SIAP: From ESPN.com West Recruiting Blog --
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Can USC go back to back?
You rarely see a school sign the nation's top quarterback in back to back classes. The general feeling is, when a school signs a big time blue chip type signal caller, quarterbacks in the following class will steer away and look for a school where the opportunity to play earlier might be much better.
Saying that, USC has a realistic shot at pulling in that rare feet this year. After signing the consensus top quarterback in the land a year ago in Matt Barkley, USC is among the finalist for Lakewood's (Calif.) Jesse Scroggins and I'm hearing more and more in recent weeks that the Trojans could actually lead for the signal caller at this time.
Scroggins was the top quarterback I saw during the entire NIKE Camp tour. He was flying well below the radar last fall but as his tape began to circulate, more schools started to take notice. Soon Scroggins was picking up offers from just about every top school in the country and following the Elite 11 QB camp in July, there is a very good chance the Under Armour All-American could emerge as the No. 1 quarterback in the land.
Until recent weeks, it appeared Tennessee and Florida were the teams to beat for Scroggins. That all changed following the USC Rising Stars Camp a week ago. The Trojans put the full court press on him and Scroggins has said repeatedly he's not afraid to come in and compete with Barkley if need be.
"I love the competition, it's what makes you better," Scroggins said. "They're saying Matt will play this year and I know a lot of people expect him to stay just three years. So even if I'm not able to beat him out, if I had to redshirt a year behind Matt, I would still be able to play by my sophomore year."
Scroggins is quick to point out he doesn't have a leader among the three schools although he has moved up his timeline for making a decision from late July to possibly as early as next week. He might not say he has a leader, but several people close to him feel if he had to commit today, he would be a Trojan.
It would be an incredible coup for USC to reel in Scroggins who has incredible upside and is still coming in to his own as a player. Physically, he still has a baby face and is far from maturing. As he continues to grow and add strength, as well as learn the position even more, Scroggins has a chance to be a very special player at the next level.
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Base on Scroggins' remarks it kind of sounds like USC did a good selling job. I'm sure CLK is doing his best to counter that.
Good luck to you guys. I know y'all would really like to get Scroggins, but don't have a meltdown if he doesn't commit to UT. If you don't get him, and you end up with Lamaison and/or Rettig or even someone else, you might be just as well off. Sometimes highly rated HS QBs don't do so great at the next level. Plus, all of these HS QBs still have their entire senior season to play. Rettig might have a stellar senior year. You just never know. Again, good luck.
