USC Football Recruiting: Quality Over Quantity For Southern Cal

Those sanctions just make every spot that much more important. And USC has been careful about the players it tabs to fill the limited scholarships. Keeping with the theme that the West has some incredible offensive line talent, USC is bringing in three top offensive linemen.

USC has also added an elite tight end in Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick. The 6’5” 250 pound dual-threat tight end is rated four stars by most services and impressed at the Under Armour All-America event in Orlando.

Zach Banner, a massive offensive tackle recruit out of Lakewood (Wa.) Lakes High School, has committed to USC. Banner stands 6’9” and weighs 310 pounds. He holds more than 20 scholarship offers, including Oklahoma, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame and Oregon. Most sites rank Banner as a four-star prospect.

Banner is the son of Oakland Raider great Lincoln Kennedy. He made waves in recruiting circles as the film from his sophomore year debuted on Youtube. And while Banner perhaps has not developed quite like some have hoped, he is still a very good prospect.

Zach Banner, the massive offensive tackle from Lakewood (Wa.) is announcing his college destination Monday afternoon at 5:15 EST. Banner stands 6’9” and weighs in at 310 pounds. Banner is the son of former NFL All-Pro tackle Lincoln Kennedy and is one of the better offensive tackle prospects in the country. Here’s our take on Banner from the Top 25 Uncommitted Recruits article:

Zach Banner is yet another top offensive lineman from the West Coast The 6’9”, 330-pound offensive tackle is considering much of the Pac-12, but USC is thought to hold the lead. While he didn’t improve as much as some expected during his high school career, Banner is still a consensus four-star player.

Darreus Rogers is an elite receiver recruit and a long-time USC commitment. The talented receiver out of Carson (Calif.) High School was one of the first Trojan commitments of the 2012 class, having committed last January. But now USC might have a fight on its hands to keep Rogers, as Arizona State is charging hard under new head coach Todd Graham.

In fact, Rogers recently said that he did not know where he would commit if forced to do so at the time of the interview.

When Kyle Murphy took his visit to USC on January 18th, the Trojans knew they had a lot of ground to make up. The massive offensive tackle recruit had visited Stanford at least four times during his last two seasons, and the Cardinal were thought to be an absolute lock.

Yahoo! West Coast recruiting analyst Adam Gorney believes that Murphy might not be all sewn up to Stanford:

According to Whitney Blaine, offensive tackle recruit Kyle Murphy is set to host coaches from Stanford for an in-home visit tonight. Murphy has long been thought to be a lean to the Cardinal, but a recent visit to USC has some people believing he may end up a Trojan.

But with a visit to USC this weekend, the Trojans will have a shot to change the 6’7”, 275-pound tackle’s mind. And the Trojans will need to do a lot of work, as Murphy is very high on the Cardinal, having just visited The Farm last weekend, marking his fourth visit to Stanford.

Of course, Stanford can give him the same pitch, as the Cardinal is losing its left tackle as well.

Andrus Peat is one of the most sought-after offensive tackles in the country. Starring for Corona Del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), he has collected more than 40 scholarship offers. At 6’7” and a lean 300 pounds, he is just scratching the surface of his potential. SB Nation caught up with Andrus Peat to discuss his time at the Under Armour All-America Game, recruitment, and his high school career.

How was the experience at the Under Armour All-America Game?

Kevon Seymour, a top defensive back, has committed to the { ]. Seymour stars for Muir High School (Pasadena, Calif.). He also held offers from Arizona State, Arizona, California, UCLA, Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon State, Utah, Washington and Oregon.

Seymour made his decision on NBC during the Army All-American Bowl. Seymour said:

Offensive tackle Zach Banner of Lakewood, WA’s Lakes High school, is one of the most talented prospects in the country, and he is closing in on a decision between Washington, Oklahoma and USC, he told the Seattle Times:

But in a conflicting report, Banner indicated to Justin Hopkins of 247 Sports that he had not just a top three, but a top five: