruited well included Notre Dame, Florida, Florida State, Penn State, Nebraska, Texas A&M; and Michigan.

Notes

Among the interested spectators at Sunday’s UCLA-Notre Dame basketball game at Pauley Pavilion was Tustin guard Doug Gottlieb, who signed with the Irish in November. Said Notre Dame Coach John MacLeod about the 6-1 Gottlieb: “Doug is a true point guard who will help us because of his ability to penetrate, break down pressure defenses, and create shots for himself and his teammates. He’s also a great competitor. It’s going to be a challenge for all of us with our move to the Big East next season, and Doug will be right in the middle of it.”

Eye to the future: Other high school players who attended Sunday’s game as guests of UCLA included four top sophomores--6-11 Eric Chenowith of Villa Park, 6-8 Mike Vukovich of Mater Dei and 6-9 twins Jarron and Jason Collins of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake.