Regardless of how you'd like to characterize/justify Helton's recruiting efforts the past couple of years, there's really no way to view such efforts as anything other than, underwhelming and one that likely mires this program in mediocrity for some time. Should it be allowed to continue, expect no more than a tad north of .500 with an occasional 9-3 thrown in there for good measure in the years to come.
And, for you glassy-eyed Trojan's who hang on to the "USC recruits itself" mantra, think again as you're witnessing firsthand that USC, or any other school for that matter, does not "recruit itself." High-end recruiting requires excellent recruiters, program identity, a consistent level of play, national relevance and player development, which unfortunately have not been on display throughout this regime.
Helton's/Swann's efforts have come home to roost and there are no Darnold's on the horizon to delay the inevitable.
If USC is not consistently in the running for its top in-state players with a sprinkle of quality out-of-state talent here and there they'll never compete with the "big boyz," it's that simple. Then again as some have proclaimed, competing with the "big boyz may not be the expectation for this university ... we'll likely find that out in the coming months as Dr. Folt will either support or impeach the efforts of Helton/Swan.
Of the seventeen committed in Ca's top twenty-five, two are committed to USC (Bryce Young and Joshua Jackson). Of the eight uncommits there are 1-2 we have a slight shot at signing. For some reason Helton seems to have disassociated himself from his, "First and foremost we are committed to signing the best players in Ca." catchy slogan.
As with many here, my "concern-meter" is officially pegged toward the right side of the anxiety scale. It appears Helton has prominently displayed the white flag and is readily taking-on commitments from those who have failed to capture the attention of quality Power Fiver Conference contenders or for that matter even the eye of their best in-state programs.
Of our twelve commitments only five have offers from schools most would consider quality programs, with the remainder being offered by the likes of: San Jose St, Liberty, Wash St, Or St, Boise St, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno, UNLV, Northern Az, New Mexico St, Eastern Mich. and San Diego St.
I have no issue with an occasional 3-star kid like Kobe Pepe that has been offered by ND, Penn St, Mich, tOSU, Neb and Or ... but that's a far cry from the offer lists of our other 3-star recruits as noted above. And this notion of taking on a "project" player under Helton's reign has zero legitimacy and just plain foolish as developing 5-star players have been a challenge for him.
USC should be in the top-ten of every recruiting list, and never any lower than #10 nationally. Yet, as we sit here and ponder the glitter of the new offense, JT's season-ending injury and an overall team performance against Fresno that revealed similar execution issues as to the ones on display in every game last year ... we stand at #51 in the recruiting rankings with the distinct possibility of dropping lower should Helton once again fail to right the ship.
I am very happy for all the current commits and their families in attaining their dream of attending USC, but let's face it, with the exception of Pepe and Yary none of these kids would have been offered, let alone allow to commit had Swann/Helton simply earned their fakin' paycheck.
And, for you glassy-eyed Trojan's who hang on to the "USC recruits itself" mantra, think again as you're witnessing firsthand that USC, or any other school for that matter, does not "recruit itself." High-end recruiting requires excellent recruiters, program identity, a consistent level of play, national relevance and player development, which unfortunately have not been on display throughout this regime.
Helton's/Swann's efforts have come home to roost and there are no Darnold's on the horizon to delay the inevitable.
If USC is not consistently in the running for its top in-state players with a sprinkle of quality out-of-state talent here and there they'll never compete with the "big boyz," it's that simple. Then again as some have proclaimed, competing with the "big boyz may not be the expectation for this university ... we'll likely find that out in the coming months as Dr. Folt will either support or impeach the efforts of Helton/Swan.
Of the seventeen committed in Ca's top twenty-five, two are committed to USC (Bryce Young and Joshua Jackson). Of the eight uncommits there are 1-2 we have a slight shot at signing. For some reason Helton seems to have disassociated himself from his, "First and foremost we are committed to signing the best players in Ca." catchy slogan.
As with many here, my "concern-meter" is officially pegged toward the right side of the anxiety scale. It appears Helton has prominently displayed the white flag and is readily taking-on commitments from those who have failed to capture the attention of quality Power Fiver Conference contenders or for that matter even the eye of their best in-state programs.
Of our twelve commitments only five have offers from schools most would consider quality programs, with the remainder being offered by the likes of: San Jose St, Liberty, Wash St, Or St, Boise St, Hawaii, Nevada, Fresno, UNLV, Northern Az, New Mexico St, Eastern Mich. and San Diego St.
I have no issue with an occasional 3-star kid like Kobe Pepe that has been offered by ND, Penn St, Mich, tOSU, Neb and Or ... but that's a far cry from the offer lists of our other 3-star recruits as noted above. And this notion of taking on a "project" player under Helton's reign has zero legitimacy and just plain foolish as developing 5-star players have been a challenge for him.
USC should be in the top-ten of every recruiting list, and never any lower than #10 nationally. Yet, as we sit here and ponder the glitter of the new offense, JT's season-ending injury and an overall team performance against Fresno that revealed similar execution issues as to the ones on display in every game last year ... we stand at #51 in the recruiting rankings with the distinct possibility of dropping lower should Helton once again fail to right the ship.
I am very happy for all the current commits and their families in attaining their dream of attending USC, but let's face it, with the exception of Pepe and Yary none of these kids would have been offered, let alone allow to commit had Swann/Helton simply earned their fakin' paycheck.
