Opening statement:
“Alright, welcome everybody. Good to have you guys here in our facility, at the team room. Another exciting signing day, for those of us that have been in the business for a little bit. Unlike any other one, where we haven’t been in homes, and obviously one that obviously snuck up on us here pretty quickly. And it’s been a, it’s been a unique stretch, I think, for all of us in college football. And I’m proud with the way our program has handled this. I’m proud of our staff. I mean, so much goes into signing these guys. There’s years and years of work, travel, relationship-building, obviously so much going on in the world right now. And our, I think our staff did a really tremendous job. Exciting about how, excited about how the morning played out. I think it was pretty much expected for us.
"Kind of, after the last couple of days, we had really – two kinda battles here at the end, or two kinda ones that we knew were gonna go down the wire. And one certainly went in our favor, and one didn’t. And that’s a little bit of the nature of this right now. But we feel like we did a great job of addressing some of the biggest needs that we felt like were going to be important to our football team going forward. Certainly, the lines of scrimmage, the defensive line, the offensive line, as you can tell, with what we’ve signed up to this point – were huge, were very, very important. We were able to get the numbers, the body types, the sizes. And we, I know I’ve been asked a lot throughout these, the last year about how are we adapting and changing our roster, and one of the big things has been the added size, the added weight. And as we’ve talked about, there’s part of that, which is developing the guys in-house. And then the other part is, obviously, recruiting those body types. And you see, you see what we brought in here today, and there’s certainly a real effort to do that.
"Defensive back was obviously a high priority in this, with what we’re obviously getting ready to lose with having seven seniors, and going to lose bare-minimum seven. And so, that was a very, very important part of this, and getting some different skillsets. We really tried to look at guys in the defensive backfield that we felt like had position flexibility, and guys that we felt like had the opportunity to come in here and compete early. Because, we’re gonna need, we’re gonna need a little bit of that in that room. No question about it.
"Also, were able to get some impact guys at receiver, at running back. Obviously, really excited about the quarterback that we signed, so. It’s really been a great class. This is just the beginning of a stretch where your roster is going to really start to reveal itself in terms of next year. Over the next several weeks, there’s a lot going on right now, as you can imagine. Conversations with everybody on our current roster, that has eligibility to return. Obviously, the transfer-portal opens up here pretty quickly, and there’s gonna be some positions that we’re certainly gonna be aggressive with that we need to go make some moves on. And I think today gives you a little bit more clarity on that.
'But, I’m excited about this group. A lot of hard work went into this group. Especially excited, I’m excited about all parts, but especially defensively. When you have the major changes that we did less than 12 months ago, and to be able to go in here and sign this defensive class that we did here today, that’s not easy when a lot of these guys haven't’ had the normal runway of time to build the relationships with the type of prospects that we recruit at USC. And so, to have this group here less than 12 months later, that they’re now Trojans, is a great feeling. And obviously, can’t wait to get these guys here and get started.”
How did Matt Entz news complicate things in last 24 hours?
“Yeah, it didn’t get finalized until here this morning. It’s one of those situations that came together pretty quickly. And so, I don’t know that it’s fair to say that it did or didn’t complicate things. I mean, that’s, in this world, it’s just kinda part of it. When you have a really good staff, you got really quality people on your staff, you’re gonna have guys that get opportunities and move on. And I think, we’re happy for Coach Entz, first. He’s, college football head-coaching jobs are really, really hard to get. And I think it’s always a sign of a healthy program, when programs are wanting to come in and hire your people, particularly, in head-coaching roles. And so, he did a great job for us. He made us better, made me better. Was a great hire, and a big part of, statistically, one of the most, if not the most, improved defense in the country. So, wish he and Brenda the best. They’ve been great Trojans, and excited for their next opportunity. Yeah, I don’t know that I can sit here and say that we did or didn’t get somebody because of that today. I don’t know that it was that impactful in terms of anything that played out today. But I think, part of our goal is, is to have a program, an offense, a defense, that goes beyond any one coach. That people know that, what they’re getting into here in terms of our culture, our systems that we have in place, and that they’re going to remain steadfast and never be tied directly to one person. And so, nah, wish him the best, and again, I think it’s a compliment to our program and to those hires that we made 12 months ago at this time.”
