Serra High School wide receiver Robert Woods is one of the gems in USC's football recruiting class. (Photo by Gary McCarthy)
Story Published:
Feb 3, 2010 at 7:24 PM PDT
Story Updated:
Feb 4, 2010 at 8:57 PM PDT
The skill positions, with the emphasis on ‘skill,’ is what impresses Lane Kiffin about his first recruiting class at USC.
Pointing to the wide receivers, tight ends and running backs landed Wednesday on the first day national football letters of intent could be signed, the Trojan coach said during a news conference, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a skill class like this.”
On the job just about a month since replacing Pete Carroll, he really likes the wide receiver class, which includes Wave Newspapers player of the year Robert Woods from Serra High School, Kyle Prater from Proviso West in Hillside, Ill. and Markeith Ambles of Henry County in McDonough, Ga. Prater is already enrolled at USC.
Three tight end recruits — Xavier Grimble from Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, Randall Telfer from Rancho Cucamonga and Christian Thomas from Palmdale Highland — all have a chance to be impact players in Kiffin’s view.
Dillon Baxter, from San Diego Mission Bay, and Taft’s D.J. Morgan are the running back recruits. Baxter was named U.S. Army national player of the year.
“There are some dynamic playmakers here,” he said. “We have three of the five best wide receivers in America, three of the top tight ends and two of the top four running backs. I know (quarterback) Matt Barkley is excited about this group.
“I’ve seen the quality of this class and I can’t imagine more star players in any class in the country.”
Many of the players, including Woods, committed early. Not one who had was lost because the Trojans went through a coaching change.
Among the late signees was Crenshaw linebacker Hayes Pullard, who was reportedly leaning towards UCLA before switching to the Trojans.
Kiffin, who came here after one season as Tennessee’s coach after Carroll accepted the Seattle Seahawks coaching job, said, “This class is extremely tough and physical. They want to play with the best and win championships. Not one asked about depth charts.
“Our goal is to sign players who can compete at the highest level. To be here for just a couple weeks and to be able to sign so many of the top-ranked high school players in the country speaks volumes about the past and the future of the USC football program.”
UCLA
UCLA’s recruiting class includes wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Jefferson of Cathedral, wide receiver Paul Richardson of Serra and Carson offensive lineman Wade Yandall.
Jefferson (6-2, 185) had 63 receptions for 1,286 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, he was in on 42 tackles, had 13 passes defended and intercepted two.
Richardson (6-1, 173), part of a talented receiving corps at Serra, caught 27 passes for 527 yards.
Yandall (6-4, 305) was probably the top offensive lineman in the City Section.
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