On this fantastic, rainy (love that!) Xmas Eve, and with the holidays in full swing, happy 2022 and best of health to all the TDB members who say what they mean, and mean what they say here.

5-star 2023 WR Zachariah Branch will be committing to LR before long.

Now, all we need is a new RB coach and about three dozen or so new young Trojans to storm the field at the Coliseum the next couple of years to help remind us all what dominant and exciting Trojan football used to look like.

Fight On and Happy Holidays! 🤘✌✌

Lenny Vandermade Statement

Thank you Lenny!

The 25 best college football bowl performances (Matt Brown, The Athletic): 9. Charles White, RB, USC Game: 1980 Rose Bowl White earned co-MVP honors a year earlier after grinding out 99 yards in a 17-10 win against Michigan. To cap his 1979 Heisman season, White ran 39 times for 247 yards against No. 1 Ohio State, including 71 yards and the go-ahead touchdown on USC’s winning drive in the final minutes. White set the Rose Bowl rushing record while playing through flu symptoms, and he denied the Buckeyes a national title. 1. Vince Young, QB, Texas Game: 2006 Rose Bowl Just as… Read more »

I just watched the three min highlight tape of Trojan signee/LB Garrison Madden from Dutchtown, GA. Highlight tapes should look great, right? They usually do, and don’t always tell the true story on a prospect. But this is OBVIOUSLY not a 3-star player, regardless of how many excellent preps they have in Georgia. Madden has fantastic speed, which is how he runs a 10.71 100. But he’s a lot more than that. He also sheds blockers well, loves to mix it up, has superior quickness and instincts, at 6-2, will play at 225 probably (or more), jumps routes, blows through… Read more »

Watching all these coaches move around to other rebuilding staffs, and the huge domino impact, has me glued daily to footballscoop.com. The latest:

Oregon: Colorado DBs coach Demetrice Martin (USC GA ’06-07) is expected to join Dan Lanning’s staff in the same capacity Bruce Feldman has shared. 

Ah, remembering the good old days, and quotes, of Clay Helton. It wasn’t that long ago when USC began the 2021 season with a desultory 30-7 win over lowly SJS in the Coliseum. Scattered booing had already become a Trojan fan ritual. The Trojans could only score two offensive TDs against the Spartans that day, another scary sign that weary Trojan supporters were in for more oncoming big-time torture. Yes, another typical disappointing USC opener was in the books. Kedon Slovis, now a PITT Panther, was still actually a Heisman Trophy candidate at the time. USC was even ranked #14… Read more »

LOS ANGELES — USC junior wide receiver Drake London has been named the Most Valuable Player of the 2021 Trojan football team. Senior tailback Vavae Malepeai was USC’s Most Inspirational Player and a team captain. Redshirt freshman safety Xavion Alford and true freshman safety Calen Bullock were Defensive Perimeter Players of the Year, senior offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees and sophomore defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu were Linemen of the Year and junior punter Ben Griffiths was Special Teams Player of the Year. Tuipulotu also won the Bob Chandler Award (underclassman with outstanding athletic ability, academic achievement and character), while Griffiths also was a team captain. A complete list of the awards: Mike McKeever Memorial Most Valuable… Read more »

Kedon Slovis announces he is transferring to PITT!  “USC transfer Kedon Slovis had already been linked with Pitt due to his relationship with Pitt women’s soccer player Kate McKay, but another factor — a potentially lucrative factor — has been uncovered by HailToPitt on Twitter. “Slovis signed a name, image and likeness deal with American Eagle back in September, partnering with the clothing brand as a featured student-athlete with a national marketing campaign. And the American Eagle headquarters? Just so happens to be in Pittsburgh’s SouthSide Works complex — just down the street from Pitt’s football facilities on the… Read more »