How critical was it to win the Jahkeem Stewart recruiting battle and can he be an immediate contributor?
“It was important. Jahkeem was somebody that we targeted very early on. The tough thing was, so did everybody else. But he’s a neat young man. I mean, we got to spend a lot of time with him. He was able to come out to LA, several times throughout the process. And, he’s just, everybody sees the physical ability, the length, I mean, he has a very unique combination physically. But I do think Jahkeem’s mentality, the way he attacks and his confidence – he has a real, gritty, tough, hardworking mentality. And I think that, you know, is really what makes him such an outstanding prospect and made him a dominant high school player. And so, you look at guys and you’re like, alright, do they have the mental makeup, and do they have the physical, are they far enough developed physically to feel like, that they can come in and make an impact? And I mean, I, he certainly has that. Like every other player on our roster, he’s going to have to come in and earn it. But that’s, I mean, knowing Jahkeem, I mean, that’s what he wants anyway. And so, nah, it was important. He’s one of the more defensive linemen that I’ve had a chance to be involved with recruiting. And it’s just, this is one of those things where everything about this just fit. We’re really glad he’s a Trojan.”
Stewart only played 12 varsity games, how do you evaluate his readiness for college?
“Yeah, that’s a great question. I mean, I felt like, as a – I felt like, when we watched him in high school that he was advanced enough, that he could’ve made an impact on a college field even as a high-school-aged player. I mean, he’s – there’s, you watch the way that this guy plays the game, it’s pretty impressive. And when you really look at his entire scenario, and why he didn’t play here at the end – he obviously, was, made the decision that he felt like it was best to reclassify. Which, there’s a lot of people that I don’t think would be ready, physically or mentally, to do that. But he’s, he is one of ‘em. And I can understand why he did. And, obviously got caught up a little bit in the rules of the state because of that. And, but he’s a driven kid. He’s very confident, very, very hyper-focused. And everything that we know about him, and everything that we’ve been able to see when we’ve had a chance to evaluate him in person – we had zero hesitation to target him, and had zero hesitation or questions about what he brings to the table here. So, I like that the kid knew what he wanted, and had enough confidence and belief in himself to go get it. And he’s kinda got that type of mentality, which I feel like is going to serve home ell in the future.”
You've been linked to a couple other jobs recently, when people approach you about that, what do you tell them?
“Nah,” chuckling, “I tell ‘em I’m a USC Trojan. This is, I’m at the place I want to be. So, that’s, it’s a non-starter, it’s a non-issue. That’s – I’m home.”
With losing Miller Moss and Jake Jensen, is looking for a portal QB a necessity?
“It is. We will look for another quarterback in the portal. Um, I don’t – I think, we’re really going to be looking at somebody to be able to come in and provide some depth in that room. I think, as you said, we just have two guys right now. Which, I think earlier in my career, I would’ve been, probably freaking out a little bit. Now, it’s just kind of a yearly occurrence. So, I’m excited about the two guys we got returning. Really excited about the way Jayden played for us here in the last three, particularly the way he played a couple of days ago. Really excited to bring Husan into our program. That was just something that, you know, as that whole scenario played out, it became very clear to us that we wanted him to be the quarterbcak in this program, for a lot of different reasons. Specifically, his, just his mental makeup, his commitment to the team, and commitment to want to be great. So, I can’t wait to add him into the room. And yeah, we’ll certainly – in some form or fashion, we’ll need to find a third guy. And we’ll, Coach Huard, the rest of our staff, we’ll be diving into that heavily and find somebody to come fill out the room.”
