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Sep 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans head coach Clay Helton leads players onto the field during a NCAA football game against the Utah State Aggies at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
USC Signing Day 2017 marks the end of the football recruiting year, and Clay Helton’s Trojans are looking to finish with a bang. Here’s what you need to know before Wednesday.
Signing Day 2017 is nearly here, which means all the answers to questions which have swirled through the final month of recruiting will soon be answered.
As always, there’s wondering about who will sign where, what big surprises will drop and what it all means for each school going forward.
Here’s five big USC story lines to watch on Signing Day:
How Much Room Does USC Actually Have?
It may seem like easy addition and subtraction, but USC’s scholarship math for the 2017 is far from simple.
The Trojans entered the year with 23 rides to work with because blueshirt signees from 2016 — Stevie Tu’ikolovatu and Michael Brown — occupy two of the 25 scholarships in the class.
Of those 23 rides, 19 have been filled by committed recruits, including five early enrollees who are already locked in.
That leaves four scholarships left to fill.
However, one of those commits, offensive lineman Khaliel McKenzie, is set to take a blueshirt, meaning his scholarship will count against the 2018 class rather than this one. As a result, the Trojans actually have five spots open for 2017.
Or do they? Removing graduated players and transfer from the 2016 roster, USC has 62 scholarship players on the roster. Add in the 19 commitments expected to sign with the Trojans and the projected roster size for 2017 swells to 81.
That leaves just four spots open before USC would hit the 85-man roster limit.
So the question remains: Will USC accept five new Trojans into the class and clear a way for the extra ride somewhere down the line? Or will they be forced to take one less man to stay under the 85 limit?
USC running back Justin Davis during practice at Howard Jones Field. (Alicia de Artola/Reign of Troy)
Is Stephen Carr Solid To USC?
The prized jewel in USC’s 2017 class is long-time commit Stephen Carr. However, the duration of his commitment doesn’t guarantee that the five-star running back will definitely sign on the dotted line when the time comes.
Carr committed to the Trojans in early 2015, but soften his verbal pledge a year ago with a plan to look at all his options and take visits during the final stretch of his recruitment.
Though Carr has remained a USC commit throughout the process, he has taken official visits to both Oregon and UCLA this January.
In fact, the UCLA visit came over the final weekend of recruiting, which is significant timing since the school with the final visit gets to make the last major impression on a recruit.
Does that mean the Bruins will have given themselves a chance to pull off the stunning flip ahead of Signing Day? Not necessarily, but it has opened the door for speculation that Carr is flippable.
USC won’t know for sure on Carr one way or another until he signs his letter of intent. Until then, Trojan fans will continue to be just a little bit nervous.
USC defensive line during practice at the LA Coliseum. (Alicia de Artola/Reign of Troy)
Will USC Close With An Elite D-Line Class?
The Trojans knew going into the new year that the success of the 2017 recruiting class would hinge on landing enough reinforcements on the defensive line.
Three-star defensive end Jacob Lichtenstein committed in August, but December began with the de-commitment of three-star defensive tackle James Lynch, leaving USC with just one addition for the defensive front.
Since then, however, the Trojans have been on a tear. Terrance Lang and Brandon Pili have entered the fold as three-star projects with high ceilings. USC also managed to flip the commitment of four-star defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu from Washington.
Tuipulotu is an elite prospect, one that should strength the Trojans immediately as an early enrollee. However, USC could get even stronger up front with five-star Aubrey Solomon and four-star Jay Tufele set to make their announcements on Signing Day.
The Trojans are in the running for both prospects, but as with all out-of-state recruits, it’s no guarantee that either will sign for USC in the end.
If just one does though, USC’s defensive line class will be truly elite. And if both pick the Trojans? It’d be an out-of-the-park grand slam home run.
USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin during practice at the LA Coliseum. (Alicia de Artola/Reign of Troy)
Will USC Open The Hawkins Pipeline?
USC has a player on the roster named Hawkins, but no current Trojans actually hail from Augustus Hawkins High Schools, which is less than three miles from campus.
The school has only existed since 2012, so it’s not surprise that there isn’t great representation at USC from a football perspective, but that may change this year.
The Trojans are hot on the tails of two top prospects out of Hawkins — five-star wide receiver Joseph Lewis and four-star athlete Greg Johnson.
Both are considered USC leans and both will announce their college decision in the afternoon on Signing Day.
If USC manages to land the two blue chippers, the Trojans would be well on their way to starting a pipeline to Hawkins.
USC already boasts the 2018 commitment of four-star cornerback Marcus Johnson, Greg’s younger brother. The Trojans have also offered five-star receiver Jalen Hall and Nebraska cornerback commit Eric Fuller for the coming cycle.
With the talent being raised at Hawkins, it would serve USC well to gain a foothold at the school as soon as possible. That is to say, right now with Lewis and Johnson.
Nov 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Clay Helton reacts before the NCAA football game against the Arizona Wildcats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Where Will USC’s Finished Class Rank?
Going into Signing Day, USC’s 2017 class is ranked No. 8 in the country by the 247Sports composite.
Breaking it down, it seems that the major recruiting services generally agree that USC is in or around the Top 10 of classes compiled this far.
Over at 247Sports, the Trojans rank eighth while Rivals has them at ninth. Scout and ESPN both agree that USC sits 12th.
More from Reign of Troy
The consensus is also that the Trojans are in a great position to finish on Signing Day, with plenty of room to rise up the board.
So how high will USC rise?
If the finish includes five from the seven major targets still on the board, including five-star WR Joseph Lewis, 4-star ATH Greg Johnson, 4-star OT Austin Jackson, four-star LB Levi Jones, 5-star DT Aubrey Solomon, 4-star DT Jay Tufele and four-star TE Josh Falo, then the Trojans could be looking at a Top 5 class.
MUST READ: Grading Every USC Recruiting Class Since 2002
That’s certainly a possibility in the composite, 247Sports and Rivals rankings, though it will be harder to make such a jump starting out lower on Scout and ESPN.
And of course, USC may miss on some prospects and miss out on that Top 5 class. But that’s why the college football world waits with bated breath for the faxes to start rolling.
