How USC coaches are handling recruiting amid upheaval
USC players take the field prior to last week’s unexpected but brutal defeat against Stanford at the Coliseum, prompting Clay Helton’s immediate dismissal. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Adam Grosbard(OC Register) — As he arrived on Monday evening for his first interview as the USC football team’s interim head coach, Donte Williams was informed that he had a few minutes before his new, weekly spot on the radio program.
Williams excused himself, stepped a few feet away and used the small window of opportunity to call a recruit.
“That’s one-third of the job. So you may not have time, you find time,” Williams said Thursday. “Recruiting, everyone thinks it’s all day, 24-7. But I think recruiting is 25-7. You have to almost make an hour in the day.”
As with any coaching change, USC’s recruiting can be described as in a state of purgatory, at best. No major recruit is going to pledge to a university without a head coach, and Williams and the USC coaching staff aren’t exactly in a spot to accept such commitments before Clay Helton’s successor is in place.
But there still remains the issue of the current members of USC’s 2022 recruiting class. Ten seniors had already committed to USC before Helton was fired on Monday, including five-star prospects Domani Jackson of Mater Dei and Mykel Williams of Georgia.
Given the uncertainty around USC, some schools smell blood in the water. Trojans QB commit Devin Brown, a prospect who USC identified earlier in the cycle than most schools, picked up new offers from Ole Miss and UCLA in the days following Helton’s firing.
So Williams and the coaching staff are trying to send a clear message to both commits and other prospects about why they should still keep USC in mind as they go about this process.
“The structure is still in place. Hopefully, they still give us a chance as USC,” Williams said. “No matter what, USC is still USC. Still a great academic school. Still a great city. Still great alums. We’re going to make sure we keep the train on the tracks and keep this thing rolling.”
Williams said it hasn’t been hard to get the rest of the coaching staff to continue their efforts in recruiting, describing his peers as professionals who understand how the business works. And he hopes that USC’s in-season recruiting efforts outpace those of other teams who might be more focused on game planning.
For his part, Williams said he tries to call East Coast recruits first thing in the morning after he wakes up at 5 a.m. local time, then reaches out to West Coast kids in the evening after practice.
There have been some modest returns, too, as on Thursday five-star receiver Kevin Coleman from St. Louis announced he would be taking his last official visit to USC in November.
“I mean, we have a lot of great players on our team that after this season will leave. If those guys leave, you have to be able to replace them,” Williams said. “My biggest message to recruits is we’re not about changing anything here, we’re about enhancing everything.”
BRIEFLY
USC defensive ends Korey Foreman (foot) and Nick Figueroa (AC sprain) are both expected to play against Washington State on Saturday, Williams said during his morning press conference on Thursday.
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