“Alright, welcome everybody. Good to have you guys here in our facility, at the team room. Another exciting signing day, for those of us that have been in the business for a little bit. Unlike any other one, where we haven’t been in homes, and obviously one that obviously snuck up on us here pretty quickly. And it’s been a, it’s been a unique stretch, I think, for all of us in college football. And I’m proud with the way our program has handled this. I’m proud of our staff. I mean, so much goes into signing these guys. There’s years and years of work, travel, relationship-building, obviously so much going on in the world right now. And our, I think our staff did a really tremendous job. Exciting about how, excited about how the morning played out. I think it was pretty much expected for us.
"Kind of, after the last couple of days, we had really – two kinda battles here at the end, or two kinda ones that we knew were gonna go down the wire. And one certainly went in our favor, and one didn’t. And that’s a little bit of the nature of this right now. But we feel like we did a great job of addressing some of the biggest needs that we felt like were going to be important to our football team going forward. Certainly, the lines of scrimmage, the defensive line, the offensive line, as you can tell, with what we’ve signed up to this point – were huge, were very, very important. We were able to get the numbers, the body types, the sizes. And we, I know I’ve been asked a lot throughout these, the last year about how are we adapting and changing our roster, and one of the big things has been the added size, the added weight. And as we’ve talked about, there’s part of that, which is developing the guys in-house. And then the other part is, obviously, recruiting those body types. And you see, you see what we brought in here today, and there’s certainly a real effort to do that.
"Defensive back was obviously a high priority in this, with what we’re obviously getting ready to lose with having seven seniors, and going to lose bare-minimum seven. And so, that was a very, very important part of this, and getting some different skillsets. We really tried to look at guys in the defensive backfield that we felt like had position flexibility, and guys that we felt like had the opportunity to come in here and compete early. Because, we’re gonna need, we’re gonna need a little bit of that in that room. No question about it.
"Also, were able to get some impact guys at receiver, at running back. Obviously, really excited about the quarterback that we signed, so. It’s really been a great class. This is just the beginning of a stretch where your roster is going to really start to reveal itself in terms of next year. Over the next several weeks, there’s a lot going on right now, as you can imagine. Conversations with everybody on our current roster, that has eligibility to return. Obviously, the transfer-portal opens up here pretty quickly, and there’s gonna be some positions that we’re certainly gonna be aggressive with that we need to go make some moves on. And I think today gives you a little bit more clarity on that.
'But, I’m excited about this group. A lot of hard work went into this group. Especially excited, I’m excited about all parts, but especially defensively. When you have the major changes that we did less than 12 months ago, and to be able to go in here and sign this defensive class that we did here today, that’s not easy when a lot of these guys haven't’ had the normal runway of time to build the relationships with the type of prospects that we recruit at USC. And so, to have this group here less than 12 months later, that they’re now Trojans, is a great feeling. And obviously, can’t wait to get these guys here and get started.”
How did Matt Entz news complicate things in last 24 hours?
“Yeah, it didn’t get finalized until here this morning. It’s one of those situations that came together pretty quickly. And so, I don’t know that it’s fair to say that it did or didn’t complicate things. I mean, that’s, in this world, it’s just kinda part of it. When you have a really good staff, you got really quality people on your staff, you’re gonna have guys that get opportunities and move on. And I think, we’re happy for Coach Entz, first. He’s, college football head-coaching jobs are really, really hard to get. And I think it’s always a sign of a healthy program, when programs are wanting to come in and hire your people, particularly, in head-coaching roles. And so, he did a great job for us. He made us better, made me better. Was a great hire, and a big part of, statistically, one of the most, if not the most, improved defense in the country. So, wish he and Brenda the best. They’ve been great Trojans, and excited for their next opportunity. Yeah, I don’t know that I can sit here and say that we did or didn’t get somebody because of that today. I don’t know that it was that impactful in terms of anything that played out today. But I think, part of our goal is, is to have a program, an offense, a defense, that goes beyond any one coach. That people know that, what they’re getting into here in terms of our culture, our systems that we have in place, and that they’re going to remain steadfast and never be tied directly to one person. And so, nah, wish him the best, and again, I think it’s a compliment to our program and to those hires that we made 12 months ago at this time.”
