Hazelton Cleared by NCAA

Vidal Hazelton’s journey from prized high school recruit to official member of USC’s 2006 team was completed Thursday when the NCAA Clearinghouse certified the freshman receiver.

Hazelton, a New York native, showed a flair for the spectacular throughout the first week of training camp, one of several freshmen making a push for playing time in the Sept. 2 opener at Arkansas.

Although he has made it look easy, Hazelton said the transition to college football has been tougher than he expected.

“I thought I would be able to come in here and just do what I did in high school,” said Hazelton, who played last season at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. “It’s a big change.

“Everything I’m doing is learning from the older guys. They’re guiding me.”

If Hazelton’s recruiting story were a movie, it might be called “Shark Tale,” because during USC’s pursuit of the 6-foot-3, 200-pound receiver, the player’s father, Dexter, was quoted as saying Coach Pete Carroll was “a shark.”

On Feb. 1, the first day that players could officially commit to colleges, Hazelton signed a national letter of intent and sent it to USC. The letter, however, was invalid because his father would not sign it.

“At the end, I got kind of scared coming cross country to school -- he wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision,” Hazelton said. “When signing day came, I was telling him I wanted to come to USC, but he just knew the type of person I was.

“He just wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing and give me some time to think.”

A few weeks later, after also considering Penn State, Hazelton’s father signed a letter and his son was a Trojan.

Asked about his father’s “shark” comment about Carroll, Hazelton grinned and said: “The whole thing got out of proportion. I told my father to stop.

“Everything turned out for the better.”

*

USC’s roster is nowhere near as star-studded as last season, but the Trojans still embrace celebrity.

That was evident during a team meeting.

As defensive coordinator Nick Holt tore into the team about a play that occurred late in practice, Carroll burst through a door in the back of the room wearing the Wonder Bread NASCAR racing suit that USC alum Will Ferrell sports as driver Ricky Bobby in the movie “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.”

Carroll approached the front of the room, but before he got a chance to speak, the similarly attired Ferrell entered through another door and shouted at him.

Players cheered, laughed and then broke for a surprise screening of the film.

“That was pretty crazy,” senior center Ryan Kalil said. “Coach Carroll always has a few surprises.”

*

Freshman safety Allen Bradford, who starred at running back for Colton High, switched to offense for a few plays. Carroll said the 6-foot, 230-pound Bradford might be called upon if Chauncey Washington and Michael Coleman were unavailable. “We’re just kind of covering ourselves a little bit and making sure we know what we’ve got,” Carroll said.... Washington (hamstring) said he hoped to return by Monday.... Linebacker Keith Rivers is wearing a cast because of a sore right wrist injury.... Carroll said cornerback Kevin Thomas did not participate in practice because the team is awaiting test results for a neck or shoulder injury.... Receiver Jamere Holland, who had shoulder surgery on Thursday, is the only new player who has not been certified.