How critical was it to win the Jahkeem Stewart recruiting battle and can he be an immediate contributor?
“It was important. Jahkeem was somebody that we targeted very early on. The tough thing was, so did everybody else. But he’s a neat young man. I mean, we got to spend a lot of time with him. He was able to come out to LA, several times throughout the process. And, he’s just, everybody sees the physical ability, the length, I mean, he has a very unique combination physically. But I do think Jahkeem’s mentality, the way he attacks and his confidence – he has a real, gritty, tough, hardworking mentality. And I think that, you know, is really what makes him such an outstanding prospect and made him a dominant high school player. And so, you look at guys and you’re like, alright, do they have the mental makeup, and do they have the physical, are they far enough developed physically to feel like, that they can come in and make an impact? And I mean, I, he certainly has that. Like every other player on our roster, he’s going to have to come in and earn it. But that’s, I mean, knowing Jahkeem, I mean, that’s what he wants anyway. And so, nah, it was important. He’s one of the more defensive linemen that I’ve had a chance to be involved with recruiting. And it’s just, this is one of those things where everything about this just fit. We’re really glad he’s a Trojan.”
Stewart only played 12 varsity games, how do you evaluate his readiness for college?
“Yeah, that’s a great question. I mean, I felt like, as a – I felt like, when we watched him in high school that he was advanced enough, that he could’ve made an impact on a college field even as a high-school-aged player. I mean, he’s – there’s, you watch the way that this guy plays the game, it’s pretty impressive. And when you really look at his entire scenario, and why he didn’t play here at the end – he obviously, was, made the decision that he felt like it was best to reclassify. Which, there’s a lot of people that I don’t think would be ready, physically or mentally, to do that. But he’s, he is one of ‘em. And I can understand why he did. And, obviously got caught up a little bit in the rules of the state because of that. And, but he’s a driven kid. He’s very confident, very, very hyper-focused. And everything that we know about him, and everything that we’ve been able to see when we’ve had a chance to evaluate him in person – we had zero hesitation to target him, and had zero hesitation or questions about what he brings to the table here. So, I like that the kid knew what he wanted, and had enough confidence and belief in himself to go get it. And he’s kinda got that type of mentality, which I feel like is going to serve home ell in the future.”
You've been linked to a couple other jobs recently, when people approach you about that, what do you tell them?
“Nah,” chuckling, “I tell ‘em I’m a USC Trojan. This is, I’m at the place I want to be. So, that’s, it’s a non-starter, it’s a non-issue. That’s – I’m home.”
With losing Miller Moss and Jake Jensen, is looking for a portal QB a necessity?
“It is. We will look for another quarterback in the portal. Um, I don’t – I think, we’re really going to be looking at somebody to be able to come in and provide some depth in that room. I think, as you said, we just have two guys right now. Which, I think earlier in my career, I would’ve been, probably freaking out a little bit. Now, it’s just kind of a yearly occurrence. So, I’m excited about the two guys we got returning. Really excited about the way Jayden played for us here in the last three, particularly the way he played a couple of days ago. Really excited to bring Husan into our program. That was just something that, you know, as that whole scenario played out, it became very clear to us that we wanted him to be the quarterbcak in this program, for a lot of different reasons. Specifically, his, just his mental makeup, his commitment to the team, and commitment to want to be great. So, I can’t wait to add him into the room. And yeah, we’ll certainly – in some form or fashion, we’ll need to find a third guy. And we’ll, Coach Huard, the rest of our staff, we’ll be diving into that heavily and find somebody to come fill out the room.”
